About MDK
MDK is a third-person shooter that Shiny Entertainment developed for Windows and MS-DOS. It came out in the UK on March 27, 1997 and in North America on May 5. Shokwave later ported it to Mac OS and Neversoft to the PlayStation, where it launched in North America and Europe in November 1997 and in Japan in August 1999. Playmates Interactive Entertainment (PIE) published the game on every system in North America, while Shiny handled the European release itself.
Nick Bruty, Tim Williams and Bob Stevenson designed MDK, David Perry and Scott Herrington produced it, and Todd Dennis wrote the music, with Tommy Tallarico as music producer. DOS.Zone’s description sums it up as surreal sci-fi action. You play Kurt Hectic, a janitor turned super-soldier, who has to stop alien invaders with over-the-top weapons such as a coin-operated sniper rifle. It is a single-player game with no multiplayer mode. DOS.Zone tags its listing as 3D action and a third-person shooter for MS-DOS.
How it runs in your browser
Hit Play and DOS.Zone opens in a new tab with MDK ready to load. The site runs the original PC version inside an emulated computer through js-dos, an open-source DOSBox build for browsers that DOS.Zone maintains. All of the game data comes from the site: there’s no installer, no files to provide and no account. DOS.Zone runs without ads. The listing is credited to a DOS.Zone user, Carter54, and has a 5 out of 5 rating from 42 reviews.
Bear in mind that DOS.Zone has removed games before when rights holders asked. GTA 1 and 2 were taken down after a request from Take-Two, so a listing like this one could disappear. The host’s notes also don’t mention whether progress is saved, so don’t rely on picking up where you left off.
Controls and devices
DOS.Zone lists MDK for a keyboard and mouse. The key layout isn’t given in the host’s notes, so look at DOS.Zone’s page before you start. Phones get DOS.Zone’s virtual on-screen controls, but the game was designed for a keyboard and mouse, and a computer is the better fit. Chromebooks haven’t been confirmed.
Who it’s for
MDK suits players who missed Shiny’s shooter in 1997 and want to try it without hunting down an old PC copy, and anyone curious about 3D action games on the PC from that period. DOS.Zone’s own write-up calls it a cult classic, which gives a sense of how it’s remembered. If you want another 3D game from the same era, Tomb Raider from 1996 also runs in a browser, and for a first-person shooter on DOS.Zone, Duke Nukem 3D is a year older.
Is MDK Free, Safe and Official?
Can I play MDK online for free?
You can play it free in a browser tab on DOS.Zone, with no account. MDK is a single-player game, so there’s no online mode.
Do I need the MDK game files or a disc?
No. DOS.Zone loads the original PC version from its own site and runs it through js-dos, so there’s nothing to install or supply.
Does MDK work on a phone?
DOS.Zone offers virtual on-screen controls for phones, but MDK was built for a keyboard and mouse, so a computer is the better fit.
