All of the information about the new “Mortal Kombat X” that’s been released so far has been painting a clear picture of a highly competitive, polished game that many fans have been rightly excited about. While many details about the new fighting title are being kept under wraps, there have been various official revelations, including some that showed off the character roster, which will feature 24 playable fighters. NetherRealms have actually been focusing quite a lot on those revelations, paying attention to each character separately.
So far, fans have seen several characters including Cassie Cage, Kotal Kahn, Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Raiden, with more expected to be announced on January 2. A mysterious new fighter is also still not revealed, and there has been lots of speculation regarding his possible identity. The new character will be revealed in the major announcement on January 2, so as the date has been approaching, discussions about the possibilities have been on the rise around the many messaging boards dedicated to the game.
According to the developers, almost all characters have been completed now, and the team is putting the finishing touches on the rest. It seems that as a whole, the game’s development is going according to plan, and it should hit the planned April 14 release date. Considering the amount of hype that’s been built up for that day, it would probably be a good idea to avoid hitting any delays at this point.
Meanwhile, something peculiar about the game’s development style was brought to light – apparently, NetherRealms are putting a strong focus on the competitive aspect of its gameplay this time. While “Mortal Kombat” is traditionally a name associated with competitive playing, and previous games in the series have attained a borderline legendary status in this regard, the studio has always thought of the amateur when developing these titles, and trying to accommodate everyone nicely.
Not anymore though – it seems that every aspect of “Mortal Kombat X” is being developed with the idea of competition first and foremost. In game design in general, this usually has the tradeoff of making the game less accessible to newcomers, and discouraging inexperienced players when they fight someone who has seen more matches than them.
However, it can also make the game’s skill ceiling significantly higher, opening up the possibility for a much longer life for the title. Looking back throughout the history of gaming, particularly multiplayer gaming, the titles that have managed to survive the longest are the ones with the most potential for improving one’s skills. When a player always knows that there’s someone better than them, that’s strong motivation to keep playing and improving.