NetherRealm Studios has held its first Kombat Kast for Mortal Kombat 1. And it contained quite a bit of new information, including a gameplay breakdown of Scorpion and Johnny Cage.
Mortal Kombat 1’s Johnny Cage has a special meter for taunts
This gameplay showcase after the batch of character reveals went into both fighters before ending in a full match between the two (at 43:34 in the video below). QA lead Stephanie Brownback noted that the characters are a collection of 30 years of history, and the team looked at core moves that it had to bring back, ones that needed a redesign, and what new attacks could be implemented. For example, Scorpion has his signature spear and teleport, as well as his hellfire move he has had in many previous games. However, he can now use a kusarigama for long-range sweeps and a spinning move that can serve as a combo ender.
Johnny Cage can still do a sliding kick and groin punch and is a “mix-up and pop-up combo starter machine.” But he doesn’t have his classic green projectiles or shadow energy because the team wanted him to be more grounded.
NetherRealm has buffed him in other ways, as one of his new moves is a quick dash that he can use to close space, while another new ability lets players spend a bar of meter after breaking a throw to keep the opponent from performing throws for a limited time. His most drastic change revolves around his unique Hype Meter that builds as he performs taunts or if players choose to add flourishes to his special moves.
Fast opponents can punish these taunts, but building up that meter allows him to go into “Kombat Time” where a spotlight goes over him that powers him up. This temporary buff allows Johnny Cage players to special cancel special moves into other special moves, meaning it is possible to do multiple groin punches or shadow kicks quickly in the same combo. It’s also possible to amplify a special move without using the traditional meter during this time.
NetherRealm declined to say when the next Kombat Kast was (more reveals were teased for Comic-Con, though). However, it did note that it was listening to player feedback from the recent stress test and stated it heard all the criticisms of Mortal Kombat 1’s movement. Many criticized how awkward and slow moving around was, especially in comparison to the fan-favorite reboot Mortal Kombat 9. Similar complaints were levied at Mortal Kombat 11’s movement during its pre-release tests, and NetherRealm did end up changing the movement before launch.
