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Salutations Realm Warriors,
I can't believe it's been over 25 years since I first laid eyes on Mortal Kombat. I was just 10 years old when the original game came out in 1992. I remember seeing a group of older kids huddled around the arcade section at our local bowling alley, mashing away at buttons. Even from a distance, I could tell this was no ordinary fighting game. The realistic graphics and insane fighting moves were something I had never seen before.
Scorpion quickly became my favorite with his "Get over here!" spear attack and "toasty" fatality.
While I still love the yellow ninja, nowadays, Noob is my main man.
The fighting mechanics were great, but even as a kid, I thought the story felt disjointed and confusing. Back then, you could only get a glimpse of the lore if you beat the game or waited around till no one else was playing, so you could see the character profiles.
Still, I appreciated how they used mythological archetypes to create a diverse cast of kombatants.
SIDE NOTE: When I create characters for my own stories, I often look to Mortal Kombat for inspiration. Sometimes it's a fighting style, other times it's a stage.
The sequel took everything the next level.
New arenas and fighters were introduced, including Klassics like Reptile, Baraka, and Kitana. The franchise continued improving with each new installment and the movie provided fans with a better understanding of the story world.
In the later 90s, everything shifted to 3d.
Even though that was cool from a technological standpoint, it lacked that classic MK vibe. So, while I remained a fan, I didn't play as much during that time.
It wasn't until MK vs DC in 2008 that I really got interested again. I don't know whose idea it was to put superheroes in a Mortal Kombat Fighting game but I loved it.
Scorpion vs Batman!
Are you kidding me?
That blew my mind.
I HAD to try it out.
While I don't think DC vs MK was the best in the franchise's history, it was super cool to play as your favorite superhero. This ultimately led to the Injustice franchise, which I would argue is the best superhero fighting series around. I still wish Marvel and Star Wars would do something similar with theirs.
Then finally in 2011, NetherRealm decided to return its roots and use 2D graphics. Plus, they rebooted the storyline and gave the game a breath of fresh air.
Since then last few entries have been absolute fire.
They've always done a great job with gameplay and character skins. But over the last decade, they have really enhanced their story experience. Now there is a cohesive single-player story mode that has deep cuts and a super-engaging cinematic experience. Plus, they knocked it out of the park with Shang Tsung's Island as the krypt in the last installment.
But I'm most excited to see how they handle the Konquest mode this time.
When it comes to replayability, I think that's where they can take this to a whole other level. If we can explore different realms and obtain bonuses and skins, I think that will make for a super-enjoyable experience that players will come back to again and again. Especially if you can speak with all of the characters from the past and present. That would add a great level of depth to the game. What about you?
Anything you're looking forward to in this next installment?
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