It’s another glorious day for Mortal Kombat fans, with a number of popular additions unveiled at Gamescom 2023.
Presenter Geoff Keighley was joined on-stage by Ed Boon on opening night to introduce a brand new Mortal Kombat 1 trailer, titled “Rulers of Outworld.” Described by Boon as their craziest trailer of all, it opens to a chariot being pulled along during a street celebration honouring the memory of Sindel’s late husband King Jerrod. Liu Kang narrates the clip, stating that although Earthrealm and Outworld are at peace, some Outworlders would prefer the realms to be at war.
Cut to General Shao: victor of the Tevarian war and conquerer of the Kuatan Plains. No longer a Kahn, he retains his half human/half dragon appearance with the addition of enormous horns adorning the top of his head. His signature wrath hammer is gone, instead replaced with a giant axe. Iké Amadi makes a welcome return as his voice actor.
Joining him is Sindel (voiced by Mara Junot), who returns with an incredibly regal and grand appearance. She retains her banshee scream, acrobatic prowess, levitating abilities and ability to use her hair to great effect. Her Fatal Blow looks to be incredibly painful, but we won’t spoil it for you here.
Both Motaro and Shujinko join the Kameo roster, making a much-needed return to the series. Motaro looks absolutely incredible, sporting a more mechanical looking lower half. Returning are a number of his classic moves, including his tail projectile and teleport. He gains a new reflective shield defensive attack, giving players some breathing space against opponents who may be heavy on zoning. Moves aside, it’s great to see Motaro return to form as a fully-fledged centaur; his last appearance as a minotaur in 2006’s Mortal Kombat: Armageddon left much to be desired.
Shujinko’s return surprised many, with Mortal Kombat: Deception’s main protagonist once slated to replace Liu Kang as the series’ champion. During the events of Konquest mode Shujinko traversed the realms in search of the Kamidogu, training with numerous warriors during his lifelong journey. He possessed the special moves of many characters as a result, and seems to mimic the moves of his opponents in Mortal Kombat 1. This will add an interesting dynamic to battles, as his selection may help mitigate threats from overpowered foes.
Finally, Raiden receives quite a bit of attention in the trailer. Introduced to Sindel as Earthrealm’s champion, Raiden, as every kombatant shown before him, looks magnificent. As my personal favourite for thirty years, I cannot wait to give him a shot.
What are your thoughts on the inclusion of General Shao, Sindel, Motaro and Shujinko? Be sure to join our incredible kommunity by joining our Discord server and following us on our social media accounts, which include X, Instagram, Threads and YouTube.
