Mortal Kombat 11: Collaborations and Customizations
Get over hereeeeee.
Sorry, just got caught reminiscing on my childhood, drifting off to dreamland after hours of playing the original Mortal Kombat with visions of Scorpion’s finisher in my head. The Mortal Kombat franchise got its start in 1995 and hasn’t looked back on its quest to revolutionize the fighting game genre as we know it. Now, Mortal Kombat 11 is set to kick it up a notch (we didn’t even realize that was possible given its past releases), when it releases for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 23rd. Discover more about what makes Mortal Kombat 11 so devastatingly amazing nearly 25 years after its first release.
What’s Under the Hood?
No, we’re not talking about Raiden’s straw hat. We’re talking about the game engine. It’s sporting the Unreal Engine 3, which has been pretty commonplace for Mortal Kombat games after Warner Bros. decided to reboot the franchise in 2011. It’s interesting that the game’s developers, NetherRealm Studios, chose the Unreal Engine 3 over the much more responsive (and free) Unreal Engine 4. But we digress because comparing one Unreal Engine to another is like comparing a Ferrari Testa Rosa to a brand new Lamborghini…whatever floats your boat there is no wrong answer.
Music Collaborations
When Mortal Kombat 11 released their announcement trailer for the game, hip-hop artist 21 Savage also dropped his new LP for the game titled “Immortal.” This shows that the franchise is moving in a different direction away from the grudging heavy metal and into a more rap-based formula. We’re guessing that this is to help new generations of gamers become more interested in the franchise and help it transition to next-gen platforms. This is an easy transition to make because it doesn’t really take away from the actual gameplay and doesn’t leave fans of the original heavy metal background music feeling unloved.
Character Customization
Series creator Ed Boon showed off new character customization options at Mortal Kombat 11’s reveal event. Gamers will be able to create, modify, and collect multiple versions of every character and outfit them with a variety of different skins that will show up in battle. But, it’s not all cosmetics. Each piece of equipment has three “augment sockets” you’ll be able to do something in. These slots are for time crystals that gamers can either purchase or earn by playing the game. NetherRealm has made reassurances that there will be no pay-to-win advantages in Mortal Kombat 11, but if these crystals are going to give players increased strength or defense stats, it would give them an unfair advantage.
Fatalities and Finishers
(This headline is actually one of the proposed titles for my autobiography that didn’t make the cut)
The extremely grotesque fatalities in Mortal Kombat 11 might make you puke in your mouth a little bit, but you’ll probably get over it. One fatality shows Baraka ripping his opponent’s head off. Yawn. But then, he takes the head, rips out the brain, puts it on a skewer and takes a bite. This is all done in extremely realistic, animated slow-mo to accentuate the carnage, making it all that much more ridiculous and stomach turning. Check out the latest gameplay video below:
