The Shocking Truth Behind Mortal Kombat 1's Unclear Roster Revealed
Mortal Kombat 1's roster has fans eagerly anticipating which characters will make a comeback and which are just making a guest appearance The Kameo system adds to the mystery, leaving fans wondering who will be a major player in the game and who will simply make a cameo
The year 2023 is shaping up to be a thrilling one for fighting game enthusiasts, with Mortal Kombat 1 poised to surpass the high bar set by Street Fighter 6. Following an intense and gory story trailer a few weeks back, NetherRealm Studios had promised a full gameplay reveal in the near future, which finally materialized. Presented as a major highlight of the Summer Game Fest, Mortal Kombat 1's gameplay trailer lasted for an impressive four minutes, showcasing the series' most fluid and satisfying gameplay yet, coupled with the most stunning graphics to date. Despite the trailer answering many questions, there is still one looming question in the minds of fans.
Mortal Kombat 1 Still Needs to Confirm Who's On the Main Roster and Who's Just a Kameo
In the four-minute gameplay reveal of Mortal Kombat 1, fans were given a glimpse of the game's core mechanics and features. While the fighting gameplay looks similar to previous entries, it appears even smoother. The highlight of the reveal was the new addition of Kameo fighters, essentially a rudimentary tag-team system. These fighters are secondary characters that the player can use to unleash special moves during a fight by pressing a single button in conjunction with a direction. Each direction corresponds to a different special move, allowing skilled players to seamlessly integrate Kameo moves into their combos. Additionally, the gameplay trailer revealed that Kameo fighters can participate in fatalities and X-Ray/Fatal Blows, adding an extra layer of excitement to the game.
In a brief gameplay segment, Ed Boon joined Summer Game Fest host Geoff Keighley on stage to give fans a glimpse of the Kameo roster. Players will choose their main playable fighter and then access a second menu filled with Kameo characters. The trailer showcased only three Kameo characters, leaving 13 icons blank, suggesting that there will be at least 16 Kameo fighters in the base game at launch. Sonya, Kano, Jax, Goro, and Stryker are confirmed to be Kameo characters, with Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and the newly announced Kenshi potentially doubling as Kameo fighters. However, it remains unclear which Kameo characters will also be fully playable. Boon hinted that the Kameo roster would mainly focus on classic Mortal Kombat characters from the series' past. Therefore, it is likely that a lot of the Kameo roster will feature characters that are fun throwbacks to the franchise, but not suitable for a spot on the full roster.
The announced Kameo fighters in Mortal Kombat 1, such as Goro, Sonya, Kano, and Jax, are all well-established characters in the series and it's uncertain why they have been relegated to a Kameo role. Fans eagerly await further information, but thankfully, Boon has promised more reveals leading up to the game's release on September 19, 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
