Following its official announcement last month, Mortal Kombat 1 has received a brand new trailer at the Summer Game Fest, and it looks as gloriously bloody and violent as fans would hope. The first gameplay reel showed off a chain of brutal fatalities, great environmental detail, and a delightfully gory feast of quick combat, along with a first real look at assist characters (known otherwise as Kameos).
A new addition to the upcoming game, Kameo fighters are chosen after selecting the main brawler, and can be summoned multiple times during a fight with a single button press. It’s a mechanic that makes combo execution more versatile and flexible, as any character can be combined with any other Kameo fighter — including those on the main roster. What this means is a possible team-up between say, Sub-Zero and Sub-Zero, or Scorpion and Scorpion. Apart from the two, the other known Kameo fighters are Sonya Blade, Kano, Goro, Kung Lao, Stryker, and Jax.
The primary roster, meanwhile, will consist of the following key characters:
- Johnny Cage
- Kitana
- Kung Lao
- Liu Kang
- Mileena
- Raiden
- Scorpion
- Shang Tsung
- Sub-Zero
It should be noted that Shang Tsung is only available via pre-order. Series creator Ed Boon also took to the stage after the trailer announcement to detail that the game will take place in a “new timeline”, where the all-too-familiar character stories are told in a reimagined “reboot” sort of way, and to confirm Jean-Claude Van Damme as the voice of Johnny Cage. Previously, a Jean-Claude Van Damme skin was announced for the character, so that’s a nice bonus for fans.
Mortal Kombat 1 crushes its way to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC on 19 September, with beta access available in August for those who pre-order.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Joey Leong
Trinity Sun
