Is ‘Mortal Kombat 1’ a franchise reboot?

Franchises. They are just like the human body in that the older they get, the more they miss than hit. However, unlike the human body, they can easily reboot for a more youthful vigor and this is what Mortal Kombat 1 is presently presenting itself as to fans.

While series ko-kreator Ed Boon had some fun teasing the internet about what was coming before today’s reveal, it is true Mortal Kombat 1 is going to wipe away the series’ prior history which began in 1992. Now, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and its ilk are no more in the fighting game’s story and Polygon reports what is ahead will be a “reborn Mortal Kombat Universe” krafted by Fire God Liu Kang. Iconic characters will be reimagined, a new fighting system will be in place, new game modes will be introduced, and players will be able to select some partners to help them get through the variety of fights. Online, fans are joking about how its name will cause confusion with other similarly-named releases, and, while all indications are this is a fresh start for the series, it is important to remember such things have been presented this way only as misdirection in recent years.

In 2013, people thought Evil Dead was a remake until Ash Williams popped up in a post-credits scene and revealed the piece was actually a stealth sequel. The Shadow of the Kolossus video game is revealed near its end to be a prequel to the earlier ICO and more recently folks thought Bioshock Infinite was its own thing until they got further into that project’s story. Audiences will find out for sure when Mortal Kombat 1 releases Sept. 19 on multiple consoles and personal computers and — while this so far does seem like a reboot — there is some evidence it could change back later, if you look at DLC from the last fighting game released.

In Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, the bit ends with Shang Tsung defeating Kronika. He steals her time-warping powers, but Liu Kang defeats Tsung in turn and steals it from him. He then pledges to create a new era and resurrect his dead friends. So, with this in mind, this also functions as a sort of sequel, but, given the complexity it is best not to think, lest your head hurt a ton.

Enjoy the guts and gore, and, really, the plots don’t matter.