Debuting all the way back in 1992, theMortal Kombatfranchise has been around for quite some time, and though it’s seen a few rough patches, it’s currently one of the most popular fighting series around, standing right alongside the likes ofStreet FighterandTekken. ButMortal Kombat’s consistent popularityhasn’t come about naturally. Unlike a few other high-profile video game franchises,Mortal Kombathas had to work hard for its continued success, adapting to the times, and being unafraid to start things all over again to pull in a wider audience. And that’s exactly what’s happening withMortal Kombat 1.
Both a sequel and a reboot,Mortal Kombat 1takes fans all the way back to the very beginning of theMortal Kombattimeline, seemingly right before the events of the first game. But in this rebooted timeline, Liu Kang is in control, having become a Time God, and creating a new timeline in his own image. But whileMortal Kombat 1’s premiseis perfect for newcomers to the series, NetherRealm shouldn’t just play it safe.
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Mortal Kombat 1 Shouldn’t Be Just Another Reboot
Based onMortal Kombat 1’s announcement trailer, it seems as though this entry is acting as a soft reboot for the franchise. For those that didn’t playMortal Kombat 11’s Aftermath DLC, at the end of its campaign, Fire God Liu Kang manages to defeat Shang Tsung, and stop him from using Kronika’s Time God abilities to conquer all the realms.
After taking Kronika’s powers for his own, Liu Kang decides to rewind time and create a “New Era,” one in which his friends are alive and there’s peace across the realms.Mortal Kombat 1’s announcement trailer seemingly confirms this ending, with classic characters like Kung Lao, Raiden, Kitana, Scorpion, and Sub-Zero all returning, and all residing in their specific realms, away from the Mortal Kombat tournament.
This isn’t the first time theMortal Kombatfranchise has been rebooted, however. Back in 2011, following around a decade of disappointingMortal Kombatentries, the franchise was rebooted with a game simply titledMortal Kombat. This game, much likeMortal Kombat 1, is also technically a sequel, with the main story revolving around Raiden being sent visions from his future self during the events ofMortal Kombat: Armageddon.Mortal Kombat2011 roughly follows the same plot as the original trilogy, albeit with some changes due to Raiden messing with the timeline.
Hopefully,Mortal Kombat 1will go even further than its 2011 reboot predecessor, and give fans a completely different experience. Though it may seemingly be set around the same time as the first game,Mortal Kombat 1looks to be changing things up quite a bit, and all of its external marketing claims that this won’t just be another retelling of the events of theoriginalMortal Kombattrilogy, but a bold new direction for the franchise, and the announcement trailer does seem to hint at that.
DuringMortal Kombat 1’s announcement trailer, fans are shown a handful of iconic franchise characters, with their presence here confirming the rebooted timeline. But expectations are soon subverted whenShang Tsung appears from a fiery portal, and proceeds to brutally murder the vast majority of these beloved fighters.
The trailer ends with Liu Kang killing Shang Tsung once again, but it’s unclear what this all means for the game’s story. Obviously, these staple characters don’t all die before the events of the first game, and Liu Kang wasn’t a god in the original trilogy. Based on this, it does seem that whileMortal Kombat 1takes place in a rebooted timeline, it’s not going to be anything like the timeline fans have seen already.
Mortal Kombat 1launches September 19 for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X.
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