New Family Guy Episode Pays Homage to Classic Mortal Kombat Cheat Code

The newest Season 18 episode of Family Guy — Episode 6 — was released last night on Fox and it featured a new Mortal Kombat reference, which is fitting since Mortal Kombat 11 released earlier this year onto PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Dubbed “Peter & Lois’ Wedding,” the episode features Peter and Lois finally telling their kids how they met and fell in love in the 90s. Most of the episode takes place in the 90s, and thus is full of references and callbacks to that era. And, as you may know, Mortal Kombat burst onto the scene in the 90s. Like now, it was a pretty big deal, and so unsurprisingly it got some love in the new 90s-themed episode of the show.

The reference comes and goes pretty quick, but it’s impossible to miss since Peter outright name drops Mortal Kombat, asking Lois to remind him what the Mortal Kombat Blood Code is, which he keeps forgetting. At this point, Lois, from memory, tells Peter the code. And that’s it. It’s a quick reference, but one that delighted fans, as well as series creator and director Ed Boon.

For those that don’t know: the Mortal Kombat Blood Code is one of the most controversial cheat codes in video game history, because, at the time, it was a piece of the Mortal Kombat vs. video game censorship battle that took place in the 1990s. Certain versions of the game shipped without blood or fatalities. However, it was eventually discovered that you could unlock the uncensored version of the game by simply punching in the button combination Lois mentions. Everyone who played games in the 90s knew the Mortal Kombat Blood Code, including the writers of Family Guy, apparently.

Family Guy Season 18 is currently airing on Fox. Meanwhile, the latest entry in Mortal Kombat — Mortal Kombat 11 — hit back in April, and is available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.