Despite having a strong launch,Mortal Kombat 1has continued to build a rather divisive reception over the last year or so. A lack of multiplayer modes, some egregious microtransactions, and an overreliance on thecontroversial new Kameo systemleft some fans disappointed withMortal Kombat 1, and the recent Khaos Reigns expansion did little to turn things around. It might be the perfect time for NetherRealm to return to its other beloved fighting game series,Injustice.
But while a return to theInjusticeseries could give NetherRealm the smash-hit it needs followingMK1, the developer couldn’t rest on its laurels with the hypothetical third entry.Injustice 3would need to improve and innovate on what came before it, including bringing a handful of new mechanics and features to the table. And there’s one stapleMortal Kombatfeature that should finally make its way to theInjusticeseries, albeit with a few changes.
Injustice 3 Should Incorporate Less Violent Finishers
Mortal Kombat’s Fatalities Are Just The Tip of the Iceberg
Fatalities have been one ofMortal Kombat’s biggest drawssince the franchise’s debut in 1992. A gory way to rub the player’s victory in their opponent’s face, Fatalities have grown a lot since their first appearance, becoming far more viscerally violent, more cinematic, and more satisfying. But Fatalities offer far more than just a cheap, gory thrill. Fatalities help to cement the fighter’s unique identity, often acting as the ultimate display of their combat style and personality.
But Fatalities aren’t the only type of finisher inMortal Kombat. 1993’sMortal Kombat 2introduced Babalities and Friendships, with the former allowing the player to turn their opponent into a crawling infant and the latter swapping out a brutal finisher for a tongue-in-cheek act of kindness. Animalities were introduced inMortal Kombat 3and just made their triumphant return withMortal Kombat 1’s Khaos Reigns expansion, letting players transform into an animal before dispatching their foe. Though these finishers aren’t quite as iconic as the all-mighty Fatality, they still do a great job of cementing each character’s identity.
How Injustice 3 Could Approach Finishers
TheInjusticeseries has one advantage overMortal Kombatin that its roster consists of heroes and villains that are already household names. NetherRealm doesn’t need to try as hard to forge the identities ofcharacters like Batman, Superman, or the Jokerthrough gameplay, but it would be fun to see a potentialInjustice 3cement these comic-accurate personalities even further with aMortal Kombat-like finisher system.
2008’sMortal Kombat vs. DC Universeimplemented a “Heroic Brutality” system that allowed its DC heroes to finish their opponents in a much less violent, far less gory way. These moves were heavily criticized for being too generic and oddly tame, with most heroes simply performing an attack that could be used in a standard combo chain. But the concept behind the Heroic Brutality system could certainly work with the right measures.
Injustice 3could deliver satisfying T-rated finishers by really focusing on each character’s unique personality, moveset, and comic book lore. For instance, more violent characters like the Joker could still be given brutal Fatality-like finishers, but the camera could be used creatively to avoid an M-rating. And for heroic characters like Superman, the focus of the finisher might not be on the final punch itself but on something around it, such as taking a brief break from the final moments of the fight to rescue a stuck cat in a tree.
