Between the official announce trailer & gameplay trailers, we've already seen plenty of thought-provoking things, but there's still much to be learned in the months leading up to Mortal Kombat 1. While players await invitations to the MK1 Online Stress Test, NetherRealm Studios' Chief Creative Officer has used social media to tide fans over with ten tidbits in a game of Truth or Troll. Read on for details:
Ed Boon has enjoyed playing puzzling head-games with fans ever since he programmed a taunting green ninja into the very first Mortal Kombat. When he isn't giving us mind-bending clues for his next game, he's often polling fans on Twitter for their opinions -- and this time he's doing both!
Ten polls pose possible details from MK1 and fans can vote Truth or Troll in this sick game of testing just how much we really know about the September release. Let's run down the ten possibilities.
1. There Will Be a New Color Ninja Introduced in MK1
A small army of palette swapped "ninja" characters expanded the hidden and playable roster in the klassic arcade series, but could we be in store for a new colour in the spectrum? There was yellow, blue, green, grey, black, purple, and red -- and that's just the fellas!
Kitana, Mileena, Jade, and Skarlet could be considered part of the bunch. Cassie Cage introduced a pink-ish magenta kosplay version in Mortal Kombat XL -- not to mention all the customizable options in Mortal Kombat 11! Even Tremor finally went from yellowish to brown in his Mortal Kombat PlayStation Vita comeback, but we bet there are a few more hues & tones still available to give this one a hint of truth.
The announce trailer showed us dressing alike is certainly back in vogue in Mortal Kombat 1. Scorpion and Sub-Zero share similar styles as part of their newfound brotherhood, and since we already know it's the elder Bi-Han beneath the blue smock, we could hazard a guess that Kuai Liang might be in the market for some new duds -- perhaps a fine white to compliment the moniker of Tundra, introduced through backstory in the previous 2011 franchise reboot.
2. Shujinko Will Be One of the Kameo Fighters
Shujinko has gone pretty unloved since his last playable appearance in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. It was only his second game after being introduced as the ill-fated brand new protagonist of Mortal Kombat: Deception and its in-depth Konquest mode.
It's pretty much been the cameo lifestyle for the befuddled old master ever since. He was guardian of the Chaosrealm Kamidogu dagger in the Mortal Kombat X tie-in comic, which saw him dwelling in a Kang Temple before falling under the thrall of Havik. The wizened fighter was also mistaken for Shang Tsung in Cassie Cage's MKX arcade ending, coming off second best against the young fighter.
Shujinko has always been brimming with potential and with Ed Boon consistently talking up representation for the so-called "3D era" of games -- he seems like a no-brainer. The only question is if this long-lived would-be hero is merely a Kameo kombatant, or a full-fledged playable character stepping out of MK's rewritten history.
3. Animalities are Returning in MK1
Animalities were one of the more unlikely finishing moves to come from the various versions of Mortal Kombat 3, allowing players to transform into a wild animal to finish their opponent off in some zoological fashion.
Some of the transformations were downright perplexing, which might be one of the reasons we haven't seen it reprised very often throughout the series. Some characters have incorporated animalistic transformations into their basic movesets with more intuitive results, and although Mortal Kombat X arenas got us wondering if local fauna might provide an interesting take on the idea, this one seems a little less likely.
4. Lou Ferrigno Will be Making an Appearance in MK1
MK has taken to incorporating the likenesses of musclemen from action movie's past, featuring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in MK11, Carl Weathers in MKX, and even Jean-Claude Van Damme as Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 1.
A former IFBB Mr. Universe bodybuilding champion, and training partner for Schwarzenegger; Lou Ferrigno is best remembered for his role as the green-skinned rampaging Incredible Hulk on nineteen-seventies syndicated television, and a short-lived theatrical Hercules. He is a merchandising brand unto himself, available in statuette form and more, but with a passing resemblance to Ed Boon himself, we think this one might be a troll -- but stranger things have happened.
5. Meat is One of the Stronger Kameo Fighters
A product of economical Mortal Kombat 4 resource exploitation, and experimentation by Shang Tsung according to his Armageddon appearance; Meat is one of the most dubious characters in the expansive Mortal Kombat canon.
A skinless being of muscle and sinew, he's described by some as "a fun character who assists Shinnok", but will he be assisting anybody in MK1? We have our doubts. With so many fighters fans are eager to see, this one might be amusing, but sounds more troll than truth. During interviews, Boon even poked fun at the absurdity of such an expectation, so whether Meat even makes the cut is highly debatable.
6. Kameo Fighters will have Brutalities
Brutalities have come a long way since the feverish combos that exploded opponents into blood & bones at the end of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3's fights. These days they're an intriguing crescendo to the final round of battle.
We've already seen Kameo Fighters getting into the murderous mayhem of Mortal Kombat 1 special moves and finishers, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch to expect that the right combination will bring your Kameo Fighter into the arena to complete a chain combo, or Mortal Kombat 11 style coup de grace.
7. MK1 Story Mode Will Have a Post-Credit Scene
The introduction of theatrical style storytelling modes in Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe and Mortal Kombat (2011) took the saga of the series to a whole new level. Cliffhanger plotlines and even an outright epilogue has been part of the fun, with MK2011 setting up Shinnok's return in Mortal Kombat X, and MK11 ending with Fire God Liu Kang visiting the distant past.
Like the 2011 reboot; Mortal Kombat 1 is taking us back to the beginning yet again, rewriting the entire series canon from the perspective of the ascended Liu Kang. Post-credits scenes have become a cliche of the superhero movie industry, but is it unreasonable to expect something extra pointing us in the direction of the future in MK1? It's certainly not out of the question and could be part of a fun new trend!
8. MK1 Puzzle Kombat Will be Returning in MK1
When Ed Boon polled fans on returning game modes, Puzzle Kombat finished dead last with a meager 6.5% of the four option vote. It never stood a chance against the fully-fleshed out open world of the Konquest Mode, but even then, it's probably one of the less beloved distractions from past installments.
Borrowing liberal inspiration from Capcom's Puzzle Fighter for a bonus mini-game in MK Deception; Puzzle Kombat was quite a bit of fun, utilizing MK's characters and environments for block-dropping, chibi-chomping fun. It's the kind of thing that might make a good Mortal Kombat app, but will it find its way into MK1? We think this could be more of a troll, but you never know.
9. There are No 4-legged Fighters in MK1
Fighters who demand a unique physiology, or irregular orientation, have become a bit of a lost art for Mortal Kombat. Even the likes of Ferra/Torr and Drahmin have struggled to get a second look after introducing unusual presentation quirks to the fighting game engine.
MK3 sub-boss Motaro is clearly the four-legged fighter we all know and love, but in his last appearance in Armageddon, he had to forego two of his legs just to make the cut. On the subject Boon has previously noted, "... if [we] had the big centaur half horse guy that filled half the screen it would not work. I don't think people think it through and just say "I want to play as Motaro!" You really don't!"
There are balancing challenges to a character like Motaro, but there's no reason he couldn't exist as a unique circumstance, either as an imposing set piece special fight or boss, or in the case of MK1, as a Kameo Fighter whose only requirement is to entry the fray and deliver devastating injuries to an opponent. We don't really know how it will happen, but this one seems like it could at long last be true.
10. MK1 Will Feature the Return of TEST YOUR SIGHT
Before you write it off on name alone, you'll want to remember that Test Your Sight began as an amusing mini-game in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, before becoming part of the 2011 reboot game's Challenge Tower.
A variation on the cup & ball game, it requires a simple mastery of attention and observation -- assuming its as we know it. We know Kenshi will once again lose his sight over the course of the game, perhaps introducing potential for a new twist on the Test Your Sight concept as part of other modes. Either way, what we'd really like to see is the klassic Test Your Might mini-game. This one could go either way.
[Related Article: Ed Boon Hypes Returning Characters & Moves in Mortal Kombat 1]
Which way did you vote? What's the truth and what's a troll? Share your thoughts in the comments below and go deeper into speculation & discussion in the Mortal Kombat 1!
