Summary
- Mortal Kombat 1 is a soft reboot of the long-running franchise, starting with a brand new story and new situations for familiar characters like Liu Kang and Raiden.
- Director Ed Boon explains how the game offers a new origin story for each character, providing a fresh take on their backgrounds and motivations.
- By taking a risk and making big changes to fan-favorite characters, Mortal Kombat 1 sets up the future of the franchise while also serving as a jumping-in point for new players.
In a recent interview with Screen Rant, director of Mortal Kombat 1 Ed Boon discussed some of the biggest ways the franchise's beloved characters have changed in the upcoming game. As implied by the title, it serves as a soft reboot for the series, continuing on from one of Mortal Kombat 11's endings where the Fire God Liu Kang recreated the universe. The new entry is slated for release on September 14 of this year, bringing a slew of new narrative possibilities with it.
During an interview with Screen Rant at San Diego Comic-Con, Ed Boon teased what players can expect from Mortal Kombat 1. This included many details about changes to characters and their storylines, touching on fighters like Scorpion, Raiden, and Mileena. Check out the full quote below:
Mortal Kombat, as many people know, has been around for over 30 years now, right? And so there's a very long legacy of characters. I think we have over 100 characters, and Mortal Kombat 1, because we have such a long story, we're really doing the ultimate reset. This game literally starts with the big bang, and so it is a retelling of a brand new Mortal Kombat story, but with characters that you know, in completely different situations, right? So Liu Kang now is the god, and Raiden is kind of like the common man.
Sub-Zero and Scorpion are brothers now, as opposed to adversaries trying to kill each other. Our goal with developing the story was basically giving a new origin story for every character, and we really wanted that familiarity of, "I know these characters," but a brand new story. That was kind of the driving goal that we had in kind of telling this story. Imagine if Mortal Kombat didn't exist, and this was the very first Mortal Kombat ever made, you know? That's how much this is the beginning of a new story. And again, if you haven't played the games recently, this is a great place to jump on board yourself.
I think Raiden is a big one, you know? Because, for the longest time, he has been known as the thunder god, the protector of Earthrealm. He's just a common man now, right? When the story starts, you see him in the field, literally working in the fields, and so that's a big change. Baraka and Mileena are a big change too. Again, it's a disease that they have, as opposed to that's their race, so that's a big part of it. Shang Tsung has a completely different new story. For the most part, all the characters have brand new origins, but those are probably some of the biggest departures we've made.
Why MK 1 Is The Franchise's Most Important & Riskiest Yet
There's already a huge roster of confirmed characters for Mortal Kombat 1, so for many - if not all - of their stories to be presented in a new light opens a host of possibilities. However, taking such a fresh approach is also a big risk, as making big changes to fan-favorite characters always is. After the narrative of the game's universe became increasingly complex over the years, a sort of reset via Mortal Kombat 1 is incredibly important when it comes to setting up the future of the franchise.
Boon's quote has given a lot of new insight into what fans can expect from Mortal Kombat 1 later this year, and his point about offering a jumping-in point for new players is very true. With a reset, those unfamiliar with the series can begin with this upcoming entry without feeling out of the loop, while new players can experience their favorite characters in a new way. Fans new and old will get to see everything Mortal Kombat 1 has to offer when it releases later this year.