8 Predictions for Mortal Kombat 1
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VOICE OVER: Ty Richardson
WRITTEN BY: Ty Richardson
We've gotten a look at "Mortal Kombat 1," but we've still got a lot of predictions to make. For this list, we're speculating on what the team at NetherRealm has in store for us. Our list of predictions for "Mortal Kombat 1" includes a Real Krypt, a YouTube mode, Getting Rid of the Towers of Time, Post-Launch Support, and more!
Script written by Ty Richardson
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at our list of 10 Predictions for “Mortal Kombat 1”. The next “Mortal Kombat” game is not far away, and yet it remains shrouded in mystery. Well…until Summer Games Fest, anyways. But until then, let’s have some fun and think about what might be in store for us! We understand that not all of these will happen, yet at least one of them is bound to be true, right? What do you hope to see from “Mortal Kombat 1”? Let us know down in the comments.
In case you haven’t seen the MK1 teaser (or finished MK11), Liu Kang has become the god of fire and time. With this new title, he has chosen to reset the timeline with new rules, new events to set the course of history, new choices that anyone can make on their own terms with their own reasons. In other words, no one will bust down your door and impose the title of “kombatant” or “Defender of Earthrealm” upon you. Sure, Liu Kang mentions he is looking for champions, but perhaps it's for a straight-up war and not necessarily some sick game of life and death.
Another point Liu Kang makes in the teaser for MK1 is that while he has built this new timeline with peace and tranquility in mind, that does not necessarily mean evil has been eradicated. One glimpse we got appeared to be Shang Tsung emerging from a portal. But in a world where a snake like Shang Tsung exists, could there possibly be other villainous foes that Liu Kang made sure could never come back? We can’t imagine Shao Kahn or even Shinnok would be included in his new timeline given the catastrophic consequences those two wrought, resulting in many characters’ deaths and almost total domination over every realm. Shang is a crafty adversary, but with the Outworld emperor and the fallen Elder God nowhere in sight, Liu Kang may have played favorites just a smidge for the betterment of everyone.
We have long experienced the tumultuous feud between Scorpion and Sub-Zero, their hardships in their own lives, and their struggles to resolve their differences. This time around, it seems like the story will be drastically different. Even though both show up in the MK1 teaser, neither raise a fist or weapon at each other and instead, look towards a solar eclipse together. Could it be that both are on good terms in this timeline? Are the Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei working together in harmony now? And could this alliance mean the Cyber Initiative never happened or was remotely considered? Or are they just taking the backseat as Liu Kang’s right-hand men as he looks for champions?
Whereas we greatly believe Scorpion and Sub-Zero will be allies in MK1, we aren’t so sure about Kitana and Mileena. While the two are sitting together in a parade taking place in Outworld, it’s not clear that things are rosy there. The footage we saw at Summer Games Fest shows Mileena strapped to a table, and Kitana’s dialogue insinuates that they might be trying to remove Tarkatan tendencies from Mileena’s DNA. Of course, we wouldn’t expect Mileena to willingly do something like this. So, that bloodthirsty part of her might take over and spiral things out of control.
A major problem in the “Mortal Kombat” community is how limited content creators such as ourselves have to be in covering the games. Despite saying they were going to loosen up on it, YouTube has grown far more strict with video game violence, especially when it comes to “Mortal Kombat”. It’s why we can’t show the franchise’s iconic finishing moves let alone say what they’re actually called. The community has had to jump through several hoops to properly cover the games, and the restrictions get tighter and tighter as more folks get demonetized. We’re hoping Netherrealm Studios has noticed this problem and is incorporating settings to mitigate fans from getting demonetized. Change the color of blood for all characters, maybe? Lame, yes, but what else is there, force everyone to play D’Vorah or Reptile or any of the other non-human characters?
One of the biggest problems with MK11 were the Towers of Time. We’ll take fun modifiers every now and again to make fights interesting, but the way these specialized ladders were hamfisted into the gameplay loop was ridiculous. Using Konsumables was almost a requirement for some of these Towers, and it made the game feel like we bought an overpriced mobile game. This was far from a “Mortal Kombat” game - this was “Candy Crush”, and nothing about the cycle was fun. And with payouts being pathetically small, why even bother having the AI do all the work for you? Just to waste power and rack up your electric bill? We’re hoping MK1 is not doing anything of the sort.
Another dreadful aspect of MK11 was the Krypt. The concept was fun; control a mysterious stranger who is visiting Shang Tsung’s mysterious island in search of treasures, and use weapons of famed warriors to solve puzzles and access new areas that hide cool rewards. Alas, what destroyed the fun were some of the more randomized rewards as well as the grindy as hell economy. Why did we need THREE currencies to purchase rewards, THREE currencies that are simultaneously used to craft those dumb Konsumables? And don’t even get us started on the grinding for character heads… Get us a real Krypt for MK1, please.
Here’s an easy prediction we’ll make to end on - “Mortal Kombat 1” will see roughly a year and a half of post-launch support. How do we know that? How can we make such a bold claim like that? Well, it’s been a notorious pattern with NRS going all the way back to MKX or even the first “Injustice” game. Support will go on for about eighteen months, and then NRS is done. But we really have to point this out because studio founder Ed Boon has claimed that NRS will support the game longer than MK11. And what were the things said by Boon, NRS staff, and even Warner Bros Interactive when post-launch support for THAT game was brought up? “Years of content planned”, “We plan to continue adding to, updating and overall improving on MK11 for a looong time”, all before leaving players in complete silence for eight months. The final Kombat Pack was released in November 2020, and NRS ceased support eight months later. “Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate”, which comes with all the DLC and the “Aftermath” expansion, often goes on sale for less than ten bucks these days. Just FYI if you like saving money.
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at our list of 10 Predictions for “Mortal Kombat 1”. The next “Mortal Kombat” game is not far away, and yet it remains shrouded in mystery. Well…until Summer Games Fest, anyways. But until then, let’s have some fun and think about what might be in store for us! We understand that not all of these will happen, yet at least one of them is bound to be true, right? What do you hope to see from “Mortal Kombat 1”? Let us know down in the comments.
The Tournament is Off
In case you haven’t seen the MK1 teaser (or finished MK11), Liu Kang has become the god of fire and time. With this new title, he has chosen to reset the timeline with new rules, new events to set the course of history, new choices that anyone can make on their own terms with their own reasons. In other words, no one will bust down your door and impose the title of “kombatant” or “Defender of Earthrealm” upon you. Sure, Liu Kang mentions he is looking for champions, but perhaps it's for a straight-up war and not necessarily some sick game of life and death.
Forgotten for the Betterment
Another point Liu Kang makes in the teaser for MK1 is that while he has built this new timeline with peace and tranquility in mind, that does not necessarily mean evil has been eradicated. One glimpse we got appeared to be Shang Tsung emerging from a portal. But in a world where a snake like Shang Tsung exists, could there possibly be other villainous foes that Liu Kang made sure could never come back? We can’t imagine Shao Kahn or even Shinnok would be included in his new timeline given the catastrophic consequences those two wrought, resulting in many characters’ deaths and almost total domination over every realm. Shang is a crafty adversary, but with the Outworld emperor and the fallen Elder God nowhere in sight, Liu Kang may have played favorites just a smidge for the betterment of everyone.
A Feud Finally Faltered
We have long experienced the tumultuous feud between Scorpion and Sub-Zero, their hardships in their own lives, and their struggles to resolve their differences. This time around, it seems like the story will be drastically different. Even though both show up in the MK1 teaser, neither raise a fist or weapon at each other and instead, look towards a solar eclipse together. Could it be that both are on good terms in this timeline? Are the Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei working together in harmony now? And could this alliance mean the Cyber Initiative never happened or was remotely considered? Or are they just taking the backseat as Liu Kang’s right-hand men as he looks for champions?
The Meaning of Sisterhood
Whereas we greatly believe Scorpion and Sub-Zero will be allies in MK1, we aren’t so sure about Kitana and Mileena. While the two are sitting together in a parade taking place in Outworld, it’s not clear that things are rosy there. The footage we saw at Summer Games Fest shows Mileena strapped to a table, and Kitana’s dialogue insinuates that they might be trying to remove Tarkatan tendencies from Mileena’s DNA. Of course, we wouldn’t expect Mileena to willingly do something like this. So, that bloodthirsty part of her might take over and spiral things out of control.
Any Room for a “YouTube Mode”?
A major problem in the “Mortal Kombat” community is how limited content creators such as ourselves have to be in covering the games. Despite saying they were going to loosen up on it, YouTube has grown far more strict with video game violence, especially when it comes to “Mortal Kombat”. It’s why we can’t show the franchise’s iconic finishing moves let alone say what they’re actually called. The community has had to jump through several hoops to properly cover the games, and the restrictions get tighter and tighter as more folks get demonetized. We’re hoping Netherrealm Studios has noticed this problem and is incorporating settings to mitigate fans from getting demonetized. Change the color of blood for all characters, maybe? Lame, yes, but what else is there, force everyone to play D’Vorah or Reptile or any of the other non-human characters?
Towers…Get Rid of Them
One of the biggest problems with MK11 were the Towers of Time. We’ll take fun modifiers every now and again to make fights interesting, but the way these specialized ladders were hamfisted into the gameplay loop was ridiculous. Using Konsumables was almost a requirement for some of these Towers, and it made the game feel like we bought an overpriced mobile game. This was far from a “Mortal Kombat” game - this was “Candy Crush”, and nothing about the cycle was fun. And with payouts being pathetically small, why even bother having the AI do all the work for you? Just to waste power and rack up your electric bill? We’re hoping MK1 is not doing anything of the sort.
A REAL KRYPT, PLEASE
Another dreadful aspect of MK11 was the Krypt. The concept was fun; control a mysterious stranger who is visiting Shang Tsung’s mysterious island in search of treasures, and use weapons of famed warriors to solve puzzles and access new areas that hide cool rewards. Alas, what destroyed the fun were some of the more randomized rewards as well as the grindy as hell economy. Why did we need THREE currencies to purchase rewards, THREE currencies that are simultaneously used to craft those dumb Konsumables? And don’t even get us started on the grinding for character heads… Get us a real Krypt for MK1, please.
Support for “A Looong Time”
Here’s an easy prediction we’ll make to end on - “Mortal Kombat 1” will see roughly a year and a half of post-launch support. How do we know that? How can we make such a bold claim like that? Well, it’s been a notorious pattern with NRS going all the way back to MKX or even the first “Injustice” game. Support will go on for about eighteen months, and then NRS is done. But we really have to point this out because studio founder Ed Boon has claimed that NRS will support the game longer than MK11. And what were the things said by Boon, NRS staff, and even Warner Bros Interactive when post-launch support for THAT game was brought up? “Years of content planned”, “We plan to continue adding to, updating and overall improving on MK11 for a looong time”, all before leaving players in complete silence for eight months. The final Kombat Pack was released in November 2020, and NRS ceased support eight months later. “Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate”, which comes with all the DLC and the “Aftermath” expansion, often goes on sale for less than ten bucks these days. Just FYI if you like saving money.
