Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath promised to kickstart a new era in the series after the temporal tampering of Raiden and Kronika. And in the game's story mode, Liu Kang won the day, rewriting history using his powers as the Fire God and Kronika's Sands of Time. Liu Kang has now built a new universe and recruited a younger Kung Lao for the next tournament. But other than that, nothing new was divulged by the God of Fire and Thunder.
With that in mind and a huge blank canvas to look at, let's break down some things we'd love to see in Mortal Kombat 12.
THE YOUNG GUARD
The next chapter definitely needs to have some of the new blood in Mortal Kombat X. Cassie Cage (Johnny and Sonya's daughter) and Jacqui Briggs (Jax's daughter) were included in this game, but Kung Jin and Takeda were both omitted after being big hits. Kung Jin is a member of the White Lotus Society and related to Kung Lao, so it would be awesome if Liu Kang added another Shaolin Monk to the mix. Kung Jin's also the game's first gay character, so it would be inclusive too.
As for Takeda, the son of the blind ninja Kenshi and protege of Scorpion, he has potential to be a tournament winner. Not only does he represent the Shirai Ryu, but he's also Special Forces and engaged to Jacqui. He can also bring in the new generation of Lin Kuei and the next Sub-Zero, as both clans have made peace. Even if it's to create some new characters, the series has proven it can move forward successfully and Liu Kang's "timecrafting" is another great opportunity to do this.
ANIMALITIES BACK IN PLAY
With Brutalities and Friendships back, Animalities should return too. These finishers saw fighters turn into creatures to end their opponents, and it'd be really nostalgic for Liu Kang to turn into a dragon once more and eat his enemies. That's just one example, and if Mercies and Babalities could also be brought back, then Animalities should be as well.
There are so many new fighters that there aren't Animalities for, such as Cassie and Jacqui, while there are others like Kotal Kahn with his panther that pretty much write their own finishers. Animalities represent one of the best things about games like Mortal Kombat: Ultimate and wouldn't just work as fan service. Animalities would also present new fans with something they'd be sure to enjoy. It'd also push Ed Boon's creative team once more and, given the graphics and VFX evolution, they could look incredible.
NO MORE TIME TRAVEL
After Raiden and Kronika messed with the timeline, and then Liu Kang sent Shang Tsung, Nightwolf and Fujin back in time for Kronika's time crown, let's hope MK12 sticks to one timeline. Too much time travel could create anomalies, ripple effects and, potentially, plot holes.
Mortal Kombat games pride themselves on simplicity so it's time to return to their roots and just run the tournament without people having a cop-out where someone travels through time to undo things. This way, the game would have actions and consequences, raising the stakes even more. The Fire God has stitched together the best timeline which will have good and bad entities, so there shouldn't be any more tinkering after that. This also helps make Liu Kang a new watcher like Raiden, thus creating uniformity.
THE SHAOLIN MONKS SEQUEL
While a sequel to Shaolin Monks didn't get made, Liu Kang mentoring Kung Lao to be his champion presents an opportunity to create a new take in a side story mode or as part of a DLC pack. Kung Lao would be pushed to his limits, and they could even undertake mystical quests meant for gods now that the Fire God is free to roam. This can also involve forgotten characters like Kai or work in familiar faces like Kitana.
Liu Kang's journey has been epic so it would cap things perfectly as he moves from master to student. He's the new Raiden, and this can also allow the former Thunder God some screen time, as one has to feel Raiden's done enough in the main story mode. This story can focus on legacies and dynasties, using more of the older faces so room's created for new ones in the central narrative. This devotes ample time to Kung Lao and helps him reach the level of his great ancestor who beat Goro and Shang Tsung centuries before.
THE TITANS UNLEASHED
In Scorpion's MK11 ending, he used Kronika's powers to go hunting the Titans, revealed to be the Elder Gods' bosses and the true masters of the game. In Shang Tsung's individual ending here, he recruits the Titans to control all the realms so the next game should involve more of these beings. From his ending, we can see a Lovecraftian-looking Titan that's almost a mix of Marvel's Eternity and something out of the Cloverfield world. These Titans come off as behemoths in the same vein as Motaro, Goro, Onaga, Blaze and Kintaro.
Even just having a couple of playable Titans would be interesting. However, they could also be saved for the story mode and depicted as beings trying to avenge Kronika. With Liu Kang now a Time Titan, the Titans may want to stop his mission. He could then recruit heroes to go against the Titans, which can be tied to the new tournament as a new deal struck to determine who should rule the realms. In any case, they've hidden in the shadows for so long so it's about time we get more of them and find out how they connect to the One Being.
Developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Mortal Kombat 11 is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows and Google Stadia. Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath is now on sale digitally.