Mortal Kombat 1was just recently announced, and with the new gameplay reveal trailer out it’s safe to say the game looks incredible.Mortal Kombat 1has been all about change, and be it to the story, the timeline, or the overall gameplay loop of aMortal Kombatgame, developers have been promising fanssomething new and fresh.

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MK1 Scorpion and SubZero

Mortal Kombat 11was a critical and commercial hit, but by the end of its lifecycle, the game and the overall formula carrying over fromMortal Kombat Xweregetting a little stale. This new game, in most of the pre-release content, so far seems to bea vibrant stepin the right direction. The game is loaded with changes and tweaks and here are some of the biggest ones discovered over the last few weeks.

5Sub Zero and Scorpion Are Brothers

The rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero has been one of the most iconic rivalries in fighting game history,with iconic moves togo along with it. It has been a staple of the franchise for decades now. The last few games have seen how Scorpion and Sub-Zerocanfind common ground and work together. In fact, inMortal Kombat 11,they were pretty close to being considered allies and friends.

Mortal Kombat 1with its timeline reset has taken this up a notch—Scorpion and Sub-Zero are now brothers. Both characters are seemingly part of the Lin Kuei clan as well. Another major change that players should be prepared for is the fact that Sub-Zero isn’t the honorable and stoic Kuai Lang players have been used to for a while. In fact, it’s his older brother Bi-Han, who in the original timeline later became Noob Saibot. So this in itself is a massive change many fans were not expecting.

MK1 Mileena and Kitana

4Empress Mileena

This was already slightly hinted at during the originalMortal Kombat 1reveal trailer, but the new gameplay reveals have confirmed that Mileena is the ruling royal in this new timeline—not Kitana. This is a big change, and it is going to be very interesting to see how her character develops as a leader. Moreover, it seems Mileena’s facial scars and teeth are developing as the story progresses. What the cause of them is not clear as of right now, but this is also a clever change as it can add some depth to Mileena’s character and her potential descent into the character players are familiar with.

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The relationship dynamics between Mileena and Kitana will also be very fun to watch. Their combat dialogue already shows that Mileena is a little distrusting, or even jealous of her sister. Kitana, on the other hand, seems to be completely loyal as seen through her dialogue with Sub-Zero.

3Combo Variety

While it may be too soon to see how far this goes, it is prettyapparent from gameplay revealsas well as how bothMortal Kombatpros and YouTubers alike have been raving about it, that this game has tons of combo variety.Mortal Kombat 1from the outset seems to have tons of different combo routes, combo extensions, and Kameo extensions, and players who got their hands on the reveal were already perfecting combos going up to 50% in damage.

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While at its coreMortal Kombat 1seems to be a footsie and neutral heavy fighting game just likeMK11,it has already shown that it has tons of potential to have fun, unique, and difficult-to-execute combos, which is exactly what hardcore fans want.

2Kenshi Is Back

The fan-favorite blind swordsman Kenshi is back, and he’s not blind. Kenshi’s return in the recent reveals shows a younger version, seemingly fighting against underworld forces for his family legacy and to protect people. This Kenshi has his eyesight but does have the same spiritual or puppet-master-like powers fans can expect. Additionally, certain costumes of Kenshi do feature him wearing his signature red blindfold, so there is a strong chance players get to see him turn blind in this game.

Different press releases and tweets from Ed Boon seem to indicate this game will show a lot more love to 3D-EraMortal Kombatcharacters like Kenshi, which is a big plus. Stryker has already been teased as a Kameo and fans are eager to see who comes next.

MK 1 Gameplay

1Kameos

Kameos arethe big feature being introducedin this game. They are essentially similar toassists in other fighting gamessuch asDragon Ball FighterZandSmash Bros. Recent reveals have shown that Kameos are going to be an integral part ofMortal Kombat 1’sgameplay loop, and they’re not just some random feature. Not only are the Kameo characters such as Jax and Sonya with the player character in intros and outros, but they also form a part of fatal blows and fatalities as well.

Beyond that, Kameos are integral to how the combat operates. They can be used to extend combos, cover unsafe strings, throw projectiles, aid in grabs, and a lot more. They seem to have their own timing windows and difficulty curve, and different Kameos can completely change how a certain character operates. The addition of Kameos, and how they will develop is one of the most exciting new features inMortal Kombat 1and even adds charactersthat might not be seen otherwise.

Kenshi MK1

Mortal Kombat 1is set to release on July 11, 2025.

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MK1 Stryker Kameo