Liu Kang is still the Fire God last seen at the end of Mortal Kombat 11, but every other character is a new iteration of a familiar fighter. In terms of its lore, Mortal Kombat 1 is a reboot for a franchise that has been riding high for the last few releases and a developer that has been pushing the envelope in its genre of choice for decades now.

But because this is Mortal Kombat 1 there is an expectation that some elements of the fighting game series will be starting from scratch. Playing the game at Summer Game Fest’s Play Days 2023, it is clear that NetherRealm isn’t completely abandoning its successful formula, but the studio is adding to it in ways that make everything feel fresh and new.

From a strict lore perspective, there wasn’t a lot to glean from the demo but the NRS devs did say that this narrative reboot allowed the studio to explore familiar characters in new ways. For example, Scorpion and Sub-Zero are brothers now and not the lifelong rivals that they have traditionally been.

Since MK 9, the Mortal Kombat games have offered some really exciting narrative beats and some big swings when it comes to playing around with the lore. NetherRealm took things to their logical conclusion by making Liu Kang a Fire God and literally jumping through time, so it only makes sense that the developer shake things up. It’s arguably the most intriguing aspect of Mortal Kombat 1 – finding out how this story will put new spins on characters fans have come to know and love for over a dozen games now.

But just looking at Mortal Kombat 1 as a fighting game sequel, there is still a lot for fans to be excited about. The introduction of the Kameo characters is sure to be a significant game-changer that forces even the most veteran MK players to rethink their strategies.

One of the more impressive elements of Mortal Kombat 1 that has nothing to do with the actual fighting, though, is the game’s seamless transition from its character select screen to in-game action. Like with past NetherRealm games, after each player selects their fighter the two characters clash and have a brief interaction, but in MK1 the camera then pulls back and the two characters do a little grandstanding and the fight begins. It’s a transition that feels like it could only be possible on current-gen platforms, and one that is sure to be a new standard for fighting games moving forward. Fighting games tend to get bogged down in menus from time to time, so Mortal Kombat 1’s ability to get players into the action sets the tone for the future of the genre.

Those Kameo Chracters also seem to be key to the approach of Mortal Kombat 1. They are not merely gimmicks and as best we could tell they cannot be turned off. Players will come to utilize them as part of their toolset just like burning meter or a Fatal Blow, and more importantly, the advantages each Kameo Character can offer are seemingly endless.

With just the press of the right bumper/R1, Mortal Kombat 1 players can call out their Kameo Character, but how each modify and amplify the main fighter’s moveset is different. The Kameo Characters don’t just run out and do the same move either; they have different attacks available depending on the player’s positioning and choices. Those moves can also be made stronger by using meter energy.

A lot of what we saw with the fighters (Liu Kang, Kenshi, Sub-Zero, Kitana) and Kameo Characters (Jax, Sonya Blade, Kano) were moves that helped keep combos going or that could be used as launchers/combo-starters. Under the control of more seasoned fighting game players, it’s easy to see Kameo Characters leading to some insane combos that are going to be visually impressive and hard for opponents to contend with. There is also a learning curve inherent to mixing them into everything.

Of course, for the Kameo Characters to work as advertised, Mortal Kombat 1 needed to have an already-solid foundation to work from. Oftentimes previews of games that are releasing in a few months show some warts or have some technical hiccups, but MK 1 is smooth as silk. The animations are fluid, the visuals and level of detail is jaw-dropping, and the gore is just aggressive enough to make players laugh one second and wince the next. This already feels like another top tier fighting game and there were only a few characters available to play, from a roster that appears to be extensive.

Mortal Kombat 1 appears to be a good fighting game and more importantly it doesn’t seem to be the same fighting game. Kameo Character do mix things up enough that there will be a learning curve for everyone, novice to veteran. Narratively the characters have been remixed but move sets still hit expected beats albeit with cool twists. For a franchise that has so many tongue-in-cheek elements that Jean-Claude Van Damme feels like a perfect fit, it says a lot that the Mortal Kombat 1 name doesn’t come across as a gimmick to bring in fresh blood. This truly feels like the start of something new.

Mortal Kombat 1 releases September 19, 2023 for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.