The world of Mortal Kombat got a needed shot in the arm when it hit its ninth edition. After playing with a deeper storyline in MK vs DCU, developer NetherRealm took it further, making a linear story that helped feature several characters and really bring the story front-and-center. They really showcased that with their follow-up, Injustice: Gods Among Us, where players were taken into a full-featured parallel DC Comics Universe – one that took on a life of its own with a comic that rivaled the game in popularity.
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At a private meeting in a hotel room in New York, NetherRealm showed off the story mode for Mortal Kombat X for the first time this week, finally revealing how exactly they’re bringing in these new characters and a new generation of heroes. To that end, in addition to the already-announced Cassie Cage, daughter of Sonja Blade and Johnny Cage, they showed off characters like Jacqui, daughter of Jax, and Takeda, the son of Kenshi and apprentice to Scorpion.
But before things get to the new generation, there’s an introductory chapter to bridge the gap and symbolically hand things off to the kids. We played through the entire chapter, which kicks off about two years after the events of MK9, starting with Johnny Cage. Joined by Sonja and Kenshi, and a bunch of disposable special forces agents, they’re looking to take down the elder god, Shinnok, who is destroying the world. Demons are flying in from all directions, brutally removing heads and taking soldiers away wholesale. As they’re flying in to the scene, Scorpion attacks, prompting a brutal fight scene wherein all those disposable soldiers are… disposed of. Scorpion seems strange, however. The cutscenes this time include some limited Quick Timed Events, to make them a little more interactive and cut down on people just slapping their controllers down and kicking back. After that, Subzero jumps in, as well, also looking possessed (in fact, they are). After the helicopter crashes, you have your first real fight, as Johnny, versus Scorpion. The story dissolves seamlessly into the fight, and scenes from the story, like Demons swooping in and attacking soldiers, continue to happen in the background. After you defeat the yellow clad ninja warrior, the story likewise dissolves back in.
Without spoiling every moment of the first chapter, I’ll merely note that it is full of great fan service. You’ll see friends fighting friends, a cool moment of the two minor gods fighting hordes of demon enemies, and some delightfully cheesy one-liners that fit the scene and the franchise nicely. Indeed, it’s a really nice changing of the guard, as after this chapter, the story jumps in time again – this time by 23 more years. But before that, you’ll have your first boss fight, against Shinnok (after he calls you an “insignificant speck of feculent scum” and that enters into your lexicon forever). You see the romance between Johnny and Sonja start to bloom, and things close out.
In addition to the look into the story, NetherRealm’s Brian Goodman took us through some of the new online functionality and challenge modes discussed in recent months. In addition to daily challenges, the towers have been refreshed, with a Daily, a Weekly, and a Monthly “Living Tower.” These can be changed and updated by NetherRealm, and will feature special conditions and game-altering modes thrown in for good measure. You’ll also choose your faction, especially great for those whose personal skills might not quite be up to online competition. Factions will gain points for anything you do, including single-player matches, challenges, story mode; it all counts. If you’re linked to the mobile game, playing that loads into your faction points as well, all working your faction up the leader board and into victory. The mobile and console games will also unlock things between each other, but with a much more regular and gradual timeframe than what was seen in Injustice, a lesson they learned from that pair of games.
Overall, it looks like Mortal Kombat X is more evolutionary than revolutionary, but when your last two games are MK9 and Injustice, that’s really what you should be doing. The X-Ray moves look cool, the new characters are brutal, the story sucked me in right away, and the new online functionality gives it a similar (they hope!) “play every day” feel to MMOs and popular mobile games. Regardless, it looks like the story mode has continued to improve, and gives players plenty of reasons to check out the new characters and welcome a new generation into this world.
Mortal Kombat X hits stores April 14, 2015.
