After a four-year wait, the first look at Mortal Kombat 1 is officially here.
The game’s direct predecessor, Mortal Kombat 11, arrived on shelves back in 2019 and quickly sparked debate about what level of gore is acceptable within a game. Despite rampant reports of trauma and even PTSD among the game’s artistic team, however, players adored the fresh Mortal Kombat title — even with its careful avoidance of over-sexualized female characters.
Fan backlash to actually-clothed women — and industry backlash to a game that causes trauma for its creators — both weighed Mortal Kombat 11 down, but its successor might just side-step all of that controversy. Not that the latest title appears ready to pull back on the violence — quite the opposite, in fact. The first trailer for the game showcases plenty of the carnage Mortal Kombat fans have come to expect, with blood-soaked fatalities offering up rife opportunities to rip your opponents in half, or go the classic route and simply gouge their eyes out.
The game’s first trailer teases a new direction for the ever-popular fighting game, and might just indicate a full-blown reset of the established timeline. This, paired with the absolutely stunning graphics, got fans instantly hyped for the upcoming title, and news that preorders open tomorrow is already sending fans into a frenzy.
There are sure to be complaints about the appearance of characters like Katana, thanks to a continued dedication to some level of modesty, but the sheer bloodshed and tantalizing savagery displayed in the trailer should be enough to soothe irate fans. They might not get the bared skin of older Mortal Kombat games, but the evolution of the industry comes with perks. Like the enhanced graphics displayed in Mortal Kombat 1‘s first look, or the fresh, brutal moves incorporated into gameplay.
The story mode in Mortal Kombat 11 reportedly served as the conclusion of the main storyline, laid out across more than a dozen Mortal Kombat releases, which likely means that a new story will debut in 1. The first look gave us no real hints as to what to expect from the upcoming title, other than a seeming reset of the world, but it did give us plenty to look forward to. The next entry in NetherRealm Studios’ blood-soaked series is due out Sept. 19, 2023, leaving fans with an agonizing, but reasonably short, wait, and one that will surely be worthwhile.
