The Mortal Kombat franchise has had a pretty mixed track record when it comes to live-action adaptations. 1995's Mortal Kombat was a pretty big box office hit back in the day, and though reviews at the time were mixed, it's since gained quite an avid cult following. The sequel, 1997's Mortal Kombat Annihilation, on the other hand, is widely regarded as one of the worst movies of all time.
Though 1998 saw the release of the short-lived show Mortal Kombat: Conquest, the franchise wouldn't see another full-length live-action movie adaptation until 2021's Mortal Kombat, a project that saw mixed reviews from both critics and fans. But regardless of its reception, 2021's Mortal Kombat is set to receive a sequel later this year, and if it takes a few risks in one specific area, it could lead to some fun opportunities for NetherRealm's next game.
Whenever a New Mortal Kombat Game Releases, MK1 Should Get One Change
Before fully moving on to the next game in the series, Mortal Kombat 1 can end its run with a welcome gesture for its loyal players.
Mortal Kombat 2 Might Want to Take Some Risks With Its Character Designs
Mortal Kombat 2 Needs to Strike a Careful Balance With its Costumes
It's very tricky to get video game character designs right in live-action. That's especially true when it comes to games like Mortal Kombat, whose roster features tunic-wearing ninjas, disproportionately-sized otherworldly beings, armored cyborgs, and suit-adorned celebrities. Though these mix-matched designs work well in a fighting game, they can feel a tad uncanny when brought together in live-action.
This leads to many live-action video game adaptations being stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, if costume designers create outfits that are too accurate to the source material, they run the risk of them looking too artificial in the movie's real-world locations. But if designers go too far in the opposite direction and make the character designs feel too grounded, they could easily be criticized for appearing too generic and losing the identity of the source material.
2021's Mortal Kombat struck a fairly decent balance between these two possibilities, delivering character designs that felt familiar but just realistic enough to fit the movie's more grounded aesthetic. But if Mortal Kombat 2 is adding some new characters, it's going to face the same scrutiny all over again.
Mortal Kombat 2 Featuring Bold New Character Designs Could Have a Few Benefits
While the first Mortal Kombat's character design worked fairly well on the whole, there might be some benefits to the upcoming sequel taking a more bold approach. For instance, if Mortal Kombat 2 put some genuinely unique spins on classic character costumes (without changing too many key features of the original design), it would give the sequel a distinct identity right out of the gate, and would offer fans a new reason to watch yet another retelling of what might be a very familiar Mortal Kombat tournament story.
Presenting fans with some bold new character designs would also give developer NetherRealm a more obvious opportunity to add alternate costumes based on the sequel, either in Mortal Kombat 1 if it still has an active player-base by the end of the year, or in an eventual Mortal Kombat 1 successor much further down the line.
Mortal Kombat 1
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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
