new characters into the MK universe is
making sure they feel like they have been
a part of the universe all along. We don’t
want them to feel any different than the rest
of the established characters. We do try and
give new characters mechanics that haven’t
existed before, but still have that MK feel.
Take our new character Geras for example, he
can actually take time off the match timer,
add time to the match timer and even rewind
time. This is something we have never done
before, but all still fits in the MK universe.
There are lots of changes to the core fighting
for Mortal Kombat 11 – what’s been your goal
this time around? What ‘feel’ is the team
going for?
The big changes we made to the core fighting
mechanics for MK11 were separating the
players’ meter and having Fatal Blows not
require meter. Before, the player was forced
to manage one bar of meter for both offensive
and defensive attacks. By separating the
meters, players can break out of a combo and
still have meter to amplify special attacks.
The player also regains meter over time, it no
longer requires the player to take or receive
damage to fill up their meter. Fatal Blows are
similar to X-ray moves that we had in Mortal
Kombat X, however they no longer require
the player to use meter. Before, players were
required to decide on whether to use their
meter to perform an X-ray, combo breakers or
to enhance special moves. Fatal Blows can
only happen when the player’s health reaches
below 30%, and it can only be used once per
match, it’s really a nice comeback feature
that can tilt the match in either direction if
you can land it.How much do you, or are you able to, take
on-board fan requests and include things at
the suggestion of the MK community?
I think the fans influence the game more than
they realise. However, not when they think
they are. For example, when MKX came out
we paid a tonne of attention to fan response
and feedback, same with Injustice 2, and so
many decisions the studio made about MK11
were influenced by fan responses to past
games. We even had focus tests done with
our previous games to ask specific questions
of the fans to help influence decisions for the
newest game. Most things fans ask for andwant can’t be accomplished in a day, so there
is just a bit more lead time on things. Like, if
you tweet at Ed Boon (@noobde) today about
a character you want in MK11, it’s too late for
the on-disc roster for sure, but maybe DLC.Does this game feature a Krypt? What can we
expect from it?
Yes, there will be a Krypt! You can expect it to
be fun. I don’t want to oversell it, for sure, but
I think it’ll be a nice surprise to the players
when they see the direction the Krypt has
taken in this game.Are there any other game modes included
within the game?
I sometimes forget everything we’ve already
announced, but I know I can say this. Yes,
because we plan to keep adding to the game
and supporting the game well after launch.
The features planned to be added to the
game even in the first couple months are
pretty awesome. There is more coming.Finally, who is your favourite character to
play with? And do you have a particular set up
for that character?
Favourite characters are always tough.
I’ve been a Goro guy since Mortal Kombat:
Deception, I was a Liu Kang guy before that.
In Mortal Kombat 11, I’m again leaning
toward Liu Kang, but the final gameplay
polish is not on the characters yet and
some others are also in contention,
although I cannot say who, as some
are not announced yet!“We try and give new characters
mechanics that haven’t existed
before but still have that MK feel”
MORTAL KOMBAT 11
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