Mortal Kombat 1 will have to work hard to justify its premise

Mortal Kombat 1’s story seems to have a good hook, but it will need to explain itself well to justify its direction. The trailer did an admirable job of building anticipation, showing off the new version of the world, as well as some impressive examples of the game’s new graphics. There are still many unanswered questions, particularly with regard to the plot. As with tournaments and Shao Kahn’s plans, there’s always a reason to battle in Mortal Kombat games. Mortal Kombat 1 will also need to provide these answers for itself.

At the end of Mortal Kombat 11, Liu Kang, having ascended to become Fire God Liu Kang, uses his newfound power to create a new timeline. After all the suffering caused by figures like Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung and, more recently, Kronika, he wants to undo all the damage that has been done. His hope was for a world where none of these crimes would happen, where evil would not have the successes that brought it to this point. With that in mind, he created the timeline that would become the backdrop for Mortal Kombat 1.

That view may have been contradicted now that Mortal Kombat 1 has been revealed. At the start of the trailer, it looks like Liu Kang’s vision has come to fruition. Characters with infamous rivalries such as Sub-Zero and Scorpion and Kitana and Mileena peacefully coexist. However, halfway through the trailer, the fight begins once more, with the typical Mortal Kombat level of violence. Even Liu Kang himself is not immune, with him executing some brutal violence of his own. The Mortal Kombat 1 timeline is not free of violence, but the question is how it happened.

If Liu Kang intended to create a peaceful world, there must be a reason why Mortal Kombat 1’s combatants are fighting again. If the new timeline was supposed to be one of peace and tranquility, something must have gone wrong. Otherwise, the trailer wouldn’t have taken such a bloody turn. While little of the actual story has been revealed, what can be confirmed is that Liu Kang’s new world wasn’t quite as perfect as intended.

Somehow conflict and cruelty have been reintroduced, and the cycle of violent Mortal Kombat history appears to be about to begin again in the Mortal Kombat 1 timeline. Though Liu Kang created the new timeline, other forces are likely at work. game. Considering how many gods there are in Mortal Kombat’s broad cast of characters, one of them could have reintroduced the kind of corruption that causes people to turn to villainy, bringing crime and war back into the world.

Not to mention, there are some characters like Shang Tsung and Quan Chi who just couldn’t have changed and simply reverted to their usual underhanded ways, provoking Liu Kang’s rage. Whatever the case, Mortal Kombat 1 needs a clear explanation for what caused its timeline to be like this.

As the next chapter in the series, Mortal Kombat 1 needs to bring its own satisfying story. It’s already an intriguing start, but following Kronika’s plans for Mortal Kombat 11 will be a tall order. There’s still a lot about the timeline that still needs to be explained. Whether old rivalries will boil over once more, remain peaceful, or whether the worlds will once again go to war, much at stake depends on these questions. Mortal Kombat 1’s story will need to answer all of that and more.

Mortal Kombat 1 will be released on September 19, 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.