This morning, NetherRealm Studios kicked off their first Kombat Kast livestream for Mortal Kombat 1, revealing many new details about the upcoming game. First, the developer premiered a trailer showcasing the Lin Kuei, a clan of assassins from the Mortal Kombat series. It confirmed Smoke, who was last playable in Mortal Kombat (2011), and Rain, who was part of Mortal Kombat 11‘s Kombat Pack 2, as the newest additions to the main roster. Lin Kuei members like Sektor, Cyrax, and Frost were also confirmed as Kameo Fighters. Additionally, NetherRealm presented full gameplay breakdowns for Scorpion and Johnny Cage.
The trailer begins with Liu Kang, newly christened God of Fire, enlisting the Lin Kuei’s aid in protecting the realms. It shifts to displaying Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s brotherhood, which is an altered version of their dynamic. Mortal Kombat 1’s character bios confirm that this Sub-Zero is the Lin Kuei Grandmaster in the New Era while Scorpion is a Lin Kuei warrior, which is different from his status as a Shirai Ryu ninja in previous games. Scorpion also shares a brother-like bond with Smoke, a fellow Lin Kuei warrior. Together, the three of them face off against Rain, whose role in the New Era is to be revealed.
NetherRealm also showcased Scorpion and Johnny Cage‘s move sets and abilities. Scorpion keeps his classic spear and teleport attacks, but also has new special moves with the spear; for example, Scorpion can now perform an Air Spear. Along these lines, Mortal Kombat 1 also features air combo attacks. As for Johnny Cage, he lacks his iconic green energy aura while maintaining his old abilities. The developers removed Cage’s green energy to make him a more grounded character, opting instead for “excellent rushdown” and “unique ways to [get closer to the opponent]”.
Mortal Kombat 1 launches on September 19th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Windows. Current pre-order bonuses include Shang Tsung and closed beta access.