With the enormous successes of both the Mortal Kombat film and Mortal Kombat 11, new fans are joining the fight every day. But with 11 games and various spin-offs in existence, catching up on the story is both daunting, especially given that some of the most prominent Mortal Kombat games are well over a decade old. That being said, there is a way that fans can enjoy the history of Mortal Kombat while simultaneously experiencing characters that haven't been seen in more recent titles.
Originally released in 2011, Mortal Kombat was the direct sequel to Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, as well as a soft-reboot for the series. Its story picked up the pieces left from the last game by creating a completely rebooted timeline that saw the heroes and villains of the series reimagined with new looks. Not only did this kickstart a new trilogy, but it also reinvigorated the series for new audiences at the time. A remaster of the game could have the same effect on today's audiences.
Being a condensed version of the first three games told through the stories of various characters, Mortal Kombat successfully updated the story of the original trilogy while still making slight alterations to the overarching narrative. These changes help solidify how this timeline differs from the last but, in hindsight, shows how some characters change in future titles. For example, rather than Smoke be the character turned into a cyber ninja, it becomes Sub-Zero.
Characters like Smoke have also not returned for the series since Mortal Kombat. The sequel, Mortal Kombat X, moved the timeline forward and introduced a new generation of characters like Cassie Cage and Takeda. Remastering Mortal Kombat offers a great opportunity for Smoke and fighters like Stryker, Cyrax and Sektor to get a chance to be played as once again. It also helps explain who they are and why they can occasionally be seen in Mortal Kombat X and 11 but aren't playable.
Two console generations have passed and two games have been released since its debut, and Mortal Kombat didn't even get the luxury of a backward-compatible version for the Xbox One or PS4 that its sister game, Injustice: Gods Among Us, did. As a result, a whole era of players has no idea how or why the alternate timeline was created. Since each entry in the series occurs years apart, most subtle story beats are often lost and create unnecessary plotholes. This is similar to how Mortal Kombat 11 was a direct follow-up to X but built off the previous game, which some players haven't played in years. Therefore, a remaster of Mortal Kombat is crucial for players to understand the full scope of the latest trilogy.
Mortal Kombat is one of the most beloved fighting game franchises in the world. Not bringing its reboot to modern consoles is both a disservice to the game itself and the story established just over a decade ago. Bringing it back would introduce a new generation of players to more fighters, a detailed story and the exciting beginning to the now completed trilogy.