In the new timeline opened by Liu Kang, Edenia is a prosperous land, and Queen Sindel has a cordial relationship with the god of fire. However, since some marauders have villainy in their blood, General Shao – Shao Kahn of his deadname – will take on an antagonistic role here, although he originally served the royal family. He is also distinguished by two gigantic horns coming out of his forehead, which should have put a flea in the ear of his employers as to his light morality. Sir Kahn will be the champion of Edenia (and its vassal world, the Outworld) in the traditional Mortal Kombat tournament against the young Raiden.
Violence is not a Rapunzel
In terms of gameplay, General Shao is quite interesting, because if he wields the ax like an enraged lumberjack, he can drop it to the ground in order to favor fists. However, he can use his weapon as an obstacle, for example by grabbing his opponent and crushing his muzzle against the edge if he is within range. An innovative style of play for the big guy. For his part, Sindel is still a kind of banshee, with three-kilometre-long hair and a shrill voice, who can hover in the air to attack from a new angle. His Fatality also involves inserting his hair fibers into unsuitable places.
On the side of the kameo fighters, we find the centaur Motaro, banned since Mortal Kombat: Armageddon from the bench of playable characters. It must be said that his equestrian morphology significantly complicates the work of the animators of Netherrealm Studios. Here, he moves by a clever teleportation system, and can also deploy an energy shield that sends projectiles back. Good old Shujinko will also lend a hand. The main character in the adventure mode of MK Mystification, he could learn the techniques of certain other fighters. We also see him wedge a Li Mei-style pirouette.
In short, nice komebacks for this Mortal Kombat 1 whose cast is becoming more and more solid over the weeks. The final few fighters will likely be unveiled by the time the release, dated September 19 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch.