No matter what year you read this: Hollywood clichés and classic martial arts cinema have always been part of the essence of Mortal Kombat and the DNA of Netherrealm Studios. Little by little, and since the revival of the saga in 2009, it has headed in a direction that seemed to have peaked with Mortal Kombat 11. Now, ed boon and his team still had great ideas under their hats. The one that will give identity to Mortal Kombat 1: make a clean slate.
In the exact words of Ed Boon himself, the visible face of the game, head of the project and co-creator of the saga; the feeling of Netherrealm after finishing Mortal Kombat 11 (an absolutely faultless game in all respects) is that they wanted”start again and in other directionsreferring to the story, the gameplay and, for that matter, giving them an upgrade to the game engine and seeing what they could achieve with it. According to Boon, a full-scale reboot.
That does not mean that those essential elements of the saga disappear. Quite the opposite: the absolutely explicit violence, the fighters that seem to be taken from video store movies and those shots that make us clench our teeth -out of modesty or emotion- continue to be the perfect seasoning for a raw gameplay and at the same time well raised that rewards both dexterity and creativity.
However, in Mortal Kombat 1 the background has completely changed, and that affects all known and confirmed fighters to date on a different scale. A minor change to character tokens? Well, that Lui Kang -the umpteenth homage to Bruce Lee in fighting games- is now God of Fire and Raiden becomes a Champion of Earth are factors that have great effects at the controls beyond the Story Mode itself. And that Scorpion and Sub Zero now belong to the same clan of ninjas too.
Based on our gaming experience, with the character sheets ahead, Boom’s statements and the closing of the previous installment, in VidaExtra We have proposed to put on the table the context that will define Mortal Kombat 1 as a game. Our starting point: the new genesis. Or better, what the heck has happened to Liu Kang?
A new universe created by Liu Kang, the God of Fire
After ten numbered installments of Mortal Kombat (and several spin-offs), the protector God of the Earth known as Raiden ended up touching too much the nose to Chronicle, the guardian titan of time and destiny. Above all, after revealing that she was always the shadow hand behind all the misfortunes that have occurred since the original Mortal Kombat. Thus, bored with seeing how the Mortal Kombat champions got off scot-free, Kronika began preparations to create a new era in which the meddling God of Thunder never existed.
One of Kronika’s quirks is, as inferred from her role, her unique ability to manipulate the forces of time and make the present and the past collide. Furthermore, as demonstrated in Mortal Kombat 11he took to restarting the timeline too often in search of a timeline to his liking.
Though the power of the Titans is greater than that of the Gods, Kronika’s vision to create a new age will require the creation of a powerful artifact: a sand clock that will allow you to draw a reality to your liking. And, in the process, he turns events upside down from the first tournament of Mortal Kombatincluding the return of the young versions of fighters like Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage or Jax that will coexist with those of the present. ¿ Y Liu Kang? Well, not only does he return, but he’s technically reunited with his hell-dwelling counterpoint.
After battles, betrayals, revelations and painful losses in the heat of a battle between two great factions, Raiden comes to a conclusion to break the loop they found themselves in and have a chance against Kronika: relinquish his divinity and the responsibility of protecting the ground to Liu Kang, going on to become the God of Fire. And, after defeating the titan, in the new architect of Time through the Hourglass.
And so, without going into significant detail and in Shang Tsung’s devious attempt to seize control of existence in the expansion Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, we arrive at the reboot proposed by Mortal Kombat 1: with full control of the Time Clock. , Liu Kang creates a new era by rewriting events. And by extension, Raiden is now a mortal—the ancestor of him, the first Kung Lao, his champion to protect the Earth from what is to come.
What we know about the Mortal Kombat 1 era
It cannot be said that what we have before us catches us new, since the end of Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath (unless we chose to fight with Shang Tsung) he left us hand in hand at the gates of what happens in this installment. That said, until very recently all we had in front of us were clues as to how Liu Kang’s time rewrite had affected the already known characters by taking away the fact that he now has the responsibilities of Raiden himself, while the fact that a Once he was the god of thunder, now he is one more champion.
What has Lui Kang done with all that power? According to theThe official and updated biography of the character prior to the launch of Mortal Kombat 1, Using the hourglass, the God of Fire rewrote all of history so that all known evil and danger was completely nullified, guaranteeing peace on Earth, the Outer world and wherever they reach their power and knowledge.
And that is precisely the starting point of this installment: a threat that he himself could not imagine has entered the scene, with which, following in the footsteps of Raiden, he must recruit again the champions of an era he himself created. Including a Raiden who is not only completely mortal, but who is fully dedicated to working in the fields along with Kung Lao, his family and the small town to which he belongs.
However, to this completely deadly new Raiden remnants of Thunder’s power still remain, manifesting as sparks in the palms of his hands. AND Kung LaoAlso chosen by the God of Fire, he joins the cause knowing that he is destined for a greater cause than a quiet country life.
And what about Scorpion and Sub Zero? By rewriting history, Liu Kang found a way for the ninja factions of both, destined to eliminate each other, to find peace: now, both are loyal to the same Lin Kuei clan, which in this reality does not consist of powerful warriors. assassins, but protectors of Earth from the shadows. However, when peace always reigns, what is the point of its existence?
Con Sub Zero As leader, the Lin Kuei set out to use the strength of their clan to emerge from the shadows and become a new world power at any cost. Something that his brother Scorpion he does not finish accepting: deep down in his soul he is fully aware that sooner or later both are destined to face each other and, perhaps, the enormous ambition of the master cryomancer is that trigger.
Meanwhile, beyond the kingdom of Earth, two sisters begin to take responsibility for the transfer of power. Mileena, the sister who was born just a few seconds before, is the natural heir to the throne to the Outside World, despite the fact that she carries an unusual curse: she is infected with the tarkat disease that makes her wild and irascible and that could compromise her coronation as empress.
Kitana, The younger sister and protector of the heiress, has the approval of the people, who see her as more prepared to govern, but are fully aware of all the risks. Whether she finds out Mileena’s secret from her, or what she might do if she loses control of her.
And speaking of a rise in force and a desperate attempt to prevent a decline, we have Kenshi y Johnny Cage. The biggest difference after the rewrite of the Fire God story is that Kenshi will fight to restore the honor of his Yakuza clan, reclaiming control by retrieving the family sword. Cage’s purposes are much more banal: after being a recognized actor, he finds that his popularity is plummeting and he believes that by joining the cause of Liu Kang and the champions of Earth he will regain success. of the. As always, genius and figure.
How these changes affect Mortal Kombat 1
As we mentioned at the beginning, Ed Boon wanted Mortal Kombat 1 to not only be a reboot, but to take fans in other directions. Given the context, the new predisposition of each fighter and the rethought power of all the announced fighters, and based on our experience after playing, we can expect that the techniques and style that everyone has manifested in the previous installments will be accommodated to the circumstances. .
And that, added to the new game mechanics or the use of kameo fighters, opens up interesting possibilities.
Retrieving the examples originally posted: Liu Kang he adds new techniques with the power of a god, while Raiden still has the ability to generate lightning, but at a level befitting a mortal who has lived as a peasant. Which does not mean that he has the ability to use murderous techniques. The future of the entire reality is at stake!
On an aesthetic level, the changes are also noticeable. Normally, in the previous Mortal Kombat games there is a darker and more sinister atmosphere, while in the reality drawn by the God of Fire Liu Kang a more enlightened world is appreciated, less violent and free of threats. At least in what has been shown to date: we also count on things going to go wrong gradually.
Mortal Kombat 1 is not a reboot to use nor is it the typical sequel, but it works as both things at the same time following the events raised in the previous installment. And, at the same time, it works as a way to rediscover and add different layers to the story and characters known by millions of players around the world. Leaving in suspense that great threat that they will have to face.
From this point we can make mere assumptions about the kind of danger that lies ahead, but maybe, just maybe, the clue will stem from the alternate ending of Mortal Kombat 11 in which the devious Shang Tsung gets his way triumphantly. But this, as we discussed, is a simple theory.
Is it possible that Shang Tsung has gone beyond the reality that separates the two possible endings of Mortal Kombat 11 and sneak into the era drawn by Liu Kang? For now, we know that the soul-devouring sorcerer will be present in Mortal Kombat 1 as a booking incentive.
What we do know for sure is that all the answers will begin to be answered from the September 19thdate on which Mortal Kombat 1 will go on sale on PS5, Xbox Series X / S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
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