- This article is about the 12th main installment of Mortal Kombat. For other uses of the word "Mortal Kombat", see the disambiguation page named "Mortal Kombat".
Mortal Kombat 1 is both the 12th fighting game and 23rd installment in the Mortal Kombat series developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games. The game was released for Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on September 19, 2023, with the premium edition having released on September 14.
The game is a follow-up to Mortal Kombat 11. The game serves as a soft reboot of the franchise, the second overall reboot of the series after Mortal Kombat (2011), and follows many reimagined characters in Liu Kang's newly created timeline.
Plot
- Main article: Mortal Kombat 1's Story Mode
After winning over control of the Hourglass, Liu Kang assumes his role as Keeper of Time, forging his New Era. After eons of peace between the realms, ideologies grow, bringing in mounting tensions between the realms. When a mysterious adversary arrives, Liu Kang soon realizes that not only are the realms in danger, but so is his new timeline and all of reality.
Kombatants
The game features variations of characters across multiple timelines, including timelines in which characters' fate intersect with other characters, such as a Tarkatan Johnny Cage, a variant of Quan Chi with Geras' powers, and many more. The list below are the playable characters and Kameo Fighters in the game's Main and Kameo Roster;
Returning Characters
- Ashrah
- Baraka
- Geras
- Havik (Unlockable in Story Mode)
- Johnny Cage
- Kenshi Takahashi
- Kitana
- Kung Lao
- Li Mei
- Liu Kang
- Mileena
- Nitara
- Raiden
- Rain
- Reiko
- Reptile
- Scorpion (Kuai Liang)
- General Shao
- Sindel
- Smoke
- Sub-Zero (Bi-Han)
- Tanya
Kameo Fighters
- Cyrax
- Darrius
- Frost
- Goro
- Jax Briggs
- Kano
- Kung Lao
- Kurtis Stryker
- Motaro
- Sareena
- Scorpion (Hanzo Hasashi)
- Sektor
- Shujinko
- Sonya Blade
- Sub-Zero (Bi-Han)
DLC Characters
Pre-Order Bonus
- Shang Tsung (Playable in Story Mode, Final Boss)
Kombat Pack
- Omni-Man
- Quan Chi (Unplayable in Story Mode)
- Peacemaker
- Ermac (Unplayable in Story Mode)
- Homelander
- Takeda Takahashi
- Jean-Claude Van Damme as Johnny Cage
5 Kameo Fighters
Non-Playable Characters
- Cassie Cage
- Erron Black
- Jacqui Briggs
- Kollector
- Kotal Kahn
- Kronika
- Kung Jin
- Nightwolf
- Onaga
- Shinnok
- Multiverse
- Goro × Shao Kahn
- Kung Lao × Raiden
- Sonya × Kano
- Quan Chi × Sub-Zero
- Tanya × Kitana
- Kano × Kenshi
- Others
- Cris
- Madam Bo
- Steven
- Wei
- Kid Thunder
- Invincible
- Conquest
- Eclipso
Story Mode Only (Unplayable) Characters
- Kalima
- Katara Vala
- Multiverse
- Normal Characters
- Shao Kahn
- LK-7T2 - Cyber Smoke
- Ninja Mime - Johnny Cage
- Fusion Characters
- Barakion - Baraka × Scorpion
- Fire Cage - Johnny Cage × Liu Kang
- Firefly - Li Mei × Scorpion
- Frostbite - Nitara × Sub-Zero
- Guard of Thunder - Li Mei × Raiden
- Jawspell - Mileena × Quan Chi
- John Kahner - Johnny Cage × General Shao
- Johnny Savage - Johnny Cage × Baraka
- Kang Quan - Quan Chi × Liu Kang
- Kitana Kahn - Kitana × General Shao
- Klockodile - Geras × Reptile
- Lizard Queen - Sindel × Reptile
- Quan Li - Quan Chi × Li Mei
- Quantum-Chi - Quan Chi × Geras
- Red Dragon - Liu Kang × Kano
- Reiko Starr - Reiko × Johnny Cage
- Scorp Lao - Scorpion × Kung Lao
- Screen Demon - Johnny Cage × Ashrah
- Sento Storm - Kenshi × Rain
- Shao-Zero - General Shao × Sub-Zero
- Shock Priestess - Tanya × Raiden
- Stung Lao - Scorpion × Kung Lao
- Warlord - Reiko × Raiden
- Gender-swap Characters
- Ermac - Female version
- Reptile - Female version
- Scorpion - Female version
- Sub-Zero - Female version
- Janet Cage - Johnny Cage female version
- Normal Characters
- Tarkatans
- Tarkatan Klone
- Super Tarkatan
- Tarkatan Fighter
Kameo Fighters
- Adam
- Kalima
- Khameleon (added to Kombat Pack)
- Main Roster Kombatants
- Ermac
- Havik
- Johnny Cage
- Kenshi
- Kitana
- Li Mei
- Liu Kang
- Mileena
- Nitara
- Quan Chi
- Raiden
- Rain
- Reiko
- Reptile
- Shang Tsung
- General Shao
- Scorpion (Kuai Liang)
- Sindel
- Smoke
- Sub-Zero (Bi-Han)
- Tanya
- Elementals
- Lightning
- Fire
- Ice
- Tarkatan Fighter
Stages
- Fengjian Teahouse
- Temple of Katara Vala
- Cage Mansion
- Wu Shi Academy
- The Great Hall
- Hanging Gardens
- Tarkatan Colony
- Shang Tsung's Lab
- Shang Tsung's Flesh Pits
- Living Forest
- Corrupted Forest
- Sun Do
- Fire Temple
- Ying Fortress
- Tomb of the Dragon Army
- Treasure Chamber
- The Gateway
- The Hourglass
- The Pyramid
New to the Series
Kameo Fighters: Players will be able to choose from a separate roster of characters that can be called into the fight to assist the player. These fighters work in a similar fashion to assisted fighters in both Injustice 2 and Mortal Kombat 11, both in the Multiverse and Towers of Time, respectively, in which a physical fighter can appear on the fightline and perform a special attack or combo on the opponent while the player is still attacking the opponent or defending against them. Kameo Fighters can also perform their own Fatalities and Brutalities.
Refined Fatal Blows: Fatal Blows return with different functionality. The attacks can still be triggered at 30% or less health only, but instead of the character performing their own, whichever Kameo Fighter is selected will also perform an attack alongside the selected character. Additionally, instead of high impact attacks to the opponent that causes blood splatter effects, X-Ray effects return when the significant attack is performed during the Fatal Blow, but the attack is still not considered X-Ray attacks like in MK 2011 and MKX.
Refined Aerial Combos: The game reintroduces Aerial Combos to the franchise, allowing characters to not only perform grounded combos and combos on juggled opponents, character now have airborne special attacks in addition to airborne combos instead of just jumping basic attacks.
Invasion Mode: The game introduces Invasion mode, a board game style RPG with collectable loot and minigames. This mode replaces The Krypt as it is where you unlock several skins, in-game currency, concept art, and other rewards.
Additional Content
Pre-ordering the game grants the following bonus content for the game;
Standard Edition
- Base Game
- Shang Tsung bonus character
- Beta Access
Premium Edition
- Includes all content in the Standard Edition
- 5 day early access to full game
- Klassic MK Characters
- Kombat Pack consisting of 6 playable characters
- 5 additional Kameo Fighters
- 1 week early access to all Kombat Pack characters
- Jean-Claude Van Damme Skin and voice for Johnny Cage, replacing Johnny with the renowned martial artist icon and voice
- 1250 Dragon Krystals (In-Game Store Currency)
Kollector's Edition
- Includes all content in both Standard and Premium Edition
- Real-life Fire God Liu Kang sculpture designed by COARSE, featuring glow-in-the-dark details, standing 16.5 inches in height
- COARSE art prints inspired by the game
- Exclusive Steel Book
- Exclusive Liu Kang Skin inspired by COARSE Figurine
Development
After ceasing support for Mortal Kombat 11, NetherRealm Studios disclosed that it was working on a new project on July 21, 2021, with speculation as to whether the game was a new Mortal Kombat title or a sequel to another NetherRealm Studios game in the Injustice series. Andrew Bowen, the voice actor for Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11 indicated that the unnamed project was the 12th installment for the series on Twitter before deleting the Tweet.
During a conference call in late February, Warner Bros. Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav stated that the next title was in fact a Mortal Kombat title, referring to such as Mortal Kombat 12 with a release date later in the year in addition to other Warner Bros. game projects coming later in the year. After this conference call was leaked and posted on Twitter, Ed Boon would confirm the leaked project was in fact a new Mortal Kombat game.
On May 18, 2023, NetherRealm Studios announced the next game as Mortal Kombat 1 with a release date of September 19, 2023. Mortal Kombat 1 would be set in a new timeline after Liu Kang became a God and the new Keeper of Time in the Mortal Kombat 11 Story Mode and its Aftermath expansion. The game is expected to be a soft reboot of the series, following Liu Kang's newly created timeline while reimaging many of the iconic characters in the franchise. NetherRealm Studios also announced that those who pre-order any version of the game for the PS5 and Xbox Series will also receive access to a beta scheduled in August. The game will also feature crossplay, a feature that has been in extensive testing in Mortal Kombat 11, allowing PlayStation and Xbox players to fight each other, however only in 1v1 fights or in crossplay rooms that again only allow 1v1 fights. Cross progression between systems will also be featured, a first in the series, allowing players to retain any progress in their saved games changing between consoles.
On June 8th, 2023, at the Summer Game Fest 2023, gameplay for the title was revealed, showing off and teasing new gameplay elements, in addition to showing off many of the announced characters in addition to Kenshi, returning to the franchise since his last appearance in Mortal Kombat X 8 years prior. The trailer also confirms the reimagined characters, showcasing revamped storylines and origins for many of the revealed characters.
During the weekend of June 23rd to June 26th, players were able to play a stress test for the game, allowing them to test Sub-Zero, Kenshi, Kitana and Liu Kang, with Kameo fighters Sonya, Jax, and Kano.
On July 21st, after rumors of supposed leaks, the game's Kombat Pack characters were revealed, with Quan Chi, Ermac, and Takeda all returning them their last appearance in Mortal Kombat X. The guest characters were revealed as Omni-Man from the Image Universe comics and the Invincible animated adult superhero series, Peacemaker, the DC Comics anti-hero of the same name, with John Cena reprising his role from The Suicide Squad and the television series of the same name, with the final character being Homelander from The Boys comic book series and television series, with Antony Starr also reprising his role from the television series.
Cast
- Ike Amadi - General Shao
- Steve Blum - Baraka, Markon
- Cherise Boothe - Tanya
- Andrew Bowen - Johnny Cage
- John Cena - Peacemaker
- Vic Chao - Kenshi, Goro
- Chris Cox
- Jacob Craner - Havik, Katara Vala
- Noshir Dalal - Rain
- Susan Eisenberg - Ashrah
- Megan Fox - Nitara
- Jennifer Hale - Kronika/Damashi
- Kelly Hu - Li Mei, Madam Bo
- Mara Junot - Sindel, Sareena, Cris
- Matt Yang King - Liu Kang
- Sean T. Krishnan - Quan Chi
- Phil LaMarr - Geras, Steven
- Alan Lee - Shang Tsung
- Yuri Lowenthal - Smoke, Adam
- Sunil Malhotra - Kung Lao
- Mary Elizabeth McGlynn - Female Scorpion
- Andrew Morgado - Reptile/Syzoth
- Stephen Oyoung
- Derek Phillips - Reiko
- Jamieson Price - Announcer, Ermac, Jerrod
- Vincent Rodriguez, III - Raiden
- Stephanie Sheh
- Parry Shen - Takeda
- JK Simmons - Omni-Man
- Kaiji Tang - Bi-Han/Sub-Zero
- Courtenay Taylor - Kalima, Janet Cage
- Daisuke Tsuji - Kuai Liang/Scorpion
- Jean-Claude Van Damme - Johnny Cage (DLC skin)
- Cristina Vee - Nitara (battle grunts and screams)
- Kari Wahlgren - Kitana, Mileena
- Travis Willingham - Alternate Timeline Raidens
Archive voice lines (uncredited)
- Troy Baker - Erron Black
- JB Blanc - Kano
- Ed Boon - Scorpion ("Get Over Here!" and "Come Here!" voice clips), Jax ("Gotcha!" voice clips)
- Sara Cravens - Frost
- Daniel Luján - Nightwolf
- Dave B. Mitchell - Sektor
- Ronda Rousey - Sonya Blade
- William C. Stephens - Jax
- Tara Strong - Ferra
- Fred Tatasciore - Tremor
Reception
The game received highly positive reviews from critics and fans, who praised the graphics, story, performances, and gameplay, with criticism reserved for minor performance issues in the PC version of the game and the voice performance of Megan Fox as Nitara. The presence of microtransactions also drew a negative response from fans and critics alike.
On the contrary, the Nintendo Switch version of the game was panned on release, receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews for its poor graphic quality, performance issues, and bugs.
Post-Launch Reception
The game has developed a negative reception from fans due to a plethora of bugs and issues since the game's launch, with further frustrations stemming from NetherRealm Studios' lack of communication with fans on many of the issues experienced.
Trivia
- Despite speculation on the game being named Mortal Kombat 12, the game was revealed to be titled Mortal Kombat 1.
- The game features the returns of many fighters that have been absent from the franchise as playable character in nearly 20 years, featuring the playable returns of Ashrah, Nitara, Li Mei, Reiko and Havik, for some of the kameos, like Motaro, Sareena, Khameleon, Darrius, Mavado and Shujinko, goes something similar, because they are somehow present in the game.
- Shang Tsung becomes the third pre-order bonus character in the franchise's history.
- He also joins Rain in being only the second of two playable characters (and of three characters in general) after the Edenian Demi-God to appear in more than one game as DLC, once again breaking the well-known "rule" and misconception of "No repeating DLCs".
- Tremor joins the previous mentioned characters, he was present in Mortal Kombat X as a DLC playable character, and in this game returns as a DLC kameo fighter.
- Coincidentally, Shang Tsung is the only one of the three to be DLC in back to back games, this time being a pre-order bonus rather than the traditional Kombat Pack.
- He also joins Rain in being only the second of two playable characters (and of three characters in general) after the Edenian Demi-God to appear in more than one game as DLC, once again breaking the well-known "rule" and misconception of "No repeating DLCs".
- This is the first game in which all DLC characters, not including guests, are actually involved in the game's Story Mode. This does not count towards Mortal Kombat 11's first Kombat Pack and Aftermath expansion characters, as they we added later on in the Aftermath Story Mode expansion instead of being in the game's Story Mode originally.
- The exception of this, however, is Shao Kahn, who did appear as a pre-order bonus and a character to fight against in the game's Story Mode while also being the game's secondary antagonist.
- Renowned Belgian actor and martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme, who served as inspiration for Johnny Cage, appears in the game as a skin for Johnny Cage in the first Kombat Pack. The skin is modeled after Johnny Cage's design in the original Mortal Kombat, which was in turn inspired by Van Damme's appearance in the 1988 film Bloodsport. Van Damme also provides new voice recordings for when the skin is equipped.
- This is the first Mortal Kombat game in the Netherrealm Studio era where Scorpion isn't in the main cover, and the first Mortal Kombat game where Liu Kang is the main cover.
- Similar to Mortal Kombat X's theme of featuring guest characters from horror franchises, all the guest characters featured originate from separate comic book series.
- Peacemaker is the second DC Comics character featured in the series as a playable guest character, the first being The Joker.
- Omni-Man is also the second character from the Image Comics Universe featured in the series as a playable guest character, the first being Spawn.
- Homelander is the first character from Dynamite Comics featured in the series as a playable guest character.
- This is the second game in the series, after Mortal Kombat 11, in which main roster characters do not share the default health of 100%, rather the roster features character with differing health levels. This difference in health is also affected by the Kameo Fighter selected, with various Kameos either providing no bonus health, slight or a great increase, or a decrease in health.
- Nitara currently has the lowest health of any character at 90% health, a significant decrease to some characters in MK11 that had 95%.
- Similar to his appearance in MK11, Shao Kahn, as General Shao, has the highest health level of any character at 110%.
- Jax provides the highest health increase of a Kameo, increasing the player character's health by 10%.
- With the differing Kameo bonuses, Nitara can enter a match with the normal amount of health or 85%, the lowest health level for a main roster character outside of the Story Mode and Invasions.
- Similar to the above note, General Shao can enter a match with 120% health, the highest health level for a main roster character outside of the Story Mode and Invasions.
- With Ashrah, Frost, Li Mei, Nitara, Sareena, and Tanya all returning in some capacity in this game, Kira is the only female character introduced in the 3D era to sit this game out.
- This is the first game in the series in which all Arcade endings, excluding guest characters, are canon to the game's Story Mode, serving as epilogues to the events of the Story Mode.