I agree with everything here...

I especially concur with Quan Chi being extremely weak. It was almost pathetic to the point where he wasn't a threat, whereas I didn't get that impression of him in his MKDA sketches carrying "The Living Weapon" as well as in MKA where he killed things ...I can't believe I said that MKA did something better than MKX..

Cassie and Jacqui being tough out of nowhere is also fairly lame. It would make sense if just about anyone else was the hero. The last two chapters felt extremely rushed, and I hope Shawn Kittelson makes some comics of the aftermath so we don't have to wait 4+ years to see where the hell Kotal went.

MK9 had a better story (hate to say it), but the whole "Changing the future" scenario was a nice twist on a classic story with a lot of twists and turns...also making Raiden the hero I thought was a breathe of fresh air compared to Liu Kang.

I love how even casual players on youtube think its ridiculous that Cassie killed Shujinko in her ending. I think Ed is trying a bit hard to "represent" female characters.

I think it was mentioned that Quan Chi got his powers from Shinnok. When Shinnok was imprisoned in the amulet, he no longer had access to the source of his power, so he became gradually weaker the longer he was separated from him.

As for Cassie and Jacqui, I think we're going to see that the events of the comic are what shaped the two into the combatants they are in the game.

Takeda is also weak except for his chapter to the point it seems like Jacqui might be the dominant one.

I also wonder where Jax and Kenshi were. Jax mentioned waiting for D'vorah to come but she shows up in the next chapter and I'd assume Jax would leave the Netherrealm but no mention. Where was Kenshi in the end? Don't tell me Ladybug killed them both.

I'll try answering some of these to the best of my ability from what I've noticed/seen:

1) NRS said they actually had another scene with Fujin in it but it got cut out before the final game. He was supposed to be in the Netherrealm assisting Jax. From the comics, it seems that he's stationed there to keep an eye out for Quan Chi.
2) The Netherrealm War was 2 years after MK9. It wouldn't surprise me if Johnny and Sonya caught Kenshi up on what happened in MK9 when he's recruited. Also, it seems in the MK universe that everyone knows everyone somehow.
3) They made Johnny's green glow a big deal in his ending for MK9. His potential has been mentioned since MK Armageddon so NRS probably wanted to focus on his powers even more to justify giving him and Cassie the hero spotlight.
4) In the comics, her and Jacqui are 15 and have already been training for awhile so they probably started training at a very early age.
5) The Kombat Kids were probably formed together because of their parents/Raiden. From what Johnny was saying and their lack of teamwork in the beginning, the team was probably recently formed though. From the flashbacks, Takeda was already part of SF because of Kenshi as of 5 years prior to the story so he, Jacqui, and Cassie were already there. All that needed to happen was bring Kung Jin over and then Sonya telling Johnny to form a team out of the 4.
5) I think this is the difference between NRS and the fans. I think they had the intention of having some NPC characters in story mode for fun. They've always mentioned that there will be a lot more characters than the playable ones in story so they probably wanted to see some NPC matches here and there. Goro was probably made into DLC despite not being in story because I believe there was also interest in having a sub-boss like character playable. They probably thought it would be okay that not all story characters are playable and not all playable characters had to be in story.
6) From what we've seen of Kano in the past couple years, the comics, etc. It shouldn't be surprising with all the tech he has, he has the ability to break in the vault. I do think it'd at least be nice to see that happen and if we get DLC story chapters hopefully we see one from him. As of now, I at least don't think it's crazy he is able to do this.
7) In real life, people who are gay do face discrimination still. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon to see that in the real world so it makes sense for Kung Jin to think he won't be accepted in the first place. And apparently, Shaolin are supposed to lead strict lives too so that might've affected Kung Jin's thoughts on the whole thing.
8) It was said that Quan Chi's powers were weakened with Shinnok being gone so that's why. This also could explain why it took 20+ years for him to do something. He was probably doing his best to bide his time and save his strength before the amulet could be received.
9) I didn't think this was too much of an issue in the story since few characters died. Although that could be something that would be elaborated in the next storyline. At the end of the day, we know those characters will be back regardless since it's MK.
10) My guess is that it's part of Quan Chi's magic where he just makes a new body for the soul to inhabit for his insurance that they'll work for him/Shinnok. But if his magic is disrupted, the revenants just keep the bodies and their souls will be freed. Despite what we saw in the comics, this could've been what the intention was to justify that Sub-Zero is human again in the first place. Again, just a guess.
11) Probably not the specific action but I think Sonya caused Quan Chi enough pain where his hold on the revenants close by was disrupted as Raiden's own powers affected the vicinity. Think of it like a reaction between Quan Chi's magic and Raiden's powers and Sonya's kick was the catalyst.
12) Well Mileena's not the best thinker so there's that. She probably thought Rain and Tanya and herself were enough to guard the amulet, especially if the Kuatan Jungle was a temporary hiding place (I don't think the Kuatan Jungle was her sole hiding spot). She was also affected every time she used it, she might've wanted some distance from the amulet, even if it might not be the safest or smartest place to put it. Then there's the possibility that Rain or Tanya told her to put it in a safe so that they could have a chance to steal it later.
13) Why wouldn't Rain want to betray Mileena? He knows he's a demigod. He's a prince. He obviously wants the power to himself. And as long as it's not Mileena, he probably doesn't care who he tells because of his arrogance. I think the point of showing that was that Mileena didn't have allies and that people were easily using her to get what they want. And it could be a potential storyline for the next game because Rain and Tanya (assuming Tanya's ending is not true) have a purpose of being in the next game.
14) Kotal Kahn trusted the amulet with D'Vorah. As someone who has served him for a long time, Kotal probably thought it'd be okay to leave it in a chest, knowing that D'Vorah had it under control. He was obviously more trusting of her even though we now know he shouldn't have been.
15) This is supposed to be the "plot twist" of the story. Something that we shouldn't have seen coming. I think we did get a big hint which was D'Vorah's bio. It said something along the lines saying that loyalty was something rare to her people. Knowing what she did in her ending too, she's probably out for her own agenda and will do everything possible to make sure that happens. So looking back, it makes total sense that she'd do that.
16) Shinnok probably wanted to brag about what he'll do with the corrupted Jinsei so he left Johnny alive for the time being. I mean, I would think there's a satisfaction to letting your foes see what you'd do when they cannot do anything to stop you.
17) Shinnok had a demon form in Mythologies. NRS probably wanted to bring that back for Shinnok since he was the big bad.
18) Kotal was pretty much himself that I saw from the comics up until Mileena's death. I definitely think part of it is his emotions on the whole ordeal that kinda took control of his more level headed thinking. I mean the biggest threat to Outworld is back in the form of the amulet. He already had a rough relationship with Raiden and seeing that Raiden failed to keep the amulet safe, Kotal was probably not having it at that point and wanted to use the opportunity to keep the Kombat Kids around to force Raiden into allowing Kotal to keep the amulet for safekeeping. But then D'Vorah betrayed him, the Kombat Kids escaped, and the amulet was missing. He probably got freaked with all that happening and then when he found out Shinnok was alive, he probably wanted to finish off the Kombat Kids out of desperation. With all that happening, even if his actions got out of control, there was one thing that still kept constant with Kotal: his concern for Outworld.
19) Shinnok probably thought it was time to kill Johnny at that point? Cassie has said often in story and in the comics that she didn't have Johnny's gift. Shinnok probably thought the same and didn't think that'd happen until it did.
20) From MK9 and Injustice, I think it was obvious that not everyone will get chapters unfortunately. I can only guess that there were only so much time and resources that they couldn't do more than 12 chapters. But hey, cross fingers with DLC.

2: Kenshi is PSYCHIC...

D'Vorah working for Shinnok was obvious to anyone familiar with the trope about bugs, and devil worship.



Ka-Tra

I thought that only worked in close range? The point I was glibly making is that Kenshi's blindness no longer seems to play any role for the character whatsoever.

And my point with D'Vorah is that it would have been more interesting/ logical if Kotal Kahn kept making choices that went against her, and building up tension, which would motivate her to side with Shinnok. Instead we get a cheap plot convenience. It's like they did an easy fatality instead of a brutality.

I beat the story mode for the first time last night, I liked the story but i was disappointed also. Also I wondered where Jade was since she was a revenant in MK9. Haven't seen her not once. Maybe she came back to life, and is in hiding? Or her not being in the story is setting her to make a come back in MK 11. I have a feeling she is coming back, and probably would aide earthrealm into bringing Liu Kang, and Kitana and the others back to normal

They could've at least defeated some revenants after Jax, Sub-Zero & Scorpion and brought some back.

If Liu & Kitana were to become the new rulers of the Netherrealm, then THAT would've made sense. At least they could've brought back Nightwolf, Kabal & Stryker at the end.

Two Earth gods are tossed around like rag dolls by an elder god; that was awesome. I had tingles at how well Shinnok's entrance was, and how not even realm protector gods could do anything against an elder god. And then... the story went in to absolute fail mode; I am embarrassed that I was ever deeply involved with MK lore. Now, it is a laughable joke. Why? A green family aura...A...GREEN...FAMILY...AURA... is the ultimate power that can equal, then defeat an elder god. 2 months later and I am still waiting for Boon to declare story mode was actually a joke and the real version is coming in future patch. Johnny being able to defeat regular Shinnok was bad enough...but then...let me compose myself...his barely an adult daughter is able to defeat a SUPER ELDER GOD. My brain is actually cramping. The second fucking-up of the Shinnok story aside, most of the other chapters were meandering/boring. I did like the Mileena/Kano/Kotal chapter. That said, almost every chapter in the MKX comics has a vastly superior story. Focusing on those comics is what fucked themselves when it came to the game's story. I think the only thing interesting was undead Smoke becoming the new "Noob Saibot" by actually enjoying his undead life, and assuming a new name. Between story mode (I call it drunk joke mode), sparse choices in backgrounds, and the lackluster launch roster, MKX is significantly marred. Thankfully, the game play is good, and what characters do deserve to take-up roster slots are mostly well done. As is, MKX feels very unfinished and some very bad choices were made along with some very good choices; a mixed bag.

I agree with everything you said PaletteSwap and I'd like to add these;

- Why didn't D'Vorah just use her maggot kiss-of-death on Johnny Cage when he was stuck in a cocoon? Or do exactly what she did to Baraka and use her ovipositor to stab Johnny in the brain? The whole "I'm going to kill you slowly" trope is so ham-handed and unnecessary.

- Why did the revenants just run away after Shinnok got beaten by Cassie? Both Takeda and Jacqui were tired and wounded, they could have easily finished them off and then gone inside and taken care of Cassie and Johnny. Again, this is dealt with so ham-handedly. They literally had no reason to run away.

I'm still a bit confused on the dialogue between Mileena and Kotal in D'Vorah's chapter flashback.

Kotal says "As war with Netherrealm looms..." at this "5 years ago" mark during her chapter, but uhh...didn't the Netherrealm war happen 15 years prior to this point?

Send help.

Reflecting on story mode:

1) Why is it that the comic and the game have absolutely nothing to do with each other?

2) Why was the story in the comic actually MORE interesting than the story in the game?

3) Why waste so much effort on fleshing out Kotal Kahn in the comic, yet in the game making him out to be the biggest, dumbest, most mindless and useless brute who ever bore the title of Kahn?


Your move, NRS.

You do know that the comic writer was told the plot points and characters of the games story, and then NRS let him write his story using the characters they approved of. One is basically a canon fan fiction of the other (written by a professional writer).

Also, a comic is a much less limiting media than a fighting game. Kittelsen didn't have a limited roster, limited areas to fight in, mandatory one-on-one fights to plan out for multiple characters to have consecutively, to use voice actors and mokap actors to record the sound and actions, or an entire rest of a game to work on like gameplay, arcade modes, online, and Krypt.

So, how wouldn't a professional writer writing in a storytelling medium do a better job than professional writers who have to write through hoops because of their medium? The Mortal Kombat movie was a much better story than MK1, as well.

Oh right, totally. Great answer. Bugs love Satan. Because tropes. Super.

Moving on..

I enjoyed story mode and thought it was, for the most part, well done. Short, simple, with some truly stupid moments here and there as well as a few cool ones. Overall the flow of it was much better than MK9's. However, looking at the shit arcade endings and the story arcs of quite a few classic characters I think NRS is in desperate need of new writers. They have completely run out of steam on what to do with their classic characters. Most are either mindless henchmen or heels for the rebellious, oh so modern and "cool" teen titans to make fun of.

People are always so quick to blame the characters themselves (i.e people getting fed up with Scorpion and his never ending quest for vengeance, or Reptiles forever trying to bring his people back by being someones bitch, etc etc) but i think the real problem is the writers rehashing the same shit over and over with zero passion or creative drive to make the character stand out on their own whatsoever. They just kinda include classic, popular characters to drive up sales, give them the role of someone's "enforcer" and boom they're done with that story line, time to just phone in a few minor details and the Ermac, or Kitana, or Goro or whoever box is checked off.

I feel like characters like Mileena and Scorpion got much better story lines this go around but why stop there? Why do mk fans have to accept the default "enforcer" story line of everyone else? I know not every character can have a chapter in story mode or be a main character even and I'm not asking for that. But I mean go rewatch Reptile's arcade ending, its lazy and generic as fuck. Of the very small bit of story line we get from this character, and many characters just like him, there is absolutely zero creativity or forward momentum given to his story line.

So yeah, I didn't mean for this to turn into a rant but it did so fuck it. NRS needs new writers, MKX for the most part did a good job of moving the MK story line into the future, but outside story mode they kinda just phoned in every thing else and dropped the ball with the story arcs of a lot of the classic characters. Even some new characters got the incredibly short end of the stick *cough* ferra/torr *cough*. Also, now that i think about it, is the writing staff at MK the same from game to game? Its Vogel right? lol im tired, my fanboy whining game might be off

MKX story's bad writing and poor story telling are what they're, the "limits of the medium" are a poor excuse when the mentioned material is already lacking, videogames can have a decent story, even suggesting otherwise with a straight face is ludicrous, the comic's story even with the limitations of a videogame format would be leagues above what we got in this game because the writing is just superior in every way. Also lol at comparing MK1 "story" with a movie, your analogies and white-knighting always are fun to read.

When did I ever say video games can't have well written stories? Some of my favorite stories have come from video games. However, none of them have had the format the story mode form the recent MK games. They are writing around the system, instead of just writing, and it would take a lot of creativity and thought to make it a "well written" story. But, I think they did a fine job with it. It's a solid B grade; much better than what was expected. Even if it was short.

And, no. The comic's story would be horrible in the game because of one reason. The fights. Who has had more than two fights in the comic? And even those weren't consecutive. A character's chapter would just be a long cutscene followed by maybe a fight. That's what they have to balance.

My point about the movie was the fact they were telling a story, so it was a better story, obviously. And in MK1 we know of three canon fights: Scorpion vs Sub-Zero, Liu vs Goro, and Liu vs Shang. That has been how the story for the rest of the games until MK9 went as well; An over arcing plot with a big bad, and a few fights of significance between the other guys.

So, how do you make a mode in a fighting game where you only fight a few times? Well, NRS's solution was to make the story a catalyst for gameplay. This meant writing for the purpose of playing the game over what would be a better story. So, unless you don't want to play the game during story mode, this is the standard of quality the story will have.

I'm not white-knighting. I really think their chapter system is holding them back. But, I also really enjoyed experiencing the story mode, and will discuss it when the topic comes up on here. I'm not calling you a hater because you're discussing your opinion.


tl;dr The story mode was made to be fun to play, over telling a great story.

Uh I think obviously they would have adapted the overall plotline of the comic to better fit the gameplay/ hypothetical alternate roster.

I got to playthrough MKX's storymode recently on a good friend's XBone and i had some thoughts:

QTEs: what exactly was the point? Unlike Injustice's story mode, if you succeed at the QTE you don't change the opponent's healthbar in the next fight. Was anything different besides the next 2 seconds of animation?

The Johnny/Sonya dynamic was actually really well played. Their own resentments bubbled under the surface of the importance of "the mission".

Am I the only one who actually liked the "Kombat Kids" storyline? You actually see them bonding as a team during the events. One of the few things that was shown instead of told.

The whole Tanya thing. She should have been fully playable from the very start, considering being IN the story. DLC is pure Evil.

Sub-Zero's chapter constantly shoving it down our throats who is related to whom. WE ALREADY KNOW. It was so unsubtle even the dog got it.

Who the Fuck is Erron Black? Did NRS play up to the 'mysterious' description by giving him fucking NO backstory? Why is he even there?

When the Kids in Outworld mention the 'Reiko accords' it would be nice to have an explanation as to what they are and what they say.

Johnny's line about snowflakes. I still am not sure what that meant.

The Kenshi/Takeda relationship was also really well done. It had depth without going overboard.

What did Kano do exactly with the amulet? (Show is better than tell - this is an important story telling device that novices learn.)

Where exactly was Raiden for the majority of the story? (Show is still better than tell.)

Story mode's NPCs were a big sloppy loveletter to hardcore fans, showcasing the likes of Sindel, Rain, Sareena, Li Mei, Fujin, Bo' Rai Cho etc. It was nice to see them but many of them didn't have much impact/relevance.

Reptile - just ugh. Why can't they ever do anything interesting with him?

Scorpion's "vengeance" blinded him to reason, even though at that point he was not unter the influence of Quan. I did expect Quan Chi to get loose as a result of Scorp's interference, so seeing what actually happened was unexpected, but still a giant fuck-up for no reason.

D'Vorah + Mileena pseudo lesbian kiss of buggy death = not sure if gusta. Seriously, was that put in for us to be grossed out by, or for EB to fap to?

Cassie defeats Super-Uber-Mega evolved Shinnok SOLO?????

In fact the whole ending felt rushed and could have done with a bit more exposition.

Cyber Sub-Zero explanation, anyone?

Characters that ended up not being saved from revenant state still have intros in regular battles as if they did get saved. Huh?! Kitana in particular has that 'Jade' variation (as if she was saved but Jade was not). Yet Jade appeared nowhere in the story and Kitana was among those not saved. WTF?

Almost everything is explained by either the comics or the story mode itself.


1) That was supposed to be a cameo. A larger role was intended for Fujin according to Dom Cianciolo's twitter account. After the first Shinnok defeat by Johnny Cage, Fujin embarked into a mission in order to investigate Quan Chi role in the blood demon/god subplot.

2) Kenshi already joined Sonya's team. She and Johnny had plenty of time to fill him in.

3) Because it was the first time the summoned a green aura around his body absorbing a fatal hit as it was a caress. He used the power to save Sonya, so Johnny left his selfish self behind and ultimately proved that he loved Sonya for real and not just a one night stand interest. It was also the proof that Johnny is the descendant of the mediterranean cult who breed warriors for the gods. It shows that Johnny has ancestral powers. In the Kung Jin/Raiden scene there is also a pic of Cage's ancestor.

4) they both served the special forces for years with missions in Kurdistan, Darfur and Afghanistan. Cassie's parents are both a-list fighters with either paranormal or technological advantages and YEARS of experience struggling against giant lizards, gods and ninjas from hell. The same goes for Jacqui with her tech gloves and a former undead father.

5) they are barely a team and work togheter since six weeks. The whole point of their sneaking mission into the lin kuei temple was to have them learn the hard way how team work actually works. In addition, both the comics and the story mode feature at least one flashback per character before entering cage's team. Only kung jin is missing in the comics, but eventually he will make it in due time.

6) this isn't story related. Nrs wanted to put Rain into the game, but didn't have the time to complete him. Or they wanted story cameos as DLCs since the beginning of the development. So, basically the reason is: $$$$$$
The same goes for Goro. Nrs didn't want him in the game, but they made preorder bonus for extra cash. He has a large role in the comics though.

7) by using a trap/device. It will be explained in the comics and Tremor's ending.

8) it's not a paradox. At first I thought that Mormons couldn't have per-marriage sex, it turns out they don't care as long you don't make it public and with women outside the community. I was wrong. The same goes for jin. He was mistaken.

9) with Shinnok's power he defeated Raiden using that beautiful skull+spine black magic spell. After Shinnok imprisonement Quan Chi was weaker, that's why he needed those infernal rams to move in the Netherrealm instead of teleporting. Shinnok was Quan Chi's source of power.

10) according to common sense revenants are undead, like intelligent zombies. So they cannot be killed or eventually they'd respawn somewhere else.
Why killing them, when Raiden's main goal is to rescue them?

11) because Jax, Scorpion and Sub-Zero's bodies were created BEFORE and off-screen that scene.

12) you didn't understand a thing of that scene. The revenats were reverted to normal by combining raiden's magic with quan chi's own. In order to break the link between quan chi and Johnny, Sonya had to have the former lose consciousness. A good kick down there is the best way to make your enemy faint.

13) she hid in the jungle and thought nobody could ever find her hideout.
Furthermore, Mileena says more than once that she hurts herself whenever she uses the Amulet.

14) Rain and Tanya both have their own agenda. They don't want to be subordinates any longer. They want power. Ensuring Mileena's victory, the weakest party involved in the war (compared to kotal, at least) is a necessary step in order to achieve power.

15) you can't keep the Amulet in your pocket all the time unless you are Shinnok

16) it is called "plot twist" for a reason. You are not supposed to see that coming.

17) to please his megalomaniac ego. The same reason he didn't kill raiden right on the spot. Both cage and raiden had to be witnesses of shinnok ultimate victory.

18) he absorbed the power of Earth, the jinsei, the crack of the gods.

19) again, shinnok has delusions of grandeur. He underestimated Cassie so, before beating her, he mocked the girl by trying to kill her father. Shinnok didn't expect Cassie to carry the same power as Johnny, he even made a statement about it.

Sub-Zero reverted back to his human form by Quan Chi's magic, it's actually shown in the comics.

Kitana, Liu Kang, and Kung Lao have what-if normal selves for regular gameplay. Probably for the fans considering that there's people that prefer their non-revenant forms. Kinda like how in Deception, they had human Liu Kang even though canon storyline only had him as a zombie or a non-fighting ghost.

I swear I haven't read MK176 before posting.

As someone who hasn't actually played the story mode yet (It's an odd situation that I don't want to go off topic on), I recognize that the story has plenty of flaws, but it was still enjoyable as you went through it. It wasn't perfect, but Netherrealm Studios aren't movie writers.

When the fuck will NRS finally realize that not every MK fan is "rah rah Earthrealm" and wants the good guys to win all the damn time?

Team Kotal was miles more interesting than the Kombat Brats.