Mortal Kombat 1 launch trailer is bloody good but leaves a big question mark

Mortal Kombat 1 prepares for the official release day with a bloody good launch trailer, showcasing the roster and rebooted timeline.

Mortal Kombat 1 prepares for the official release day with a bloody good launch trailer, showcasing the roster and rebooted timeline. (Images: NetherRealm Studios/Warner Bros. Games)

Just a few days remain until Mortal Kombat 1 launches in Early Access, but the official launch trailer for this relaunch of the beloved fighting game already exists. And while it lacks at least one fighter in its roster, it’s just as fantastic and brutal as its MK forebears.

For any video game franchise, Mortal Kombat’s 30th anniversary was a significant accomplishment in 2022. However, Mortal Kombat reboots back to the past with a new timeline after LiuKangusurped Kronika and became the elder god of Fire, as contrast to Street Fighter 6, which advanced the timeline. This is a fantastic method to investigate new narratives while bringing in new characters and keeping most of the beloved MK characters (although with changed backstories).

Compared to earlier teases, the Mortal Kombat 1 launch trailer has more new information, such as Dave Bautista‘s tribute to Mortal Monday. However, what appears to be absent?Ed Boon, the co-creator of Mortal Kombat and creative director of NetherRealm Studios, posted the MK1 launch trailer on his X (formerly Twitter) channel.

The video showcases the brutally intense gameplay of the upcoming revival of the beloved combat game. The return of X-ray techniques displays the gory ferocity of shattering bones and internally injuring opponents. Similarly, the Fatalities, a mainstay of Mortal Kombat since the first game, are back on full show.

The latest trailer for Mortal Kombat 1 showcases Jean-Claude Van Damme in a positive light. Johnny Cage will, of course, fight to be called the real “star power” guy.However, in addition to the well-known elements one would anticipate from a Mortal Kombat game, there are fresh narrative nuances.

  • Raiden and Liu Kang now have reversed roles, with the latter now the eternal god of fire mentoring the young lightning-powered champion of Earthrealm.
  • Scorpion and Sub-Zero are literal brothers, with Kuai Liang taking on the mantle of Bi Han’s past nemesis.
  • General Shao now serves under Queen Sindel, but appears to have a hidden aspiration of taking over in the guise of protection by any means.
  • Mileena is now Sindel’s chosen heir instead of Kitana, but her emerging Tarkatan heritage may force a change in this status quo.
  • Kronika is now working in the shadows and enlisting Shang Tsung to be her champion. It is unclear if Kronika has retained her memories of the previous timeline that was erased in Mortal Kombat 11.
  • New snippets of Nitara (voiced by Megan Fox), Geras, Baraka, Havik, Ashrah, and Kenshi.
  • Jean-Claude Van Damme gets his well-deserved spotlight. In fact, JCVD is being pushed to the forefront of this launch trailer (that certainly won’t sit well with Johnny’s ego).

Along with the team-ups in Kameo mode, the launch trailer also hinted at two new game modes: Invasions, which is a board game-style mode, and a single-player action role-playing game.

In the premiere trailer, almost every fighter planned for Mortal Kombat 1 is shown, with the exception of one. Furthermore, the one fighter’s identity is still a mystery.The MK1 debut trailer received a great response from fans, although some have noted that one player appears to be missing from the cast. According to previously released information, Mortal Kombat 1 would start with 24 playable characters. There is, however, one spot missing from the launch trailer’s footage.

Based on Mortal Kombat figures from the past who haven’t yet been included in a teaser or promotion for MK1, some fans have created their own conjectures. According to a belief, it will be Hanzo Hasashi, the original Scorpion, who is conspicuously absent from the biographies that NetherRealm Studios has made public.

Others speculate that it will be a surprise character from outside the MK universe; however, the official total does not really include guest characters like Peacekeeper, Homelander, Omni-Man, and the Kombat Pack, nor those that are portrayed as Kameo strikers. Until MK1 launches, it will probably be a closely-kept secret.

How did you feel about the debut trailer for Mortal Kombat 1? Does it measure up to the fanfare? And who might the enigmatic MK1 roster member be?

On September 14, 2023, Mortal Kombat 1, published by Warner Bros. Games, will be live in Early Access for those who pre-ordered the Premium and Collector’s Edition. MK1 is scheduled to be released to the public on September 19, 2023.

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