Mortal Kombat 1 has been available for close to a year, releasing in September 2023 to generally positive reception, albeit a little mixed on many fronts.
Somewhat of a departure to the tried and tested formula, the title introduced a radically different timeline which saw Rain become a mage of Outworld, Scorpion and Sub-Zero united as brothers in the Lin Kuei clan, Takeda portrayed as a cousin of Kenshi rather this his son, among others. Story aside, the game’s single player Invasions mode has hardly been a hit, the Kameo system leaves much to be desired and the decision to create an all-male first Kombat Pack along with its picks for guest characters is best described as questionable.
Early during the promotional phase series co-creator Ed Boon announced that Mortal Kombat 1 would be supported for a longer timeframe when compared with previous titles, fulfilling the wishes of those who thought that cycles were wrapped up too quickly. Rather than naming the first Kombat Pack with a numeral at the end, NetherRealm Studios have instead opted for a similar naming convention to its competitors in labelling content using years. With that being said, tomorrow marks a possible turning point in the trajectory of the title, with a full hour long panel planned at San Diego Comic-Con. Running from 2:00pm till 3:00pm Pacific Time, the panel will introduce future fighters and speak about the continuation of the title’s Story mode which will see its expansion beyond its initial 15 chapters.
Story mode was perhaps the title’s strongest asset, with incredible attention to detail and a production value that remains untouched in the entire genre. While the final chapters fell flat for some, its conclusion featuring Havik and a number of hybrid kombatants have left fans salivating for what’s next. While these hybrid kombatants and rumours of gender bent versions of Cyrax and Sektor have some fans worried, we will simply have to wait and see how it all pans out.
As for Ed’s big surprise tease, who knows what’s in store. A tag team mode? The ability to do away with Kameos and partake in klassic 1v1? Or maybe something bigger is on the cards, like the removal of Invasions mode in favour of Konquest. Come on, you know we want it.
