The Direct was able to talk Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns with Ed Boon and two new cast members.
At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, NetherRealm unveiled the Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns DLC, featuring six new crossover fighters: Ghostface from Scream, Robert Patrick’s T-1000, Conan the Barbarian, and reimagined versions of Noob Saibot, Sektor, and Cyrax.
This DLC, launching on September 24 across various platforms, adds a new narrative where Titan Havik threatens the realms, forcing Liu Kang to unite his champions.
In addition, with the launch of Khaos Reigns, the update will reintroduce Animalities, a fan-favorite feature from Mortal Kombat 3 (1995).
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Ed Boon Explains Mortal Kombat 1 Khaos Reigns Animalities (Interview)
Ed Boon exclusively talked to The Direct's David Thompson during a press line event at San Diego Comic-Con.
When asked about Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns, Boon explained that at SDCC 2023 they "introduced Mortal Kombat 1" and this can be seen as "year two" of the Mortal Kombat "reset of the timeline:"
We were here one year ago today. I don't know if it was today, but exactly one year ago at Comic Con that we introduced Mortal Kombat 1. It's like a reset of the timeline, we had introduced cameo characters. Today we're here. We have the same panel, same room. Huge crowd was awesome and we announced the, what we call, like the year two of it.
Boon also described the new characters being added to the game, including "a new feature called Animalities:"
So we're gonna be releasing six more characters in the game. Three from Mortal Kombat, three guest characters. We're introducing a new feature called animalities, where the characters turn into an animal and kind of maul the opponent."
These special Fatalities allow characters to transform into animals to finish off their opponents.
The announcement trailer showcased various Animalities, including Mileena morphing into a giant praying mantis, a gorilla tearing apart an enemy, and a T-Rex skeleton attacking its foe.
Every fighter in the game will now have their own unique Animality, adding a new layer of excitement to the game's brutal combat.
Voice actor Kaiji Tang joins the fight as Noob Saibot, who he describes as "a shadowy Wraith" and said he enjoyed playing a character that removes himself from human "morals:"
Those who are familiar know that he's a shadowy Wraith. He's got like, cool teleportation powers, and, you know, slightly edgier, you know, somehow slightly edgier, right? It's always really fun to play a character so, like, kind of removed from human, like, kind of morals, right? As someone who has completely accepted his path in life and is free to choose and and pursue his path to power the way he chooses, it's always very exciting.
Apex Legends alum Erika Ishii is also being added to Khaos Reigns as Sektor, which she described as "a dream come true:"
"It's a dream come true for me...I grew up, you know, put my quarter in the line with the rest of them on the cabinet. I played through all of Injustice Gods Among Us, and read the comics. And, you know, just grew up loving, loving Mortal Kombat. So this means a lot to me."
In Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns, both Cyrax and Sektor have been reimagined as female characters.
Boon explained to Game Spot that these changes are part of a broader effort to refresh the game’s narrative and character roster.
By introducing new origins and appearances, the developers aim to offer a novel experience while retaining the signature moves fans expect.
This approach is intended to keep the game exciting and innovative, reflecting over 30 years of evolving Mortal Kombat lore.
Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns will be released digitally on September 24 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store).
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