The Mortal Kombat 1 gameplay debut is as delightfully barbaric as you’d expect

Revealed for the first time last month, NetherRealm’s Mortal Kombat 1 just got its gameplay debut during Summer Games Fest and it’s an absolutely gorgeous depiction of brutality and blood. Watching as old favourites interact on a new timeline, Mortal Kombat 1 is a bit of a reset for the series after the events of Mortal Kombat 11. Liu Kang has now fully become the Fire God as other notable fighters find themselves back in the spotlight, reigniting old rivalries and perhaps even changing the dynamics of some relationships.

The classic 2D fighting gameplay is of course still here and looks as fluid and delicious as ever, with some snippets of Fatalities giving us a glimpse into the game’s more aggressive and gory side. Check out the gameplay debut below.

Mortal Kombat 1 overall gave a really fantastic first proper showing. With glimpses of the game’s Kameo fighters and some story beats, game Director Ed Boon joined host Geoff Keighley on stage to give some further details. Going into more depth on the Kameo fighters, Mortal Kombat 1 will allow you to select not just your main fighter but also a supporting fighter from a second character selection menu. These Kameos can then be summoned with the push of a button and can be used to help you chain attacks. The Kameos we saw included series favourites Kano, Jax, Sonya and Goro, all of which designed to harken back to their original looks. Some may be disappointed that their favourite fighters have been relegated into a Kameo role, though this does seem like NetherRealm’s way of rebooting the series whilst maintaining an “everyone is here” mentality. Notably, some fighters will appear as both main fighters and Kameos, so you could theoretically play as Sub-Zero with a Sub-Zero Kameo.

Ed Boon was also able to gleefully reveal that iconic fighter Johnny Cage was not just present, but would be voiced by the one and only, Jean Claude Van Damme.

Mortal Kombat 1 is set to release September 19, 2023 onto PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.