Highlights

  • Mortal Kombat 1 reboots the timeline with a fresh story, but keeps ties to its rich history, adding complexity for newcomers.
  • Characters in the new timeline have revamped backgrounds, but old traits bleed through, making it hard for newcomers to fully appreciate the changes.
  • Liu Kang's timeline changes bring significant departures, yet it requires prior knowledge for full appreciation, making it far from an ideal jumping on point.

Mortal Kombat 1 has brought forth an exciting and fresh reboot for the long-running fighting franchise. For many reboots, starting fresh usually means building a new series from the ground up, but this isn't exactly the case for Mortal Kombat 1. As the 12th mainline game in the series, there is a dense history in the Mortal Kombat series that isn't entirely left behind in MK1.

Many reboots can become the perfect chance for newcomers to jump into a franchise, but Mortal Kombat 1's method of hitting the restart button arguably makes things even more complicated for beginners. On the surface, it may seem to some outsiders that Mortal Kombat 1 is just a mindless beat-em-up series full of blood and gore. The latter is definitely true, but the franchise's lore is anything but simple.

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Mortal Kombat 1 Doesn't Completely Wipe the Slate Clean

Although Mortal Kombat 1 begins with an entire restart of the franchise's timeline after the events of Mortal Kombat 11, the main difference is that the current timeline doesn't fully forget its predecessors. After Mortal Kombat 11,Liu Kang decides to start the universe all over again, remaking the various fighters from previous chapters in a new light that hopefully creates more peace and balance in this new era. This makes Liu Kang the only character who is still the same version as in the previous timeline, which has probably caused some confusion for many who have come to the franchise for the first time.

Character Backgrounds Still Bleed Through

Yes, the characters in Liu Kang's new timeline are re-imagined versions of their previous counterparts, but sometimes old habits die hard. Although characters may be vastly different from their previous versions in some ways, there are still plenty of personality and story similarities that bleed through from their previous backgrounds that could be difficult for newcomers to pick up on. Despite what the name suggests, Mortal Kombat 1 isn't just about the Fatalities. There is a deep ongoing lore that still carries through to the current era, even if the characters themselves don't realize it.

Some of the character changes in Mortal Kombat 1 are huge departures, too. Sub-Zero and Scorpion are biological brothers, Mileena is Kitana's twin sister instead of a clone, and Raiden's life begins as a humble farmer. These changes are just the tip of the iceberg to all the differences in Liu Kang's timeline. Some of these changes have parallels with the old era, and they add a compelling layer to this universe. If none of this is known beforehand, its significance is completely lost.

One notable story moment is when Liu Kang grants Raiden the ability to have lightning powers. Newcomers may not realize that Raiden was a God of Thunder who had control over lightning in the old era. Liu Kang purposefully created this new Raiden without special abilities in order to keep his notorious rage stifled. That's an important detail that can only be truly appreciated by having knowledge of past lore.

Mortal Kombat 1 Building a New World

Although some players coming to the Mortal Kombat franchise may not have all the information needed in order to fully understand the scope and importance of this timeline change, there are at least plenty of ways to get a crash course in the franchise's history. The lore of Mortal Kombat goes back to the 90s, and although it's still possible to enjoy Mortal Kombat 1 without that knowledge, it's still recommended in order to get a full appreciation of how significant Liu Kang's timeline is.

The bright side is that Mortal Kombat 1 is setting out to build a new world that hopefully has a long future ahead of it. This new timeline offers a compelling new perspective, and although some changes may be controversial for longtime fans, a new twist on the universe offers a fresh start - even if it's not a full erasure of the past.