Summary
Mortal Kombatis in a good state right now. With the release ofMortal Kombat 1, the American fighting game franchise has opened the next chapter of its life. Players are coming to grips with the game’s new mechanics as the remade characters themselves settle into Fire God Liu Kang’s universe. It hasn’t been a perfect launch, butMortal Kombat 1as a whole proved to be a good step forward after the apparent finale that wasMortal Kombat 11.
Fixes and features are slowly rolling in with patches, and soonMortal Kombat 1will have its first Kombat Pack character Omni-Man. With Kombat Pack 1’s roadmap stretching out for almost a year, and more Invasions seasons planned to rotate in the meantime,Mortal Kombat 1should have a long lifeahead of it. However, it still had to learn some harsh lessons along the way like the need to keep all its skews up to snuff, and both it and many of NetherRealm Studios’ past titles still have much to teach the nextMortal Kombat.
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A Krypt Is Mandatory
One of the most controversial decisions made withMortal Kombat 1was the removal of the Krypt mode that players once used to unlock new content. This was a fan-favorite feature, andMortal Kombat Xand11both had clever adventure game spins on the concept. A similar function is present inMK1’s Invasions mode, which is likeMK11’s Krypt fused with its seasonal Living Towers, but it lacks the style and substance of past Krypt modes.Mortal Kombat 2should defer toMK’s best practices here and bring the Krypt back in a new form.
Add Compelling New Combatants
A fighting game’s success depends on how well it sells its roster, and nowhere is that more important than with said roster’s newest members.Mortal Kombat 1took an odd stance here, as it prioritized remaking old characters rather than introducing any new ones. It did well in that respect, but newcomers are vital to keep new games feeling fresh, andMKhas struggled to top its existing characters since the 90s.Mortal Kombat 4and the following 3D trilogy are remembered for producing many forgettable fighters, but even thebest and worst parts of theMortal Kombat 9trilogyare currently represented inMK1by little more than Geras and a downloadable Takeda. New blood needs to flow in the nextMortal Kombat.
Projectiles Can’t Be Overpowered
Zoner characters in fighting games tend to come with some inherent frustrations, but there was a time in NRS games where they got out of hand. WhileInjustice 1was arguably where it started,Injustice 2andMortal Kombat 11had a surplus of zoners that slowed matches to a crawl. Some characters like Doctor Fate and Cetrion were such a chore to approach that it killed the games’ enjoyment for some players.Zoning inMortal Kombat 1isn’t as oppressive, but NetherRealm Studios needs to continue paying close attention to just how strong its characters' projectiles get.
Revise Animation Keyframes
Time and time again, a couple consistent complaints have arisen from other fighting game fans aboutMortal Kombat. A block button is too deeply ingrained to remove at this point, but many are still waiting for NetherRealm Studios to do something aboutMortal Kombat’s legacy keyframes. Based on the era of digitized actors, these awkward and soft-feeling animations keep popping up in every NRS game. Other animations, like the throws and intro/outro poses,and evenMK’s signature Fatalities, feel like they’ve been overcompensating sinceMortal Kombat 9to divert attention from this issue. If a theoreticalMortal Kombat 2can spreadMortal Kombat 1’s excellent visuals across its battles, then it could be one of the best-looking fighting games ever made.
