Street Fighter 6 is the fighting game at the moment, but another hotly anticipated genre entry is just around the corner. In mid-May, Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios revealed the oddly named Mortal Kombat 1. After that teaser, the collective fighting game community eagerly awaited gameplay footage. It finally arrived during Summer Game Fest's opening day, and it reminded us of a very different, very marvelous fighting game.
Technically the 12th entry in the franchise, this reboot once again rewrites the Mortal Kombat continuity following Mortal Kombat 11's time travel shenanigans. Liu Kang has ascended from kung fu hero to kung fu god, and appears to be gathering his own champions much like Raiden before him. In fact, a young Raiden appears as a playable character.
Despite the ancient setting seen in the initial teaser, the footage suggests that time travel will once play some kind of role, as Jean-Claude Van Damme himself plays Johnny Cage in his extremely modern-looking celebrity apartment.
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NetherRealm Studios puts a lot of effort into the Mortal Kombat series' narrative, but it’s still a fighting game first and foremost. The freshly revealed gameplay footage highlights new mechanics alongside familiar violent fatalities. Besides your main fighter, you also select a Kameo Fighter. Tag in the combatant during a fight, and it will attack or extend a combo.
Director Ed Boon explains that the meter keeps you from abusing these assists, but Kameos are still powerful tools. Kameo Fighters also expand the roster with characters like Jax, Sonya Blade, and Stryker. Scorpion can even team up with Scorpion.
Although not a full-on tag team fighter, Mortal Kombat 1 reminded us of Marvel vs. Capcom due to its assist attacks. Thanks to its work on DC fighter Injustice, NetherRealm Studios is quite familiar with comic book combat.
Likewise, the Marvel vs. Capcom series is known for its high-flying aerial brawls. We didn’t see anything quite that ridiculous in this Mortal Kombat 1 footage, but there was a whole lot more mid-air juggling and jumping compared to prior entries. Is this the closest we’ll get to a DC vs. Marvel game? We’ll find out soon when Mortal Kombat 1 launches on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on Sept. 19.
For more on fighting games, watch our recent interview with EVO executives about the tournament’s future.