For almost five years now,Super Smash Bros. Ultimatehas proudly stood at the top of the fighting game market, remaining both a critical and commercial success the entire time. Living up to its name,Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis a true culmination of everything the series has to offer, delivering almost 100 unique playable fighters, and over 100 stages, all from across the entire franchise’s history. But this year sees a few new contenders entering the ring, and ifStreet Fighter 6wasn’t enough to dethroneSmash Ultimate, then perhapsMortal Kombat 1will be.
Set to release in September of this year,Mortal Kombat 1gives the franchise yet another refresh, this time taking players back in time inan alternate universe created by Fire God Liu Kang. From what’s been shown so far,Mortal Kombat 1looks like an incredible next entry for the franchise, taking the same fighting game formula present in the past few entries and polishing it to a fine sheen, potentially delivering the most fluid and satisfying gameplay the series has ever seen. But there’s one big newMortal Kombat 1feature that still might not hold a candle to one ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s most underrated elements.
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Mortal Kombat 1’s Kameos Might Not Have the Same Star Power as Smash Ultimate’s Spirits
Revealed in a bit more detail duringMortal Kombat 1’s recent appearance at Summer Game Fest, Kameo fighters are the name given to a secondary set of characters inMortal Kombat 1that the player can use during a fight to deliver a unique special move. After choosing a primary playable character, the player will then be given a second roster of Kameo fighters to pick from.
Once in the match, players can use their Kameo fighter’s special move by tapping a button and holding down a specific direction. The Kameo fighter will deliver a different special move depending on which direction the player is holding. Gameplay-wise, this is a great addition toMortal Kombat, allowing for even more variation when it comes to creating unique combos.
In some ways,Mortal Kombat 1’s Kameo fightersaren’t too dissimilar fromSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Spirits. Unlocked through the game’s adventure mode, there are over 1500 Spirits for players to collect inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, with each one giving the player’s character a unique stat boost or bonus when equipped. From a gameplay perspective,Smash Ultimate’s Spirits aren’t anything to write home about, but their real appeal comes from the fan service they deliver.
Each ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s 1513 Spiritscomes from across the entire history of the video game industry. While Nintendo characters naturally get the most play,Super Smash Bros. Ultimateisn’t afraid of celebrating some of the other most influential publishers and franchises the gaming industry has seen over the last few decades, with series likeTekken,Cuphead,Minecraft, and evenTetrisbeing represented with at least one unique Spirit.
WhileMortal Kombat 1’s Kameo fighters are practically guaranteed to have better and more rewarding gameplay integration, they might not be able to hold a candle to the sheer star power thatSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Spirits have. Based on the recently released gameplay trailer, it seems as though there might only be 16 Kameo fighters inMortal Kombat 1on launch.
Ed Boon has also specified that these fighters will come from past entries in the franchise. So whileMortal Kombat 1’s Kameo fighters will likely be a great celebration ofMortal Kombat’s 30-year history, it might not live up toSmash Ultimate’s celebration of the entire video game industry as a whole.
Mortal Kombat 1will be released on June 14, 2025, for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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