While the recent addition of Conan the Barbarian as the latest DLC character in Mortal Kombat 1 has sparked renewed interest in the title, hype around his release seems to have been surpassed by the attention that the franchise's latest secret fighter is receiving. Subtly included with the update that brought Conan, the pink ninja known as Floyd can now be encountered as a hidden battle if the player achieves certain conditions. Although there's a clear novelty to him being a new ninja who has never been seen before, it also seems that Floyd borrows heavily from several existing Mortal Kombat 1 characters.
In order to find the enigmatic character, players must complete ten of 37 arbitrary challenges to unlock the fight with Floyd in Mortal Kombat 1. He's not officially playable due to only appearing under these circumstances as a challenging boss-like fight, but his unique moveset is clearly visible while facing him as an opponent. While there's still a theme of his own at play overall, Floyd largely serves as a melting pot of multiple movesets combined into one.
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Floyd Draws From Other Fighters in Classic Secret Mortal Kombat Character Fashion
It's Unclear Whether Floyd is a New Version of Chameleon
Floyd operates with an eclectic collection of influences from Mortal Kombat 1's roster, as he has Reptile's stance, some normal attacks and their respective combos from Shang Tsung and Noob Saibot alike, and special moves distinctly borrowed from several different ninjas. This has led to him being compared to Chameleon of the 3D era games, a ninja built around being a mimic/composite character archetype take on the usual MK staple.
Despite his mix of movesets at work, Floyd's secret character status in Mortal Kombat 1 has the full depth of his character unknown. This is due to the fact that Reptile, Smoke, and Noob were all also presented as mimic fighters who blended together moves from different characters in the games in which they appeared, essentially serving as clever reuses of assets that drove player speculation. Regardless of the actual intention behind his design, Floyd's list of special moves is primarily composed of borrowed material.
|
Move |
Origin |
|
You Wish You Were Here |
Scorpion |
|
Force Lift |
Ermac |
|
Ice Ball |
Sub-Zero |
|
Lightning Bolt |
Rain |
|
Force Ball |
Ermac |
|
Slide |
Noob Saibot |
|
Roundtrip |
Shang Tsung/Rain |
|
Dash Away/Toward |
Reptile |
|
The Wall |
Original |
Hints of a Unique Gimmick Highlight the Potential Vision Behind Floyd's Moveset in Mortal Kombat 1
A Rainbow Motif Points to One Central Theme Being Likely
His use of everything from ice to lightning seemingly leaves it vague whether Mortal Kombat 1's Floyd controls a specific element or not, but there might be a through line that informs his character moving forward. Between appearing with a rainbow effect clearly meant to evoke Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, and the general energy of his moveset, it wouldn't be surprising to see that Floyd is built around the general concept of manipulating light itself. His signature move, The Wall, might seem to be based around crystal magic, but that kind of effect could easily play into the larger idea of reflecting and refracting forms of light.
Floyd's Borrowing of Existing Special Moves Could Continue into Future Official Outings
While being the light-controlling colored ninja of Mortal Kombat could see Floyd receiving a more bespoke set of moves of his own in his next appearance, there's also a chance that he is intended to serve as a rainbow-like combination of others. With his Kombat Kard background hinting at his power being based in utilizing the full spectrum of MK's ninjas, he might be intended as the new form of Chameleon for the series' rebooted era after all.
Mortal Kombat 1
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- September 19, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- NetherRealm Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Brothers Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to a new era of Kombat. NetherRealm Studios ushers in a new era of the iconic fighting franchise with a total reset that changes the entire world as we know it. Following the thrilling climax of Mortal Kombat 11, the all-powerful Fire God Liu Kang has created a New Era in the hope of bringing peace to Earthrealm and beyond. Through the series' most cinematic story mode yet, you'll be reintroduced to a cast of legendary warriors as you've never seen them before. Expect twists on classic friendships and rivalries, as well as new backstories that will change everything you think you know about your favorite Kombatants. Discover a host of new offline and online game modes as you master a revitalized fighting system that boasts bone-crunching Fatal Blows, defensive Breakers and the most creatively vicious Fatalities yet.
- Franchise
- Mortal Kombat
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
- How Long To Beat
- 7 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
