New details we learned about Mortal Kombat 1

Since the gameplay reveal, press and pro players have been given a chance to play a few minutes of an early build of Mortal Kombat 1. Their first impressions, as well as interviews with Ed Boon and the dev team, have answered a few of our questions and brought some questions to light. Here's everything we learned:

Kameos

Kameos can be damaged: As seen in a few clips, when you summon your Kameos, they can be damaged by the other player. This will cancel their attack and damage the player that called them.

Kameo Fatalities: All Kameos have the ability to perform Fatalities, but Kameos and MCs do not perform Fatalities together, only Fatal Blows.

Integral element: There are no 1v1 modes. Kameos are integral to MK 11 gameplay and will always be by your side.

No more variations: Did I hear a hallelujah?! That's true: no more variations! Kameos have replaced this mechanic.

Work together: It was noticeable during various clips, but just to confirm: you can move on-screen while the Kameo is active, setting up more combo potential! The only exception seems to be during Kameo throws.

More Kameos are coming: Initially, the game will have 15-20 Kameos, but more will come. Ed Boon said that every retro character is on the table for consideration.

General Gameplay

Taunts: You can now taunt during matches. Also, after the "Finish Them," if you teabag your opponent, your character will perform a taunt (confirmed by Super), and you'll miss the chance to perform a Fatality.

Hara-Kiri: Nope, they won't return this time.

Brutalities: On Twitter, the MK page confirmed that Brutalities are in the game, and they're exclusive to full characters (so Kameos can't perform them).

Air Combat: Every character has air combat potential, but some specialise more in it (Scorpion, I guess? Nitara, as surely she'll be in the game too, right?!)

Fatal Blows: They work like in MK 11 (you get the chance to perform one when your life drops below 25%, and if you miss, you get to try again after a time, but you only have one Fatal per match), but now the screen flashes when the player presses the Fatal Blow button, so it will be much easier to know when it's going to happen instead of feeling random like in MK 11.

Scenario Interactions: Not 100% confirmed, but they don't exist in the available maps, so it's fair to assume they won't be in the game.

Dashing: Dashing is committal, meaning you can't cancel it once you start. So, be careful!

Upblock: SonicFox commented about this brand-new mechanic, stating: "There’s a brand new mechanic called 'upblock' where you can like shift your block upwards on jump-ins and FULL COMBO PUNISH them on block. Mindgame is they can empty jump throw you or low you as there is recovery for going for it.

Block: Speaking of block, some people were concerned that there was no longer a block button, but SonicFox also confirmed that's not true. Flawless block is back but ONLY negates chip.

Breakers: Breakers are back to make us happy, but here's the deal: they cost all three bars of meter and your Kameo must be ready to help you.

First Hit Bonus: They're back, which means that whoever hits the opponent first fills a section of their meter bar.

Throws are high: One of the first things we saw in the gameplay trailer, and which has been confirmed by players, is that throws are high, so you can escape them simply by ducking. It was the same thing with MK 9, X, and 11.

Krypt: During an interview on the PlayStation Blog, Ed Boon said that the Krypt will not be back. He teased that MK 1 has "a whole new system for unlocks."

MK 9 successor: SonicFox said on Twitter: "Mk1 legit feels like a love letter to MK9 with how ex moves are and defensive options too." Considering how loved MK 9 gameplay was, this is another fantastic piece of news! SonicFox also said: "The creativity the combos the defensive options, PLAYER EXPRESSION, and visuals are just breathtaking. Literally everything I want in a fighting game. I only got 30 minutes on it and I feel like I just played the best fighting game on the planet."

Story

While much of the story is still unknown, the intro dialogue gave us more insight into what's going on.

Bi-Han: "Your actions cost lives, Bi-Han!" Liu Kang says. So, we got confirmation: our Sub-Zero is Bi-Han (the first Sub-Zero). That's interesting when you consider that he and Scorpion are blood brothers. Could Scorpion be Kuai Liang? 🤔 It's worth mentioning that Kuai Liang is mentioned in one of the intros, so he also exists in this new era.

Shang Tsung's experiments: A somewhat shocking reveal, but Shang Tsung actually exists in this timeline. And he has been experimenting again. Sub-Zero helped the Sorcerer, but it seems like he didn't know what he was doing. Some people are claiming that Bi-Han will be evil again based on the dialogue lines we have so far and how he doesn't bow to Liu Kang in the trailer, but I don't know if it's that black and white. I hope it's not. Bi-Han might eventually die and become Noob Saibot, sure, but I'd like a more creative storyline for him. My impression is that he might be making some bad choices while believing he's doing the right thing.

Sisterly Bound: Kitana has two lines of dialogue that confirm she has a friendlier bond with Mileena. Not only that, but it seems like Kitana actually serves Mileena, and is totally fine with that.

Sindel: Sindel was spotted, alongside Mileena, in the Throne Room scenario. Obviously, that doesn't mean she'll be playable, but at least it's confirmed she'll be in the game! She's in the background, so the image quality is crappy, but here she is:

Empress Mileena: Mileena wants to become Empress after Sindel, so this confirms that Sindel is still alive and ruling Edenia.

Countess Jade: Liu Kang mentions "Countess Jade," and advises Kitana to keep her close for she'll be "critical" to Kitana's journey. Again, not a confirmation that Jade will be playable, but at least she'll be in the game.

Temple of the Elements: This place is mentioned in one of Sub-Zero vs. Liu Kang intros. Apparently, Bi-Han is trying to enter this temple to uncover secrets that Liu Kang has hidden in there. That's fairly interesting: the Temple of the Elements was the place where they hid Shinnok's Amulet away in the original timeline! Not only that, but prior to the first MK tournament, Bi-Han himself was tasked by the Lin Kuei to infiltrate this temple, defeat the Four Elementals who serve as guardians, and retrieve the "mystical treasure" it kept behind many traps and a sealed door. Will Shinnok's Amulet play a role in this game? Hmmm...

"A number of classic villains": In the PS interview, Ed Boon said that various classic villains would return in some way. "Just like with the heroes, the villains will start completely different… they’ll go down different paths and have different relationships with each other." Still no word on who the main villain is - Onaga 🤞

All right, friends, that's all I gathered from the clips and comments. There are a lot of recorded matches online in case you're interested in watching the gameplay - personally, watching those has sold me even more on this game!

The MK Twitter page confirmed we'll get more news this month - maybe even on Sunday, during the Xbox showcase! It will certainly be an exciting summer!

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