Mortal Kombat 1’s gameplay reveal at Summer Game Fest was exciting for several reasons. It was already assured that its visuals would be stunning as per NetherRealm’s previous work, but longtime Mortal Kombat fans were largely anticipating what this new reboot would deliver in terms of gameplay, especially compared to Mortal Kombat 11. Indeed, NetherRealm has multiple formulaic tendencies that fans can see baked into each subsequent game, which only makes sense when considering how frequently the developer can design and polish new fighting game mechanics and characters.
It looks like Mortal Kombat 1 does possess a lot of Mortal Kombat 11’s genetic material, but its new Kameo system is obviously the reboot’s mantelpiece. However, even with astonishing visuals aside, other unique improvements have been revealed in the little bit of gameplay shown. One of its most unsung improvements, for example, is the fact that Mortal Kombat 1 will be able to tap into the full potential of current-gen hardware to blend its loading screens much more believably into gameplay right from the character selection menu.
Mortal Kombat 1’s Matches Hide Their Load Screens with Character Clashes
There have only been a handful of matches if not snippets of matches shown thus far, but one key change has been made between Mortal Kombat 11 and Mortal Kombat 1 that has nothing to do with the franchise’s actual bread-and-butter gameplay. Players will already be incredibly familiar with the game’s character selection screen as it has not been changed drastically besides having a separate selection menu for Mortal Kombat 1’s Kameo Fighters.
Once each player’s primary and Kameo characters have been selected, the primaries clash against one another and share dialogue in a close-up, and it is here where things get interesting. This clash seems to last for a brief time before they push away to put distance between each other, and players can see that their characters are already poised on the stage and prepared to exchange introductory dialogue before the match’s initial round starts. This reveals that while a loading screen is still present, it is now subtly hidden behind a character interaction.
It was initially presumed that these clashes were reminiscent of Injustice’s own clashes and therefore perhaps part of its gameplay, but they are being simply used here to mask a loading screen. Previous NetherRealm games featured explicit and unremarkable loading screens wedged between character selection and introductory character dialogue, discerning this transitional clash sequence as a loading screen that retains immersion.
Compared to how beautifully rendered Mortal Kombat 1’s hyperrealistic graphical fidelity is, a loading screen being interwoven into character model animations might not seem highly impressive. But having this loading screen be a dynamic interlude is evidence that NetherRealm wanted to find as many ways as it could to pump current-gen technology into its latest Mortal Kombat installment, and it will be interesting to see what other technical improvements have been implemented when more of the game is inevitably shown off.
In the meantime, questions still need to be answered about Mortal Kombat 1’s story, which Kameo characters will have a role on the main roster, and how effective Kameo Fighters will be outside of regular combo breaks. It is great to see that Kameos play a role in Fatal Blow animations and pose with the main character during the match’s win screen, but having a load screen so immersive as Mortal Kombat 1’s will go a long way in keeping players engaged in their characters’ conflict from selection to decapitation.
Mortal Kombat 1 will be released on September 19, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
