When NetherRealm Studios finally revealed the next entry into the Mortal Kombat franchise during this year’s The Game Awards, fans went nuts seeing familiar faces once more locked in a fatal battle. Now that we know the new title is on the way, let’s recap some of the things we’d like to see from Mortal Kombat 11 when it arrives on April 23, 2019.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Guest Characters
Injustice 2ย had an awesome roster of guest characters and ifย SoulCaliburย VIย andย Super Smash Bros. Ultimateย are anything to go by, this surprise tactic is a huge hit with gamers. A lot of players over on Reddit have given their picks for who they’d like to see make the cute – including Pennywise the Clown and basically anybody fromย Castlevania,ย but I personally wouldn’t mind seeing a total left field move withย The Witcher’sย Geraltย or Ciri – I mean, come on – Geraltย is already in Monster Hunter Worldย andย SoulCal,ย what’s one more franchise?ย
Animations
There is no doubt about it that the latest video looked visually stunning, but it’s not secret that the series has had some animation issues in the past.ย Mortal Kombatย 11ย will carry on the stunning show of martial arts and in order to really share the beautiful brutality as it’s meant to be shared, the animations do need a little more work to make them more fluid – more believable.ย
With technology being what it is today and NetherRealmย being an incredible studio, we have no doubt that the stylization will be better – we just hope that the animations benefits the most.ย
Returning Characters
We already know that the core characters are returning, but the Steam listing teased a ton of new ones as well. Shang Tsungย and Smoke would be my top picks, but really I’m just looking forwardย to seeing some familiar faces.ย
According to the Steam’s official pre-purchase listing page, “Mortal Kombat is back and better than ever in the next evolution of the iconic franchise. The all new Custom Character Variations give you unprecedented control to customize the fighters and make them your own. The new graphics engine showcasing every skull-shattering, eye-popping moment, brings you so close to the fight you can feel it. And featuring a roster of new and returning Klassic Fighters,ย Mortal Kombat‘s best in class cinematic story mode continues the epic saga over 25 years in the making.”
The part that sticks out the most about the official listing is the ability to create Custom Character Variations as well as the mention of returning and new fighters!ย Mortal Kombat 11ย seems like it will be the perfect blend of familiarity and new experiences and we’re excited to learn more about what the new fighters have in store!
Online
Online play is continuing to grow in popularity in all games, butย Mortal Kombatย has alreadyย conquered this mode of play before. Whenย Mortal Kombatย Xย eventually added the GGPOย code that made the online experience even more enjoyable, and given the immediate fan feedback of this choice – it would be safe to assume that Mortal Kombatย 11ย would feature this netcode as well.ย
On that note, I’d love to see a background matchmaking tool that allows players to begin the process while already in another game mode. It would also be awesome to seeย Mortal Kombatย 11ย take on some of the online features thatย Injustice 2ย seemed to perfect – especially concerning how their gear system works.ย
Misc. Thoughts
A few other additional hopes is that they don’t mess with perfection. The Story Mode is phenomenal – don’t touch it.ย
Additional Game Modes would be welcome as well, just please – no Battle Royale. But something fresh wouldn’t be amiss, though as for what – I’m not entirely sure what I would want to see. Given that this is NetherRealm we’re talking about, we’re sure they could come up with some incredible surprises.ย
Finally – as a PC player – PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me a non-broken PC launch, I’m literally begging. PC launches for this series seems to be the studio’s kryptonite, especially when looking back onย Mortal Kombatย X’sย debacle. Please do adequate testing and please don’t leave us hanging. PC gamers, we’re not exactly known for our patience.ย
What are your thoughts on the latest reveal and what would you like to see next? Excited for what’s next in the beloved – yet brutal –ย Mortal Kombatย franchise? Join in on the conversation in the comment section below, or hit me up over on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy! As for the game itself,ย Mortal Kombat 11ย will arrive on April 23, 2019 forย Xbox One,ย Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 andย PC
