A financial report from Warner Bros. Discovery prompted the company to make one of the most insipid revelations in recent years: confirming that Mortal Kombat 12 It is a reality and it will debut this year.
Details are scarce, so all we can do is be patient and wait for an official trailer to find out more. In the meantime, we want to talk about the news and the changes that we consider the new installment should present to surpass its predecessors.
It certainly takes a lot more than gratuitous violence and colored ninjas to win the hearts of fans.
Related Video: The Best Mortal Kombat Games
A fun and well told story
The 2011 reboot marked a before and after in the genre by introducing a cinematic story mode that companies like Capcom tried to replicate without success. Even though the format still works, it’s necessary to have a cohesive and entertaining story arc that keeps us engaged from start to finish.
For example, the narrative of Mortal Kombat-X it stumbled because it relied too much on the prequel comics. What are Reiko Agreements? Why did Sub-Zero return to his human form? The story mode assumes that he read the comics, so he doesn’t even bother to answer those and more questions.
On the other hand, the story of the eleventh installment of 2019 is very funny and full of fanservice because we see characters from the past and present. However, the script has neither head nor tail; it is full of holes and constantly contradicts itself.
It is difficult to know what kind of story we will have in the new title. Will it be another reboot? We hope it’s fun, that it knows how to balance drama and comedy, that it respects the rules of the franchise’s universe, that it has a good script, and that many of the characters have a chance to shine.
And for the love of the Old Gods, let it be possible to know the conclusion of the plot without the need to buy a $40 DLC, as it happened in the previous installment.
A diverse cast of characters
Mortal Kombat has dozens of iconic fighters that are already part of pop culture. It is clear that presenting a roster that makes all the fans happy is a very difficult task, almost impossible.
Therefore, the key to success in this section is to find a balance and present emblematic fighters like Scorpion and Sub-Zero, fighters who deserve to return to the fray like Smoke and Reiko, and new characters that contribute to the plot and have original designs.
In a Q&A on Twitter, Ed Boon expressed his desire to bring back classic characters from the 3D era of the series. We support the motion and would like to see the return of Onaga and Shujinko from Mortal Kombat: Deceptionto mention a few examples.
In the later installments of the series, we saw guest characters like Robocop, Predator, Spawn, Alien, Terminator, and Joker. We love these crossovers, and we’d be happy if NetherRealm Studios continues this trend. And you, what collaboration would you like to see?
Value single player content
We applaud NetherRealm Studios’ initiative to feature a lot of single player content across all of their titles. However, quantity is not synonymous with quality.
In addition to the cinematic and arcade mode that features unique endings for each character, in Mortal Kombat 11 we saw the Towers of Time, which change every hour, day and week. The problem is that, despite the fact that they are very repetitive, we must complete them if we want to unlock the skins and equipment for the characters.
We prefer that the developers remove the grinding from this game mode and introduce modes that change the formula entirely. We dream of seeing a revamped Kombat Engine or a new take on the Konquest Mode of 3D-era titles.
Combat system with its own flavor
At the end of the day, fighting games thrive or die because of their combat systems.
NetherRealm Studios titles are characterized by being accessible to genre newbies and leaving plenty of room for veterans to exploit all the possibilities offered by the mechanics. This philosophy must be in Mortal Kombat 12.
Of course, the new title must have its own personality so that it feels like the next big step in the franchise. We would like to see new mechanics that significantly alter the rhythm of the fighting, but also bring back the best elements from previous installments. For example, it’s a good idea to bring back the stamina bar from Mortal Kombat-X or the Tag System of Mortal Kombat 9.
We trust that the developers listened to the feedback and addressed the complaints from the community. One of the most recurring criticisms of the latest installment is the lack of diversity in the combos, since each character has 3 or 4 really optimal chains of blows. This makes the experience repetitive!
We want variety and that each fighter has a wide range of tools up his sleeve that allows him to do from the simplest to the most complicated combo that only experienced players can execute consistently.
Finally, the Variations system is very interesting, but we consider that it has already given everything it had to offer. Hopefully the studio will do without it this time and opt to make the characters have all their special moves at their disposal.
A robust online section
Today more than ever, poor online sections can cause a fighting game to lose its community and be forgotten. Therefore, it is important that Mortal Kombat 12 Have a stable connection and competitive modes have attractive rewards that motivate you to fight against people from all over the world.
NetherRealm Studios did a good job with the netcode from the last installment, and we hope the next title will repeat the feat. Hopefully, it will incorporate the acclaimed Rollback Netcode to ensure lag-free games. We would also like to have crossplay at launch to play with friends on other platforms.
Of course, developers must look carefully at what their competitors do. The Ranked games of Mortal Kombat 11 They were a step in the right direction, but we think the season-based model is exhausting and unsatisfying. We expect the new installment to use a universal rank system like the one in Street Fighter V, Dragon Ball FighterZ and more titles.
creative violence
Many fans buy Mortal Kombat for gratuitous and absurd violence; we can’t blame them. However, developers need to be smart and know how to deal with the brutality of combat and finishers to prevent the game from turning into a bloody fest without charisma.
Fatalities must be about much more than brute violence; they need to be original and sometimes funny. We think the best and most memorable are those that take lightly and play into the absurd nature of the franchise and its characters.
Of course, the new title is the perfect opportunity to bring the Animalities back and, why not, introduce a totally new finisher to the franchise. We’d also like to see the return of the Babalities and Friendship to add a bit of comedy to the equation.
Mortal Kombat is Mortal Kombat thanks to the Fatalities, so NetherRealm Studios must treat them with the respect they deserve.
These are some of the things we would like to see in Mortal Kombat 12. Obviously, it’s impossible to know for sure what Ed Boon and company have been working on for years, so we’ll have to be patient and wait until the official reveal takes place.
But tell us, what elements would you like the new installment of the franchise to have? Let us read you in the comments.
Click here to read more related news Mortal Kombat.
Video: Mortal Kombat 12: Request List
Editorial: Gaming / Facebook / Twitter / Youtube / instagram / News / discord /Telegram / Google news
