Mortal Kombat II

1. Pick Liu Kang or Jax. Liu Kang’s bicycle kick (hold LK for 3 seconds, release) and flying kick (→, → + HK) hit hard and land clean. Jax’s ground pound (hold LK for 3 seconds, release) punishes jumpers; his backbreaker throw works up close.

2. Learn the universal sweep. Down + LK trips every character. Fast, safe on block in most matchups, and sets up okizeme pressure. Use it until they block low by reflex.

3. Master the basic juggle: uppercut into air combo. Down + HP launches. Jump punch or jump kick before they fall for guaranteed damage. This is your punish for blocked specials.

4. Memorize one Fatality before your first win. SNES inputs are simplified from arcade. Liu Kang’s dragon: → (hold), → (hold), ← (hold), ← + HP at sweep distance. Practice in versus mode — you have roughly 3 seconds after “Finish Him” appears.

5. Block high by default, react to sweeps. Most specials and jump attacks hit high or mid. Duck only when you see the sweep start. SNES has 2–3 frames more input lag than arcade; preemptive blocking beats reaction blocking.

6. Unlock Smoke, Jade, and Noob Saibot early. Fight at the Portal stage and watch for silhouettes during “Toasty!” shouts. Down + Start on Player 1 or Player 2 controller (character-specific) triggers the hidden fight. Jade requires a flawless round victory first.

7. Spam projectiles in single-player to learn spacing. The AI reads inputs on higher difficulties but chokes against full-screen zoning. Liu Kang’s fireballs (→, → + HP) and Kitana’s fans (→, → + HP) teach safe poke ranges before you fight humans.

• Uppercut into air juggle is your bread-and-butter punish. Land a standing uppercut (↓ + HP) and immediately launch a jump kick or air special — most of the cast gets 30–40% combos this way. Practice the timing in versus CPU; it’s tighter on SNES than arcade but still consistent.

• Low sweep range varies wildly by character. Kitana and Mileena have absurd sweep reach; Jax and Baraka are stubby. Learn your main’s sweep distance and abuse it in footsies — a blocked sweep is punishable, but a max-range sweep that whiffs their counter-poke wins rounds.

• Block high by default, react low. Most special moves and jump-ins hit overhead; only sweeps and a handful of specials (Scorpion’s leg takedown, Mileena’s ground roll) require low block. Standing block covers 80% of threats — drop to crouch-block only when you see the sweep startup.

• Throws beat everything except ducking or throw-tech. If your opponent turtles, walk up and throw (LP + LK at point-blank). Throws ignore block and can’t be jumped out of once the grab connects. Counter by holding ↓ (auto-ducks throws) or mashing LP + LK to tech.

• Corner carry wins games. Specials like Liu Kang’s flying kick, Kitana’s fan lift, and Reptile’s slide push opponents toward the corner. Once cornered, they can’t backdash out of pressure and eat full jump-in combos on wakeup. Always walk forward after knockdowns.

• Babalities and Friendships require no blocking in the final round. If you want the bonus ending, do not press Block during Round 3/decisive round — even accidental blocks lock you out. Mercies (↓, ↓, ↓, LK at sweep distance after “Finish Him”) let you replay the round for a second Fatality attempt.

• SNES version has input-reader AI on higher difficulties. The CPU reads your button presses and auto-blocks or reversal-punishes. Bait with empty jumps, use delayed attacks, and rely on safe block strings rather than raw special spam.

Shao Kahn’s Hammer Spam

The final boss fight against Shao Kahn remains the single most-cited roadblock in MKII’s SNES port. His shoulder charge and war hammer have near-instant startup, and the AI reads inputs — he’ll punish your jump attempts before you leave the ground. The unblock: stay at sweep distance, crouch-block his shoulder charge, then immediately uppercut (↓+HP) during recovery. Repeat. Do not jump. Do not throw projectiles unless he taunts. Liu Kang’s bicycle kick (hold LK for 3 seconds, release) can interrupt his hammer wind-up if timed during the first active frame, but the window is punishing. Patient crouch-block → uppercut wins consistently.

Kitana/Mileena Fan Juggle Lockdown

Mid-tier CPU opponents (Kitana, Mileena, Jade) abuse fan tosses to control horizontal space, then juggle you on reaction to your jump-in. Players conditioned by MKII arcade timing find the SNES version’s slightly slower projectile speed throws off their jump rhythm. Solution: walk forward and crouch-block until you’re inside sweep range — the AI hesitates at point-blank. Once there, throw (LP+LK) or sweep (↓+LK) to reset neutral. Scorpion’s teleport punch (↓, →, HP) bypasses fan spam entirely but leaves you punishable on block; use it once to condition the AI, then walk in.

Endurance Match Fatigue (Rounds 7–9)

The back-to-back two-on-one Endurance matches drain health between rounds — you start each new opponent at whatever percentage you finished the last. Players used to arcade quarters don’t realize the SNES port gives you zero health recovery. Strategy: prioritize damage avoidance over aggressive offense. Jax’s ground pound (hold LK for 3 seconds, release) and Reptile’s slide (← + LP + LK + BL) are low-risk pokes that keep CPU opponents honest. Burn one opponent down fast, then play pure keepaway against the second to preserve health for the next gauntlet.

Goro’s Stomp → Grab Loop

Goro’s jumping stomp has deceptive horizontal tracking — it homes toward your position at jump apex. If it connects, he chains into his four-armed grab for 30%+ damage. The tell: he always stomps from fullscreen after a knockdown. Walk backward (not jump backward) immediately after standing up to create whiff space, then punish with a jump-in combo during his landing recovery.