NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have officially unveiled the upcoming, Mortal Kombat 11. In a live event, the companies showcased a slew of reveals which showed off its roster, gameplay, and changes. Series co-creator, Ed Boon, was present and detailed many of the following tidbits.
Plenty of series staples are going to return such as Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Raiden, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and Sonya Blade. Along with these four, Baraka and Skarlet plan to be included, despite their disappearances in Mortal Kombat X. Kabal, a returner from Mortal Kombat 3, is also planned to be included. Two new characters were shown off as well, Geras and Kronika. Boon stated that Geras is capable of manipulating time and is able to summon stone and sand-based objects in battle. Kronika has been “running the show since the first Mortal Kombat” according to Ed Boon. She is slated to be the boss of this new iteration, while it is also unknown if she’ll be playable.
The roster of the game is set to be 25 characters, including Shao Kahn, a pre-order bonus. Every fighter is going to be extremely customizable. This is something that has been featured and updated in the developers’ previous Mortal Kombat X and Injustice 2. Players can choose which mask is worn, what weapon is picked, or how their special ability plays out. It is not just selecting a pre-determined color variation anymore. All the choices made can also be set in various loadouts for quick access.
The developers have re-thought many of the game’s mechanics that dated back to Mortal Kombat 9. Previous X-Ray moves have transitioned into a new mechanic called Fatal Blows. After a player’s health falls to 30%, they can easily summon this with the press of two shoulder buttons. This is only able to be used once a game rather than per round. If it doesn’t connect, then a long and timely cooldown counter must be filled up to try again.
Another new change is titled Crushing Blows. Once a certain move-set is executed, then the final move will turn into one of these Blows. These provide extra damage and are similar to X-Ray moves from previous titles. Also, a Flawless Block is going to make its debut in the series. Players that block an attack perfectly can execute a counterattack window opportunity.
Mortal Kombat 11 is releasing on April 23 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. More information regarding the game is planned to be shown on January 30, during the next live stream on NetherRealm Studios’ Twitch Channel.