'Mortal Kombat 1' Release Date: Story, Characters, and More

MK1 marks the second reboot of the series following the one introduced in Mortal Kombat (2011) - as the events of Mortal Kombat 11 began winding down, Raiden transfers his godly powers to Lui Kang and therefore transforms him into the almighty "Fire God." In the process of becoming all-powerful, Lui Kang creates an all-new universe with different origin stories for the game's legacy characters. For instance, Sub-Zero and Scorpion of the "Lin Kuei" ninja clan are actually brothers in this game. Plus Mileena ends up as the queen of "Outworld," Raiden becomes the new Champion of "Earthrealm," and Kenshi Takahashi now finds himself as a member of the Yakuza. Lui Kang's newly created universe is meant to mark a new era of peace, yet a major threat encroaches upon that way of living. And of course, this forces Kang to gather up a new group of defenders to protect his realm.

Post-launch, MK1 is set to receive a new batch of six playable fighters - three of them are recognizable Mortal Kombat roster members and the three others are guest characters hailing from the world of comic books. Check them all out in the list posted below:

• Ermac
• Homelander (The Boys)
• Omni-Man (Invincible)
• Quan Chi
• Peacemaker (DC Comics)
• Takeda Takahashi

As for which Kameo fighters will be coming with this Kombat Pack, check out the following list posted below:

• Ferra
• Janet Cage
• Khameleon
• Mavado
• Tremor

Mortal Kombat fans can expect the usual array of bloody-splattered brawls that feature a whole lot of gore brought on by sick combos, special moves, "X-Ray" super moves, and "Fatalities" from MK1. The biggest gameplay change coming to this new series entry is Kameo fighters - you'll be able to select one of them before the fight and bring them into battle to assist you with different types of assists (those assists can either extend your combos or defend you in some fashion). For example, the classic Mortal Kombat II version of Kung Lao is a Kameo that can use his spin move to attack your opponent while the very first version of Scorpion can help you escape someone's offense by pulling your character away with his famous spear. Classic Sonya Blade can actually land a pretty cool rushing air punch that works great with keeping your air combos going for a bit longer. Kameo fighters are also capable of pulling off Fatalities, by the way.

Mortal Kombat 1 also offers a much larger focus on aerial combos - some of the game's playable characters are able to utilize special moves that can be pulled off mid-air, such as Scorpion's spear (this maneuver can pull an opponent in while floating in the air and keep a combo going once both characters reach the ground). Another example of MK1's flashy air combos sees Sub-Zero being able to launch his foe into the air with an ice hammer launcher that can then lead to a combo that ends with a frozen dive kick back to the ground. A returning combat features from Mortal Kombat 11 are "Fatal Blows," which can be activated at 30% or less health. These moves now happen courtesy of your chosen Kameo fighter, which is then followed up by your playable character pulling off an X-Ray.