CHICAGO — A recent trailer revealed that the upcoming Mortal Kombat 1 will serve as a reboot for the series’ timeline, and will feature the game’s iconic roster as young children engaging in the franchise’s signature ultraviolent brawls.
“We are taking the series in a bold new direction,” said Ed Boon, cocreator of the series, shortly after the Mortal Kombat 1 trailer premiered online. “When we reset the timeline, we wanted to make sure we backed up and gave ourselves a lot of time and space to tell a new story. Once we got the idea of these warriors as badass little kids, we just knew that was the angle to take. It was getting harder and harder to shock people, but I think children tearing each other apart ought to do it!”
The announcement, as well as preview of in-game footage produced using young motion capture artists, sparked the latest in a long line of Mortal Kombat-inspired controversies.
“It’s bad enough that these games have been exposing children to horrific violence for decades,” said Sidney Bennett, a local mother of three that’s been outspoken about violence in the media. “But to actually portray children beating each other to death, it’s just so messed up. No one wants to see a teenage Scorpion pound a little seven-year-old Johnny Cage into the ground, that’s just so disturbing.”
“Or hell, maybe they do,” she added. “I don’t even know anymore.”
The game, set to release this September, is a radical departure from the previous 11 mainline game’s long running continuity.
“To blow it all up like that is so smart, what an inspired choice,” said Lacey Warner, a longtime Mortal Kombat fan. “I think it’s weird that it’s set in a small town where all these kids fight each other all the time now, but hey, they’re telling a new story, I’ll see how it plays out. I don’t think I like the idea of those Kidnapalities though. That sounds pretty extreme.”
As of press time, Boon had confirmed that Stryker the cop would still be an adult in the game.
