In the wake of a cryptic countdown on series creator, Ed Boon’s personal Twitter, along with several apparent leaked listings, Warner Bros. has just confirmed the existence of a new Mortal Kombat game. Mortal Kombat X has been officially announced ahead of E3, complete with a pre-rendered teaser trailer.
Said trailer may not be an indication of the final product, but its pre-rendered duel between iconic characters, Scorpion and Sub-Zero appears to tease how the game might play. It would appear that Mortal Kombat X will retain the well-received 2D fighting engine from its 2011 predecessor, along with the maintaining of its familiar combos and special moves. Characters brandishing weapons also appears to be making a comeback since the feature’s introduction in Mortal Kombat 4, and Mortal Kombat X also seems to allow characters to use the environment against their foes, much like developer, NetherRealm Studios’ previous game, Injustice: Gods Among Us.
The teaser also confirms that the delightfully squeamish X-Ray Attacks, which show views of bones splintering and organs rupturing up close for heavy damage, will be returning in Mortal Kombat X after their introduction in the previous 2011 series reboot. The very well-received cinematic Story Mode from said reboot will also return in Mortal Kombat X, with an all-new storyline, naturally.
Along with the announcement of the game, Warner Bros. confirms a key all-new feature in the online modes as well. For the first time, players will be able to choose between multiple variations of the same character, which alters fundamental strategy and play style. This will contribute to a persistent online career in what’s promised to be a, “Global battle for supremacy.” Unfortunately, Warner Bros. didn’t provide more details than this, though they did promise several all-new fighters in the new game, along with the return of existing favourites such as the already-confirmed Scorpion and Sub-Zero.
Fortunately, the newly-announced Mortal Kombat X will be on display at E3 2014, so it’s likely not long before we hear some new details about it. You’ll have to wait until next year to get ahold of it for yourself however, as the game won’t be released until sometime in 2015.
Mortal Kombat X is confirmed by Warner Bros. to be coming to PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It would appear that it’s at least initially skipping PlayStation Vita this time. This is especially unfortunate for Vita gamers, as the previous Mortal Kombat reboot’s Vita release is having its online component deactivated, though the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC releases of the game are having their online modes continue for the foreseeable future.
While the previous Mortal Kombat game exclusively allowed you to play as God of War protagonist, Kratos on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, there’s also no word at this point as to whether there may be platform-exclusive content for any of these releases.
Eggplante will continue to smash down your Mortal Kombat news, as we can finish it.