Summary
An already busy year for gaming is about to ramp things up considerably, butMortal Kombat 1is releasing at the perfect time. While the start of September sees the juggernaut-to-beStarfieldrelease, the rest of the month is pretty much free of any other huge AAA releases, givingMortal Kombat 1plenty of room to flex its muscles when it launches on September 19.
The fourth game under NetherRealm, and the 16th mainline entry for the entire franchise,Mortal Kombat 1is taking things back to the beginning once again, though this time things are a little different. Following on fromMortal Kombat 11Aftermath’s story, Fire God Liu Kang has restarted the timeline, and in an attempt to maintain the peace, he’s tweaked the continuity a little, giving familiar faces and plot beats a fresh twist. That’s not the only trickMortal Kombat 1has up its sleeve, with a ton of new gameplay features also coming to the game on release.
RELATED:Mortal Kombat 1: Where is Sareena in Liu Kang’s New Universe?
Mortal Kombat 1 Features Plenty of Single-Player and Multiplayer Modes
Mortal Kombat 1’s story mode will see players drop intoLiu Kang’s new universe, where iconic characters all got new backstories. More so than ever, NetherRealm is really trying to market the story mode forMortal Kombat 1, and from what fans have seen so far, it seems like it’ll live up to the hype. With stunning cutscenes, a compelling plot, strong dialogue, and plenty of unique twists to keep long-time fans hooked,Mortal Kombat 1’s story certainly looks like a mode worth playing, but it isn’t the only single-player option players have.
Mortal Kombat 1’s other big single-player game mode is named Invasion, and it takes a few classicMortal Kombatmodes and blends them together to create something new. Essentially a board game and RPG rolled into one,Mortal Kombat 1’s Invasion modesees players choose a character, and move through a location from a top-down perspective, traveling between nodes that represent challenges. The mode will throw Classic Tower challenges, Test Your Might minigames, and some brand-new challenges at the player, and completing each one will reward players with various cosmetics.Mortal Kombat 1’s Invasion mode will also be continuously updated over time, bringing new boards and rewards to the game at a consistent rate. Of course,Mortal Kombat 1will also feature online multiplayer, though any mode aside from Versus hasn’t been announced yet.
Mortal Kombat 1 Has a Few New Gameplay Tricks Up Its Sleeve
While the core mechanics ofMortal Kombat 1will be familiar to anyone who’s played the last few entries in the franchise, this semi-reboot does bring a few new features to the table. The biggest addition toMortal Kombat 1isthe new Kameo fighter system. After choosing a primary fighter, players will choose a Kameo fighter from a secondary roster. These Kameo fighters will then be able to assist the player during the match, being mapped to “R1” and a directional key. Each Kameo fighter has their own unique set of moves, and it’s up to players how and when they use them during a fight.
Mortal Kombat 1is also bringing back air combos. Though the last fewMortal Kombatgames let players hit an opponent while in the air, they couldn’t really chain together attacks, but that’s now the case inMortal Kombat 1, with every character shown so far having at least one powerful air combo. And on the subject of characters,Mortal Kombat 1will have a total of 24 playable fighters on launch, and a similar number of Kameo fighters, all coming from acrossMortal Kombathistory.Mortal Kombat 1will also have at least one Kombat Pack DLC after launch, with six characters currently confirmed, includingguest characters like Homelander, Peacemaker, and Omni-Man.
Mortal Kombat 1launches September 19 for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:After Mortal Kombat 1, NetherRealm Could Have an Important Choice to Make
