Mortal Kombat 1is already shaping up to be one of the biggest games for fans of the series and the FGC in general. The little available information hints at the return of classic characters, stunning visuals, and an exciting new story that both reboots the series and works as a sequel toMK11.
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While there is much to be excited about,NetherRealm Studioshas played its cards very close to its chest. That means that fans of the series still have a lot of questions, and a lot of hope. With the game’s launch just on the horizon, here are some things we hope to see in the newest entry.
10Fire God Liu Kang
ArguablyMK’s main character, Liu Kang is a staple of the series. Though his moveset, looks, and personality have been iterated throughout each entry, he pretty much remains the same character he was back in the first Mortal Kombat. However, things are shaping up to be different this time around, as the reveal trailer showed us a Liu Kang with full use of hisnewly gained godly abilities.
That’s why it would suck to see the story mode come up with some reason to deprive him of his powers and turn him back into the same character as always. Fans of the character would definitively miss the absence of classic Liu Kang, but it would be great to see NetherRealm find a way to fit both versions of him into MK1.
9Better Character Specialization
To this day, MK11 remains a divisive entry in the series. The game introduced or altered mechanics to be more friendly to newcomers, but (as veteran fighters will argue) at the cost of mechanical depth.
One of these compromises was that no character in MK11 wasreallyspecialized. Sure, you may zone better with Robocop or get access to more rushdown tools with Johnny Cage. But overall, characters were more all-rounders with a preference than hard zoners, grapplers, or rushdown fighters. Accessibility is never a bad thing, but it would be great if MK1 gave you more room to experiment and express yourself through a distinctive style.
8The Kombat Kids
One of MKX’s best contributions to the saga was the introduction of now-beloved characters like Erron Black, Kotal Khahn, and crucially, the Kombat Kids (we don’t talk about Ferra/Torr). Presented as the new generation of fighters, Cassie Cage, Jacqui Briggs, Kung Jin, and Takeda mixed the distinctive visual and fighting styles of their predecessors with new mechanics to create unique and interesting characters.
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MK1 will serve as another soft reboot for the series, so there is no way of knowing what will carry over from previous games, but not including some of the most popular new additions to the MK cannon in years would definitively be a grave mistake.
7More Alternative Finishers
Though fans of the series might be drawn to it for its expansive lore, fun gameplay, or great online community, the general public knows Mortal Kombat mostly as “that game with the fatalities.” The creative and gruesome finisher system has been making headlines since the very first entry back in 1992.
Over the years, though, Mortal Kombat has offered a slew of interesting, entertaining, and downright funny alternatives to the fatality, such as Friendships or Babalities. Seeing one of these unhinged-but-hilarious finishers after you get your ass kicked in online mode always takes a bit of the sting away from the loss, and it would be great if MK1 included a greater variety of them.
6Improved Breakaway And Meter System
The separate defensive and offensive meters, as well as their time-filling system, was another controversial tweak to MK11 that many veteran players disliked. It’s easy to see the intention behind the meter changes and things like the breakaway system, but no one likes getting infinite-comboed into oblivion while you’re still learning the ropes of the game.
With such a long development time, however, and the experience from MK11, NetherRealm has a chance to tweak these systems so they can still be beginner-friendly without ruining one of the most interesting aspects of high-level play.
5A More Fluid Combo System
Speaking of tweaking systems, MK11 has often been criticized for its restrictive combo system. Though the input strings are a trademark of NetherRealm fighting games, there are ways to tweak them to allow for better creativity and expression in putting them together.
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This isn’t even a brand-new concept, either. MK9’s combo system allowed for a lot of creativity when stringing moves together. Sure, it could also lead to some completely broken match-ups. But there is definitively a sweet spot between the two for MK1 to reach.
4New Character Dynamics
Fighting games can often feel like sitcoms; at the end of the day, everything must go back to the way it was. Characters, rivalries, and sometimes even story beats. It all has to find a way to come back for the next installment.
However, the framing of MK1 as taking place in Liu Kang’s new era introduces exciting possibilities for changes in otherwise done-to-death character dynamics. Maybe Milena and Kitana can actually be friends this time around, maybe former heroes can turn into villains. The sky is the limit.
3More Goofy Costumes
Mortal Kombat is a far sillier series than it sometimes likes to admit. Not only have the over-the-top fatalities long since left the realm of unintentional comedy, but the series is also filled with funny and downright ridiculous moments.
So, it would be great if you got to join in on that fun with options for goofy costumes. MK11 already has a taste of that with ninja-mime and teen wolf Johnny Cage, and the stage is set for MK1 to expand the possibilities for truly stupid-looking fights.
2A Boss You Can Combo
Though MK1’s final boss hasn’t been revealed yet, and opinions onwhothe big bad of the game should be vary, there seems to be a consensus around one thing: whoever it is, you should be able to combo them.
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NetherRealm seems to have a tradition with final bosses you may’t launch, stagger, or otherwise combo. It’s a very cheap way of increasing the difficulty of the final encounter, as the game isn’t so much presenting you with a challenge as it’s taking away the moves you’ve been learning and practicing all game long.
1A Streamer-Friendly Mode
Not to sound like a morally panicked mom from the eighties, but MK1 should have the option to reduce on-screen violence. Any Mortal Kombat fan will tell you that the guts are a big part of the fun. It kind of comes with the package, but this isn’t so much an anti-gore argument as it is pro-content creators.
With how strict monetization policies are getting around Twitch and YouTube, an on-screen violence filter might be the only way for creators who have helped grow and improve the fighting game community to viably cover MK1 for the years to come.
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