We went hands-on with Mortal Kombat 1 at Summer Game Fest and are already loving its bloody creative Kameo system.
After over three decades, how many ways can you make the same game?
That’s a question NetherRealm Studios would need to ask itself when developing its follow-up to the ultrapopular Mortal Kombat 11. Its next installment would need to find a way to up the ante, both in terms of wild fatalities and its core fighting systems. It would require a lot of creativity, and that word is at the front of my mind while demoing Mortal Kombat 1.
As part of this year’s Summer Game Fest, I went hands-on with the upcoming fighting game, punching my way through a tower run and experimenting with its new systems. What I quickly found out was how much room it leaves for creativity in combat. That’s thanks in no small part to its Kameo system, a small but impactful innovation that seems like it’ll go a long way toward making Mortal Kombat 1 a bloody fun spectator sport.Choose your Kameo
The bulk of my demo would have me completing four fights in a tower format. I’d choose Kitana, refamiliarizing myself with Mortal Kombat’s streamlined, dial-up combo system. The basics of battle are easy enough, with standard attacks, throws, and blocks. It’s all easy enough to grasp, requiring less explanation than Street Fighter 6.
There’s a big twist to all of that, though: Kameos. When I select a character, I’m sent to a second screen where I pick another character who I can call in to attack. It’s an easy system; all I have to do is press the right bumper and a direction to have them execute a move. I’d pick Sonya as my partner and get to toy around with a few of her assists. For example, one attack has her shooting a purple energy blast from a distance. Another input has her zipping through the air to dash into an airborne opponent.
It’s that aerial attack that made me realize the potential of the system. Say I knock an enemy into the air. If I time it just right, I can have Sonya intercept them out of the sky to extend my combo. Or perhaps I try to throw one of Kitana’s fans at my foe, but they jump over it.
