Mortal Kombat 1 is Proof That Nostalgia is the Key to Success

The latest game in the Mortal Kombat franchise, Mortal Kombat 1, has been an interesting study on the current state of the classic American fighting game series. Serving as a soft reboot after the prior universe ended in Mortal Kombat 11, Mortal Kombat 1 has attempted to reinvent the franchise in several ways while also calling back to many of the characters and concepts that made it popular in the first place. Celebrating the history of Mortal Kombat while also trying to build on it has proven to be divisive, but it hasn’t been a totally fruitless effort.

Rumors of whether Mortal Kombat 1 will see more DLC after its second Kombat Pack are clashing with vague statements from director Ed Boon and the currently-absent Jade’s MK11 voice actress, Mela Lee. The next Mortal Kombat, if that’s what NetherRealm Studios’ next game is, may already be in production, and it has a lot of fan feedback it can take from Mortal Kombat 1. Many suggestions, like de-emphasizing the new multiverse, reverting from Kameo Fighters back to a 1v1 fighting system, and exchanging the randomized loot for another Krypt, all sound like calls for a return to Mortal Kombat’s heyday, and one recent MK1 addition proves that.

Mortal Kombat 1’s New Secret Ninja Is A Blast From The Past

Floyd’s Nostalgic Appeal Grabbed MK1 Players’ Attention

As part of the Conan the Barbarian update for Mortal Kombat 1, a new secret boss fight was also added. Players slowly unraveled what was akin to an in-game ARG over the next few days, spurred on by the occasional appearances and references to a new pink ninja named Floyd. This Pink Floyd reference was ultimately found to be the final opponent after players cleared ten random challenges in Versus mode or the Towers of Time, and beating his best-of-color ninja moveset unlocked a whole new stage and a set of cosmetics.

It all sounds like a fun bonus to sweeten Mortal Kombat 1’s later years, but fan response has been something else. The online Mortal Kombat 1 community came together in a flurry of activity that isn’t normally seen around aging NRS titles. Steam player numbers didn’t set any records or even match prior DLC drops, but social media and forums were abuzz with people researching, experimenting with, and theorizing about Floyd. All of this sprang from Mortal Kombat 1 referencing secret fights from its past, which is too much for MK’s future to ignore.

What Future Mortal Kombat Entries Can Learn From Floyd

Mortal Kombat has long maintained a tongue-in-cheek, self-referential style, but Floyd’s impact proves that there’s plenty of nostalgia left for the franchise to cash in on. Floyd being modeled after the secret characters and stages that have been in the series ever since Reptile appeared inside MK’s Pit stage worked wonders, especially because there hasn’t been anything truly like that for a while. For all the nostalgic cheat codes, unlockables, and general content that Mortal Kombat (2011) boasted, it just recycled old hidden fights. What worked in the past, done in a new way, may be the secret to Mortal Kombat’s success.

Leaning On Nostalgia Works For Mortal Kombat

For its next game, NetherRealm Studios needs to identify all the little touches that players loved about Mortal Kombat back in the 90s, and bring forward as many as possible. It’s done it before with Mortal Kombat (2011) to great success, and it could do so again if secrets like Floyd are in the next MK at launch. Nostalgia has a lot of sway over the drive to play games, and hidden features and unlockables tapping into it can motivate players to stick around for much longer than they otherwise would have. Mortal Kombat 1 has made some mistakes, but it could be forgiven for uncovering a path back to MK’s roots.

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Released

September 19, 2023

ESRB

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M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

Publisher(s)

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Warner Bros. Games

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