Unleashing the Hidden Potential: Discover What Mortal Kombat 1's Liu Kang Beta Reveals About the Iconic Character

Highlights

Mortal Kombat 1's closed beta was a successful tease of the game, offering six fighters, four Kameo characters, and two stages, and giving players a taste of what to expect.

The gameplay mechanics in Mortal Kombat 1 have been refined to near-perfection, offering balanced and enjoyable character experiences similar to the previous entry.

Liu Kang, a versatile character in Mortal Kombat 1, is easily accessible and provides simple yet effective combos. However, players must overcome his noticeable weakness of lacking low-hitting basic combos.

Mortal Kombat 1 granted eager fans who pre-ordered the game an exclusive beta over the weekend, offering a tantalizing taste of what's to come. Building upon earlier stress tests, the closed beta of Mortal Kombat 1 provided players with six selectable fighters, four Kameo characters, and two stages. While there are still surprises in store for Mortal Kombat 1, the beta offered valuable insight into the mechanics of this new installment, resulting in overwhelmingly positive feedback.

At first glance, Mortal Kombat 1 plays in a similar fashion to its predecessor, which is by no means a negative. However, the game not only translates MK11's mechanics faithfully, but also fine-tunes and refines them to near-perfection, ensuring a balanced and enjoyable experience for each character. Nevertheless, as with any beta version, there are a few minor adjustments that even the powerful Liu Kang, known as the Fire God, could benefit from before Mortal Kombat 1's full release next month.

What Mortal Kombat 1 Should Change About Liu Kang After the Beta

Liu Kang is widely regarded as one of the top fighters in Mortal Kombat 1 due to his exceptional skills and versatility. He possesses a wide range of long-range projectile attacks, multiple close-range special moves, and the ability to maneuver and maintain distance with moves like the Dragon Kick and his own version of Raiden's teleport. Liu Kang effortlessly controls the battlefield and capitalizes on his diverse moveset to execute simple yet highly effective combos.

Notably, Liu Kang's combos are incredibly easy to perform. Most of his basic kick and punch combos only require three inputs, often involving just two buttons pressed in a straightforward rhythm. This accessibility makes Liu Kang the ideal choice for newcomers to Mortal Kombat. However, it should be acknowledged that Mortal Kombat 1's Liu Kang, while exceptional overall, does have a few minor weaknesses as highlighted during the beta testing phase.

Liu Kang's main weakness in Mortal Kombat 1 is his lack of effective low-hitting basic combos. Although he still has essential special moves like the Low Fireball, his regular combos often target the opponent's mid and high sections. This means that if the opponent is crouched, most of the combo won't connect. However, this is not a significant problem as Liu Kang players can simply use a low kick to force their opponents to stand up. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that this weakness stands out in an otherwise well-rounded character kit.

As Mortal Kombat 1 is set to release in less than a month, it is unlikely that any major changes will be made to Liu Kang. Additionally, such changes may not be necessary. When handled by skilled players, Liu Kang can prove to be a formidable opponent, and his slight vulnerability to low guards adds balance to the character. In the long run, this weakness may actually benefit new players by teaching them the importance of creating attack opportunities for themselves.

Mortal Kombat 1 will be released on September 19, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.