At a glance, it’s not easy to work out when Mortal Kombat 1 is set. And, thinking about this sort of thing logically isn’t too useful either when you consider the fact that NetherRealm Studios has dabbled in time-travel before, and is resetting the timeline – again. However, as persistent as this issue is across all of the series’ best fighting games, the new Mortal Kombat 1 announcement cinematic sprinkles in some details that seem to confirm when this game is set – at least when it comes to Earthrealm.
As spotted by eagle-eyed kombatant ‘CaptainKashup‘ on the Mortal Kombat 1 subreddit, there are a number of details in the new trailer that seem to confirm that this game is set in the modern day. In the scene shared by Scorpion and Sub-Zero, you can see an electric light fitting, a spinning standing fan, and even a satellite dish. These are all pointed out in the post below:
For those who still think this takes place during the past..
by u/CaptainKashup in MortalKombat
Of course, this information isn’t going to be a surprise to those of you familiar with the Mortal Kombat franchise and the cast of already-confirmed Mortal Kombat 1 characters. Johnny Cage is an action movie star, after all, and Sonya Blade’s moveset has developed to include a number of firearms and military spec drones. So, despite appearances and architecture, NetherRealm Studios is somewhat forced into establishing an Earthrealm with modern-day technology – if it wants to accomodate these characters, anyway.
We’re also not surprised to see Fire God Liu Kang preserve some of the comforts of modern life when resetting the timeline; we can certainly imagine that life is a lot easier with electronic lights, and satellite television, than it would be without them. The MK1 announcement trailer also makes it quite clear that Liu Kang has absolute power when it comes to establishing the new world this game will seemingly take place in. And, that’s a world you can ensure you’re able to explore if you pre-order Mortal Kombat 1 ahead of time.
However, it’s also important to remember that this is just Earthrealm we’re talking about; the new cinematic, which you can see for yourself below, also offers us a look at Edenia and Outworld. Now seemingly ruled by Kitana, with Mileena alongside her, this realm is often shown as one that’s less technologically-advanced than Earthrealm – a more fantastic realm that leans into the supernatural side of the Mortal Kombat franchise a lot more.
So, while spotting a satellite dish in the scene after a horse-drawn carriage can be a little jarring at a glance, a largely modern-day timeline – at least when it comes to Earthrealm – isn’t really that surprising at all.
We know Mortal Kombat 11’s narrative revolved heavily around time-travel, though, so we could see some of that in Mortal Kombat 1. However, we don’t think NetherRealm is going to lean on that trope again quite so soon. Liu Kang has reset the timeline leading into MK1 and throwing time-travel into the mix would make things so much more confusing than they need to be.
Of course, though, it’s important to remember that we really only know what we have been shown in the trailer above. We don’t know, really, when Mortal Kombat 1 is set, or whether they’re going to be throwing time-travel into the mix again. We’ll just have to wait until the Mortal Kombat 1 release date rolls around – or at the very least the next announcement – to know more.
Is Mortal Kombat 1 going to be one of the best games of all time when it drops? Well, you could certainly argue a case for the last MK game. So, we’re hopeful that this one will live up to the hype. For now, though, you can find out all about Mortal Kombat 1’s lack of crossplay features at launch here and the fact that this Mortal Kombat 1 Kombat Pack leak confirms The Boys’ Homelander is joining the roster right here. Yeah, we know – he’s going to fit right in with this bloody lot.