Mortal Kombat 1 shows off violent gameplay with Kameo fighters and new story

^{Image: Warner Bros. Games}

Mortal Kombat is back and doubling down on gore with the introduction of Kameo fighters.

NetherRealm Studios dropped a fresh look at gameplay for Mortal Kombat 1, an upcoming soft-reboot of the long-standing fighting game franchise. We got more details on the sequel's new Kameo fighters and story campaign. 

Watch the trailer below:

Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon dropped by at Summer Game Fest to reveal more details on Mortal Kombat 1, confirming that the game takes place in a rebooted timeline following Liu Kang's rebirth as a fire god. With the hero-turned-god now in charge, older characters from the franchise are returning in different roles. 

The sequel is also introducing a new mechanic to combat: Kameo fighters. New and returning characters from the franchise will be available as summons during a match, where a single button press calls them in to smack down an enemy and vanish. These characters will feature older designs from the franchise's original entries, and only a few of them will be on the actual playable roster. 

We didn't get a whole lot of story details in this gameplay trailer, but it does look like Liu Kang is touring Earthrealm to recruit his old friends for a new Mortal Kombat tournament. Among others, he bumps into Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Kenshi and iconic B-list actor Johnny Cage. Separately, we see Kitana and Mileena come to a head over an unknown conflict, which is par for the course for these two. 

Mortal Kombat 1 launches on September 19, 2023.