The Ultimate Arena - A One-Man effort in bringing Mortal Kombat to the Atari machines

Written by ST Graveyard

Since The Ultimate Arena featured live actors, I wanted the documentary to begin like an episode of a TV show, with a flashy intro showcasing the people involved. The music in the background used was the actual game's theme song.

When Théo told me how he came up with the idea for the game, while in a ski cabin, it sparked my imagination. My videos focus on ST games, but even more so on the people behind them. How do you tell a person's history in a compelling way? I felt Théo’s story was perfect for a comic book-style interpretation.

All the comic book graphics were created using Microsoft’s 'Free Image Generator' AI. I found a comic book template online and used GIMP to assemble the full pages. Once finished, I compiled the pages into a single PDF file and used an online tool to convert it into a page-flipping animation. All the zoom and scroll effects were done using Filmora.

The Running Man, Mortal Kombat, Terminator 2... everything I love came together in this story. And I’m thrilled to feature Schwarzenegger in an ST video. Théo’s main inspiration for the game was the book The Running Man, written by Richard Bachman, a pseudonym for Stephen King.

The history of Mortal Kombat and the techniques used in its development were incredibly intriguing to me—and the perfect starting point for the documentary. I always try to weave in bits and pieces of gaming history that are relevant to the story.

The live footage of the actors performing stunts for the game is the true highlight of the documentary. Théo even drove all the way from Paris back to his hometown to try and recover the tapes. Since he couldn’t convert the old video footage to digital, he recorded it directly from the TV screen using his phone. I’m incredibly grateful to Théo for sharing it, and proud to be able to show it to the fans.

This copy of VIDI-ST was a gift from a friend, and it turned out to be a perfect fit for the documentary.

I had never heard of the IFA PD library myself. But with my large collection of old magazines, I started digging. While researching and flipping through some French ST Magazine issues, I quickly learned more about the label.

The game included quite a few references to Sam Fox, so it only made sense to feature her in the video. The song playing in the background of this shot is an 8-bit version of one of her hits, 'Touch Me'. I thought it was a nice little 'touch' ;-)

The Mortal Kombat-inspired border and the golden Ultimate Arena logo in the background were all generated using AI. I cut out the graphics with GIMP and built everything from there.

I really tried to find the exact photos Théo used for the game, but I wasn’t able to. But hey, I think the impression is still there, right?

I think this was a fun shot. I placed some old ST magazines on a table with a white piece of paper in the background, placed my video camera on top of it and took a photo from above. The footage of B.M. Swan was added using DaVinci, and the text was created in Filmora, where the final shot was rendered.

An original copy of The Ultimate Arena is incredibly rare, and unfortunately, I don’t own one. So, the floppies you see in this photo are fake—I used GIMP to add the original label to some of my own floppies. On a personal note, since MK2 was a major inspiration for the game, I played the Sega Game Gear version nonstop as a teenager.

The outer images were again generated using AI, but I thought the Skeleton image, in particular, was a perfect fit. The announcer voice you hear when the images appear is an AI-generated Mortal Kombat-style sample.

I was thrilled to be able to perform a Mortality finishing move in the Falcon version, and luckily, I recorded it. The blood splatter transition is the cherry on top of this scene.

I always try to add little details to the shots. For example, in the final shot of the video, you can spot the tiny Mortal Kombat characters in the bottom left and right corners.

Part 1 - The Cabin in the Alps

Théo lay on the bed of the ski cabin, staring up at the ceiling. He didn’t know what to do with his life. After graduating high school, he had spent 2 years at an art school in Strasbourg. That was back in the early '90s, a time when studying “Computer Graphics” wasn't an option for a higher education. He wanted to work in special effects, but his teachers pushed him to become an art teacher, so he quit before even getting a degree. He traveled to England with his best friend to figure things out but had to return to France for mandatory military service. Now in his early twenties, he was living with his mom and was stuck in a part-time job he hated.

Théo always had a strong creative streak and a fascination with movies, music, art and tech. When he was 12, he tagged along with his dad to a computer fair that left him completely awestruck. He couldn't stop talking about it, and as a birthday gift, his parents got him a Commodore 64. That moment marked the start of his computer journey. He dove into coding, grabbing code listings from French magazines like Hebdogiciel, and that was it…he was hooked on computers, never running out of things to explore. 

By the end of the 80’s, following several incomplete game projects, he delved into music, collaborating with a friend on two personal albums. It was during this period that he encountered the Atari ST for the first time. At the home-studio, they employed Atari computers, particularly using the program Notator, to record the analog instruments and vocals. When the moment arrived for Théo to invest in a new home computer, the choice was evident. And by 1990, he acquired his own 1040 STe without hesitation.

“The STE could both handle my passion for computers, video games and home studio music.” Théo explains.

However, now, four years later, his go-to machine, the one he cherished above all others, was losing STeam. The availability of commercial games dwindled. So while he was gazing at that ceiling under the snowy French Alps, T.R. Buz, Theo's moniker, knew he had to take matters into his own hands. An idea struck him, one that would eventually change his life.


Part 2 - Proof of Concept

In August 1992, Midway unveiled its notorious fighting game, Mortal Kombat. For Théo, it was a revelation - a fusion of everything he adored: special effects, movies and video games. He poured a fortune in quarters into the arcade machine, captivated by the gameplay. However, a year later, it became evident that Acclaim had no intentions of adapting it for the Atari ST.

“I was so disappointed. I just thought, heck if they don't want to give it to us, I'll do it myself!” Théo recalls.

So that evening in the ski cabin, he came up with a story line. Drawing heavy inspiration from Stephen King's novel 'The Running Man,' he crafted a lore envisioning a live television show. Fighters from diverse backgrounds would battle for their lives within this narrative. The lore hinted at a more realistic universe, portraying real individuals engaged in televised combat, where the stakes were high - the fighters could face actual mortality.

“From the beginning I wanted to make a game that felt like Mortal Kombat visually, with digitized characters, and in gameplay, but not a simple clone”

Mortal Kombat wasn't groundbreaking in its use of digitized images in video games. As early as 1988, Williams introduced “Narc”, an action shooter utilizing a technique derived from the Amiga platform, where live actors were filmed and digitized. By the early 1990s, Williams, now rebranded as 'Midway,' secured the rights to the immensely popular Terminator 2. This game showcased an evolved version of the digitization technology pioneered in Narc.

When artist John Tobias and programmer Ed Boon pitched their concept for a versus fighting game to Midway, they were keen on leveraging the company's digitization capabilities. Live actors were filmed and seamlessly translated onto the computer screen, laying the foundation for what would become Mortal Kombat.

However, Mortal Kombat was a high-budget endeavor. The question remained: How could something similar be achieved in 1994 on an Atari ST? 

"I honestly didn't know how Mortal Kombat was made. Video games weren't much of a subject in the media back then, and even the dedicated video game magazines didn't spend much time explaining how studios actually worked. But in the end, it seems I did exactly the same as Midway."

Théo had already conceptualized some characters for his game, ultimately selecting two: Terry, a charismatic movie star, and Kato, a skilled warrior monk. Drawing inspiration from iconic figures like Johnny Cage and Raiden from the Mortal Kombat franchise, Théo set out to bring these characters to life. 

Armed with his trusty GRUNDIG VS155 camcorder, Théo began filming his longtime friend, BM Swan, in full VHS glory against the backdrop of a large beige wall. Clad in nothing but white pants and a bare chest, Swan performed different stunts to embody the essence of Kato. Théo, with his passion for 'home' bodybuilding, found himself perfectly cast for the role of Terry, the game's protagonist.

Once filming wrapped, Théo utilized the digitizer device and software package VIDI-ST to transfer the footage from VHS to his Atari ST. He imported the images into Degas Elite, painstakingly removing backgrounds and adding colors to bring the characters to life. The graphics were then organized onto sprite sheets, with black and white masks used to ensure transparency where needed. Despite the extensive post-production process, which took forever, Théo's love for computer graphics made the effort more of a labor of love than a burden.

Already in his early teens, Théo dabbled in game development on the Commodore 64, attempting an ambitious Olympic games project with a friend. Hindered by the system's limited memory, they could only implement two sports. The project eventually failed. But now, in his early 20’s, and equipped with more programming experience, Théo felt ready to tackle a new challenge. This fighting game would mark his first major project on the Atari ST platform. 

Théo kicked off his programming journey with Omikron Basic, as it came bundled with the STe. However, after discovering its limitations, he made the switch to GFA Basic. He immersed himself in GFA Basic's documentation and explored the potential of integrating 68K assembler routines. Although mastering assembler proved to be a daunting task, Théo persevered, recognizing its important role in enhancing his project. From music management, which was simply impossible with BASIC, to enabling complex image manipulations and even developing an image and video codec. It all propelled the game development to new heights.

After months of dedicated coding, "The Ultimate Arena" emerged as a captivating one-level STe-only demo. From the moment you boot up the game, its uniqueness is apparent. The program starts with a digitized introduction, featuring a charismatic game show host setting the stage for what's to come. On the big screen in the background, a solitary contestant named Terry is introduced, portrayed by none other than a digitized photo of Théo himself. His ambition to deliver a full-fledged experience is also evident as a diverse array of characters parade across the screen. There's Arvester, reminiscent of a Terminator, Jo, straight out of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', and Kate Small, portrayed by an uncredited real-life friend of Théo. And finally, the enigmatic Kato emerges as Terry's adversary. 

The two digital music tracks were composed by BM Swan himself using notator and Théo’s Roland keyboard, an instrument he bought a few years back with money earned with his job as a paperboy.

The demo was distributed through IFA magazine, a revered black-and-white order catalogue featuring all things PD and shareware in France. Players loved the bold features: The big, digitized sprites of the combatants, and the beautiful backdrop of the Volcano level, paying homage to Mortal Kombat's iconic pit stage. Crafted from a digitized image and polished in Degas Elite, It even boasted its own fatal ‘cliff hanger’. The digital sfx were also created in house. And for the first time, we had a vs fighting game with blood…and lots of it. Additionally, the game's logo drew inspiration from Mortal Komb at and The Karate Kid, the latter being one of Théo's favorite movies at the time. It is a masking of one of Terry’s digitized positions. However, one flaw lingered: despite the fast-paced gameplay, the horizontal and vertical scrolling suffered from noticeable choppiness. ST Format took note of the demo in their review featured in issue 72 and awarded it a score of 58%.

Théo received plenty of feedback, including suggestions for possible improvements. He reached out to gaming magazines for more exposure. French ST Magazine expressed interest in promoting a full game, but Théo  was already deep into optimizing his engine. A new version of the existing demo was released, including a text screen, teasing players with what the full game could offer. 

But little did they know, Théo's journey was far from over, with unforeseen challenges awaiting on the horizon.


Part 3 - The Ultimate Arena 

Throughout his six-month stay in the UK at the beginning of the 90’s, Théo found himself immersed in a whirlwind of opportunities. He considered his journey to England the experience of a lifetime. Being an admirer of Samantha Fox, a prominent UK page 3 model, he revisited the UK in 1996. During this visit, he pitched an idea for an interactive CD-ROM project to her manager, which involved remixing her decade-long hits and visualizing unreleased sequences in a virtual studio. While their interest was piqued, they were already committed to another venture. 

The full version of ‘The Ultimate Arena’ required a comprehensive roster of playable characters, with Théo designing a total of six inspired by movies and pop culture. We've already discussed Terry, Kato, Arvester, and Joe. Additionally, the female character Kate Small underwent a transformation into Serena, a Kitana look-a-like that could have come straight out of a Jordan Mechner game, brandishing her Persian sword with pride. To complete the lineup, Sandy was introduced, immortalizing the UK's pin-up legend Samantha Fox as a playable character. 

Each warrior boasted a unique set of three special moves. Terry wielded the ability to shoot fireballs from a distance, while Joe utilized his whip and cowboy hat to their fullest extent. Kato possessed the power of invisibility, while Serena had the capability to freeze-frame her opponent, among many others. However, Théo incorporated an additional strategic element: each time a special move was executed, it depleted a portion of the fighter's energy. Moreover, in single-player mode, the health of your player didn't fully regenerate after each stage. These features together with the diversity and depth of each character's abilities added layers of excitement to the gameplay experience. 

“The lore implied a more realistic universe. They are real people fighting on TV stages and they can actually die. The game isn't that hard but the fact that you don't have infinite energy forces you to think before using special moves.”

On the character selection screen, Théo utilized a portrait of himself as Terry, Serena was represented by an uncredited friend, and BM Swan took on the persona of Kato. Close-up shots of Joe, Arvester and Sandy were created using edited movie screenshots. However, bringing these fighters to life during gameplay required new actors and stunt performers. To embody Joe and Arvester, BM Swan completely dressed up as Indiana Jones and The Terminator, respectively. His girlfriend at the time, Cathie Klein, took on the role of Serena, while Théo’s own mother, M.T. Banholzer, portrayed Sandy.

“Filming everything posed its challenges, but we had a lot of fun throughout the process. Creating Serena proved to be a bit more complicated since Cathie, the actress representing her, didn't live in our immediate vicinity.”

However, one character was still absent. Following the tradition of Mortal Kombat, the final stage featured a boss character. Ahdes, a floating alien entity, was entirely hand-drawn using Degas Elite and animated. No digitization was employed here.

“I ORIGINALLY didn’t want the Ultimate Arena to be a fantasy game but more of an anticipation story. So all the characters had to be human apart from the final boss, which was designed to be a real challenge and a surprise.”

The full game boasted five distinct locations, each featuring backgrounds based on digital art and designed using Degas Elite. While some stages paid homage to Mortal Kombat II, others were original creations. However, all stages shared a common feature: the left and right edges were lethal. Théo incorporated this design element specifically to prevent players from getting trapped at the sides and succumbing to endless pummeling, a frustration he experienced in Mortal Kombat.

The game commences in 'The Ultimate Arena,' a custom-designed level tailored for the game and a clear nod to 'The Running Man, where combatants engaged within an electrified enclosure. The Volcano stage returned, now with enhanced graphics, allowing players to knock opponents into molten lava from the cliff's edge.This level even included an advertisement for 'Daughters in Time,' a game similar to Zelda that Théo was working on at the time. Unfortunately, it was never completed. Another notable background is the heaven stage, a visually stunning homage to Mortal Kombat II's pit stage, complete with parallax scrolling effects. The pool stage, featuring meathooks and corpses, served as Théo's take on the ‘Acid Pool’ level. Lastly, the practice stage bore resemblance to Goro's lair in the original Mortal Kombat but offered a unique twist: it was the only level where players could be knocked out of the ring without facing instant death. 

“For some of the levels I spent quite some time on a parallax effect like the Mode 7 on the SNES, but it slowed down the animation quite a bit, so I went with a simple 3 or 4 planes parallax FX.”

Compared to the original demo level, the full game underwent a significant transformation. Numerous optimizations were implemented, eliminating the choppy scrolling that plagued the earlier version. The characters were now smaller but boasted enhanced detail and a broader color palette. And because of the change in size, the vertical scrolling was omitted. The complete game ran at 3 VBL on the STe, equating to approximately 20 frames per second. However, one major drawback persisted: despite extensive efforts to optimize RAM usage, Théo encountered constant 'Out Of Memory' errors. The size of the sprite sheets proved too big, making it impossible to simultaneously store left and right character positions. Consequently, players were unable to jump over opponents and turn around during gameplay.

“This was quite a surprise to me because I was expecting gamers to complain about this limitation (100% due to low RAM on the 1040STE), but no one ever seemed to notice or bother. So much actually that I even decided not to add this possibility to the Falcon Edition later on.”

The final version spanned across 3 discs, with Théo going the extra mile by even incorporating an HD installer program. In an effort to conserve disc space, the intro from the demo was removed and replaced with a beefed up photograph of Théo... portraying Terry.

The intro and outro music was custom-created for the game by Théo and BM Swan, while the sound effects were homemade. Additionally, the announcer's voice was Théo's own, digitally modified using freelance audio software.

There were two modes of play: a single-player adventure where you could choose between Terry or Sandy and had to defeat all opponents to finish the game, or a two-player training mode that allowed you to select one of the six characters. Furthermore, you had the option to disable blood and special moves if you preferred a less intense experience. Lastly, a turbo mode, similar to the one in Street Fighter 2 Turbo, was also accessible.

When the game was released at the beginning of 1995, Théo was 24 years old and extremely proud : 

“The whole experience was amazing, from programming the game, shooting the stunts, designing the backgrounds and title screens, composing original music, to hand crafting the game box and the user manual. The artwork of the box was airbrushed and then photographed and finally xeroxed on glossy A4 sheets! I also managed all the post & packaging from my room, using scissors and adhesive tape…”

Despite its release at the end of the ST’s lifespan, the Ultimate Arena enjoyed considerable success compared to larger titles available in gaming shops at the time. Théo's efforts even attracted the attention of a major German publisher, who presented him with a contract for worldwide distribution. While the proposal was intriguing, it involved quadrupling the game's price.

“I have always thought that culture should be accessible to as many people as possible, not necessarily free but at least at the lowest price for those who do not necessarily have the means to pay for expensive cultural activities. I therefore refused their offer and continued to pack hundreds of boxes from my bedroom, and this for months, if not years.”

The game garnered positive reviews in French magazines STart and ST Magazine. Théo's efforts even convinced ‘Britains biggest selling ST magazine’, they awarded it an 86% rating and praised it as a "Superbly presented and highly playable beat 'em up, offering great value for the money." 

A new playable demo was also launched, this time showcasing 2 playable characters, Terry and Sandy, along with the heaven stage.

The release of the ST version still wasn’t the end of Théo's beat ‘em up adventure. Little did he realize, he had only just embarked on the journey towards creating one of the greatest games ever to grace Atari's flagship machine, the Falcon.


Part 4 - Ultimate Arena Reborn

Théo's passion for Atari computers naturally drew him to the Atari Falcon in 1994. With PCs remaining expensive and not particularly tailored for gaming and music, the Falcon emerged as the obvious choice for him. While he took great pride in his achievement with 'The Ultimate Arena' on the Atari STe, Théo couldn't shake off his growing frustration with the hardware constraints of the machine. Thus, it became apparent that dedicating a few months to an upgraded version was not just a consideration, but a logical step forward in his quest for creative expression.

“All the hard work had been done on the STE version so it was a pleasure to be able to do all the things I couldn’t achieve because of the limited RAM of the 1040 STE.”

All the graphics were enhanced using the paint package True Paint, boasting richer colors and smoother gradients.Additionally, a new game mode dubbed "Rampage" was introduced, offering players the freedom to select any of the six available fighters.

But the surprises didn't end there. Two additional characters, Shadow and Skeleton, were concealed within the game. Each came with their own unique level and background. These levels showcased ray-traced graphics created using the NEON program on the Falcon .The dark fighter Shadow, was created by overlaying a simple mask onto Terry's sprites. As for Skeleton, all graphics were hand-drawn, taking inspiration from the Terry character as a reference.

The Falcon edition of the game prioritized speed above all else. In normal mode, the game ran a blistering 35 frames per second, matching the pace of the STe turbo mode. Théo's optimization efforts had pushed the Falcon's capabilities to the limit, to the extent that the Turbo mode had to be dialed back to maintain playability.

However, perhaps the most eagerly awaited addition was the introduction of the Mortality move, Théo's take on the infamous fatality from Mortal Kombat. As the match concluded and the screen flickered red, players could execute a special key combination to perform this devastating finishing move. This move allowed them to decapitate their opponent, leaving behind a headless, bloodied corpse on the ground.

Furthermore, this edition introduced in-game music, with each level accompanied by its own unique track. These compositions were crafted by Théo and BM Swan, listed in the manual under the moniker 'Cobra,' a nod to the band they had formed in the late 80s.

As the final touch, the game now included a rendered intro and game-over animation. Plus, players could uncover an Easter egg, unlocking a mini-game of Breakout for added enjoyment.

In early 1996, the Ultimate Arena - Falcon edition was ready for prime time. Once again published by TR BUZ's company STEAM, a conjunction of the words ST and Team, it followed the footsteps of its ST predecessor. Alongside the full release, a new demo version hit the shelves, showcasing the heaven stage with Terry and Sandy as playable characters. Especially for this demo, Théo crafted a stunning intro screen using True Paint, drawing inspiration from the recently released MK3.

The release received praise from many magazines of the era, with ST FORMAT awarding it a solid 80%. However, ST Magazine expressed some disappointment with the game's limitations, noting its use of only 80 to 120 colors simultaneously on screen (instead of the full 256 colors) and a resolution of 320x200.

"To add all these features and keep a very snappy game, the 320x200 resolution was mandatory. As far as I remember higher resolutions implied less colors and a slower frame rate. Only static games actually used the higher resolution by the time so it was never an option. As for the colors I did my best to get smoother gradients and add details but the 16 colors used in the original game also gave it its style and I didn't want to lose it, adding colors for the sake of it didn't make much sense and I was pleased with the result. It was my game, not the technical demo some were wishing for."

Despite its success in sales, particularly given its release date, what has truly endured for Théo over the years is the fan mail he received.

"The most incredible part of the journey were the letters that people sent. Literally hundreds of nice letters from Atari fans who loved the game and supported the developers. I can’t say how amazing it was to get letters everyday from people so nice and passionate, incredible stories, intimate stuff sometimes, even a hacker who asked for permission and paid for the game. I can get quite emotional when thinking of that specific period, to anyone who wants to create a game today, that is the real reward for your dedication. No contract, no amount of money could ever replace that…"

And while The Ultimate Arena may not have been the best selling beat ‘em up, to Atari ST enthusiasts, Théo will forever be remembered as the man who dared to defy expectations by delivering a Mortal Kombat clone for the platform—an accomplishment that seemed impossible at the time. And not just any clone, but a remarkably well-executed one at that.