Something is coming to Mortal Kombat 11, but figuring out exactly what to expect is a grand ol' guessing game. Ed Boon is back to his old tricks, starting the speculation with a Queen of a clue. His next one is a tip of the hat to a horror movie icon, but don't expect Freddy Krueger back any time soon. Read on for all the gory details:
It's been quite a while since Boon has been this ambiguous, and he's avoiding excess confusion by labelling his posts #ActualKlue. He's also putting us on the right track by specifying where to look in a follow-up tweet: "Hint 2.5 = Its related to the title".
The clue [embedded below] is a link to the trailer for A Nightmare on Elm Street. The 1984 franchise starter also sometimes carries director Wes Craven's name, but what is in a name? The title is what we're looking at, and it's worth noting the YouTube video does include Craven and Johnny Depp's names in the title. We can think of a few other ideas, though.
Second Klue is this movie trailer, but I can tell you its not Freddy Krueger.#MortalKombat11 #ActualKlue #2https://t.co/60nu1Qd4n2
— Ed Boon (@noobde) September 19, 2020
Boon helpfully rules out a return of 2011 guest character Freddy Krueger in his original tweet, and has also put the kibosh on the much discussed, troubled movie crossover Ash Williams. He's also cast doubt on fan guesses for Ermac, Smoke, and Street Fighter guests.
Remembering that Boon's first clue told us to look to the sky, and this second one relates to some aspect of the film title, it might be something as simple as directing us to the night sky. The klassic clue of "look to la luna" was already on our minds after Bohemian Rhapsody, and Reptile would certainly be a welcome return after his cameo in The Krypt.
Of course, we don't know if these clues actually even point to a next wave of downloadable characters, or an unforseen in-game event. Both clues refer to aspects of perception: Nightmares, as in the film title, and the song lyric "Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?" Make of that what you will.
Elm Street takes its name from the deciduous tree, and while we aren't certain of the genus of Dead Woods on Shang Tsung's island, The Krypt certainly contains plenty of spooky flora for a nightmare. Earlier thinking could also lead to The Pit stage, which presently only exists as part of The Krypt mode, and as a projection on the Retrocade stage.
In the past Boon has loved a word game, and we'd be remiss if we didn't at least note the initials of the two works used as clues: B, R, A, N, o, E, S. That doesn't appear to spell anything yet, but we'll at least be keeping an open eye on it.
Right now your guess is as good as ours! Drop your wildest theories in the comments below and stay awake on the Mortal Kombat 11 forum for the next clues!