With the release date for Mortal Kombat 1 quickly approaching, NetherRealm Studios has been revealing new content and characters at a rapid pace. While events like Summer Game Fest and the MK11 closed beta test have provided plenty of new additions, the studio has a few more surprises up its sleeve. Chief creative officer Ed Boon revealed two additional playable characters and two Kameo Fighters during a live stream for Gamescom Opening Night.
Li Mei and Tanya are both new to the main roster of the series, with the pair showcasing their abilities in a brand-new trailer. Both characters are members of the Umgadi, a group of warrior priestesses pledged to serve Outworld royalty. While the Umgadi have featured as both playable and non-playable characters in previous installments, this is the first time they’ve been a part of the core Mortal Kombat 1 storyline.
Similarly, fan favorite Ermac is a new character that joins the cast. He was teased in a tweet from Boon, who responded to a player wearing an Ermac costume with the simple, “Yep, that’s a real Ermac bustin out some Kameo Kombos this year.” Ermac himself has been a playable character several times before, including MK11 and MK9. However, the latest Mortal Kombat 1 reboot is the first time the clan chief will appear as a main character in the new timeline.
The other new character is the aforementioned Smoke, who debuted in MK11 and returned as a Krypt Easter egg and preorder bonus DLC character in MK11. The four-armed Shokan prince also appears as a Kameo in the Summer Game Fest gameplay reveal. He’s an intimidating specter who can emit clouds of smoke and perform lethal combos.
Another Kameo is the stoic Havik, a Lin Kuei assassin who was turned into a cyborg through the Cyborg Initiative. His appearance as a Kameo in the Summer game show demonstrates that his brutal takedowns will continue in this latest chapter of the franchise.
There are also two more Kameo Fighters that we’ve been shown in trailers and gameplay videos, including a juggle-happy Cyrax and the cyborg-warrior Darrius. The YouTuber Dynasty recently claimed to have leaked even more Kameo Fighters, though the details surrounding these alleged new additions are still unclear. The studio is implementing Kameo Fighters as a separate roster of support characters that can be chosen during matches to help players achieve their objectives. They will work in similar ways to the playable roster, with each able to perform a few different attacks and aid in specific areas of the battlefield.
