A Realistic Mortal Kombat Reboot Would Have One Obvious Upside

Mortal Kombat has been at the forefront of the fighting genre for decades. The franchise has evolved greatly since 1992, and with the recent timeline reboot introduced in Mortal Kombat 1, the series is bound to continue. If Mortal Kombat continues to change going forward, bringing a more realistic approach to the fighting franchise could make way for some compelling storytelling.

In the fighting genre, Mortal Kombat already sets itself apart by having more realistic character designs. Fellow fighting franchises like Tekken and Street Fighter are far more stylized, and Mortal Kombat‘s realistic character designs can make it feel quite unique in comparison. However, a potential reboot that embraces realism in its fighting could be a fascinating twist on the usual formula of the series.

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A More Realistic Mortal Kombat Entry Would Be a Major Storytelling Boon

Bringing More Emotion to Mortal Kombat’s Story

The lore of Mortal Kombat is deep, and Mortal Kombat 1‘s timeline reboot only adds to an already wild storyline. Mortal Kombat may boast realistic character designs, but the story it tells is far from reality. It’s a great balance, but bringing more realism to the physical damage suffered by characters could be used to tell a deeper story. Instead of showing characters making it through story fights with barely a scratch, prolonged trauma to the body could cause characters to become worn down and tired from fighting.

Struggling from injuries and coming to terms with not being invincible may be a compelling way to introduce more emotion to the overall story. Mortal Kombat‘s lore is fascinating, but adding an emotional punch to the over-the-top violence might set it apart from the rest of the genre in a completely fresh way. Mortal Kombat still has a lot of room to evolve, and showcasing the physical toll these fights take on various characters could be a fascinating road to travel down.

A More Realistic Mortal Kombat Doesn’t Have to Hurt the Franchise’s Identity

One of the biggest issues with making the physical toll of Mortal Kombat characters more realistic is that it also risks taking away the outlandish violence the series is so well-known for. This doesn’t necessarily have to be the case, though. Adding consequences to the physical actions of players can still be showcased in a highly violent setting. The injuries can simply be far more intense, adding to the emotional and physical struggle of characters. Developer NetherRealm could benefit from bold decisions when it comes to Mortal Kombat‘s future, and allowing players to see the continuous damage being inflicted on characters could be a special shake-up.

The Future of Mortal Kombat Games is Currently a Mystery

As of now, it’s unclear how Mortal Kombat plans to move forward. There were rumors last year that Mortal Kombat 1‘s Kombat Pack 3 had been canceled, but that may not be the case after all. On January 21, director Ed Boon tweeted, “we are excited to keep trucking forward with future DLC,” which doesn’t exactly sound like future expansions have been axed. Of course, only time will tell if Kombat Pack 3 gets announced.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if NetherRealm takes any bold leaps with its long-running fighting franchise. Mortal Kombat 1 isn’t a perfect game, but it has definitely brought the gore-filled fun that made the series so popular. However, a deeper emotional edge could potentially bring the franchise to even greater heights.

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Released

September 19, 2023

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

Publisher(s)

Warner Bros. Games