Kombat is Kom-back with Mortal Kombat 1. The Klassic fighting game series returns with a new time-bending entry.
Back to Basics
As the name would suggest, Mortal Kombat 1 seeks to take the series back to its roots. Some believe that this game will have a rather limited selection of characters compared to the gargantuan rosters of recent entries. The trailer shows off characters who are likely to be in the starting selection, but we haven’t yet seen the full roster.
The characters shown are from the series’ past, from the first two Mortal Kombat games. The characters shown were Liu Kang, Raiden, Kung Lao, Shang Tsung, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Kitana, and Mileena. However, series veterans may notice some rather important faces are missing. You cannot find Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Jax or Kano in the trailer. Will these Kombatants be left in the past?
Kameo Fighters
The recently released Mortal Kombat 1 Website reveals some details regarding the game. The most interesting of which is the concept of Kameo Fighters. The website describes this mechanic as calling in characters to assist you in battle. The website also mentions that the roster of Kameo Fighters is “unique” and will most likely be a separate roster of only assists. This mechanic could function similarly to the assist mechanics of the recently released Holo-Live V-tuber fighting game or the Smash-Bros-esque Fraymakers, where players have a selection of assist-only characters to choose from.
This mechanic actually has roots in Mortal Kombat 11. In the Krypt and arcade mode, the player can call in projectiles from non-playable characters such as Bo-Rai-Cho. The Kameo Fighter mechanic is most likely an expansion on that mechanic, with entire characters appearing to help rather than just a disembodied projectile.
Story mode and Lore implications (Spoilers for Mk11)
One element touted on the website is the story mode. This is unsurprising as the Mortal Kombat games have had expansive story modes for quite a while, especially in the recent MK9 Reboot Trilogy. After 2011’s Mortal Kombat 9 rebooting the franchise, seeing the story rebooted so soon while also being part of the original canon makes the story of Mortal Kombat very confusing. Despite MK9 being a reboot of the series, the events of the prior games (to an extent) still happened.
You could say the same about the upcoming Mortal Kombat 1. It appears to be a reboot of a series, yet it picks up right where Mortal Kombat 11 ended. For those unaware, Mortal Kombat 11’s story ended with Liu Kang becoming an Elder God and master of time after defeating Kronika. The game ended with Liu Kang creating a new timeline. That ending is why Mortal Kombat 1 is a reboot, though the events of the prior game still happened. Confusing, I know.
Network Test
Warner Brothers Games has announced that they will be performing a network stress test to see how the servers handle players with Mortal Kombat 1. The date for this test is currently unknown. The stress test will only be available on Playstation 5 and Xbox series X. There are no plans for a network test on PC or Nintendo Switch. This test will allow players to fight one on one or against AI. This sounds normal, but the network test specified 1v1 matches, which is the norm. Some think there is more to this, and there may be a larger multiplayer mode in the works. Could this mean that MK1 could potentially be a tag fighter like Marvel Vs Capcom or Dragonball Fighterz? Fans are speculating as such.
Amazon Italy Leaks
This section should be prefaced with nothing from this leak has been confirmed as of yet, so take this with a grain of salt. Eagle-eyed fans noticed on the Italian Amazon page for MK1 that the first season of DLC was named. This DLC would include both normal playable characters and Kameo fighters.
The Kameo fighters named were Johnny Cage, Tremor, Khameleon, Mavado, and Ferra without Torr. The playable DLC roster includes three series veterans, Quan Chi, Ermac, and Takeda. The other playable DLC fighters are crossover characters, a series staple. The crossover fighters listed are Peacmaker from DC, Omniman from Invincible, and Homelander from The Boys.
While this leak appears to be from a reputable source, Amazon’s own webpage, the site currently shows no such information. This means either it was changed because it was true, or it never happened in the first place.
The nail in the ‘Koffin’ for this leak, so to speak, is the crossover fighters. All three of the named crossover fighters were highly requested for Mortal Kombat 11. But seeing all three in the same DLC wave is a bit too good to be true. Not to mention all three are form comic book/superhero properties.
While Mortal Kombat is no stranger to comics, Joker and Spawn both appeared in Mortal Kombat 11, the crossover characters are usually of a wider variety. Mortal Kombat 11 had characters from comics, yes, but also from classic 80’s film franchises, and Mortal Kombat X contained fighters from horror films. Seeing a DLC wave packed with three highly requested fighters all from comic book franchises is a tad suspicious.
