Three more fighters have joined the base roster for Mortal Kombat 1, and it's good news for Outworld fans. Li Mei, Tanya and longtime Kombatant Baraka will be in the game from launch, fully playable.
Baraka has appeared in many Mortal Kombat games, most recently Mortal Kombat 11. Tanya was last playable in Mortal Kombat 10, making a brief cameo in Mileena's MK11 ending instead. Li Mei, however, has been largely absent from the series since Mortal Kombat: Armageddon in 2006. Her last sighting was as a non-playable character in MK10, so this will be the first time she's been part of the fight since the 2000s.
All three fighters will be on the main roster, not downgraded to Kameo spots like Goro and Darrius. The trailer also gave us a look at each of them in action, and the gameplay is looking as brutal as ever.
Perhaps most interestingly, however, we finally have more of an idea of what the hell is going on in this new timeline. Once again, it's reiterated that both Mileena and Kitana are part of the Edenian royal family. They are protected by the all-female Umgadi, fighters who train from birth. Li Mei seems to have been banished after she failed to protect Mileena and Kitana's father - presumably King Jerrod - who was then murdered. Again.
Tanya appears to be the head of the Umgadi now, working closely alongside Mileena. Quick aside, I'm fully convinced Mileena and Tanya are going to be a thing in this game too. I mean, c'mon, NetherRealm's been teasing us for two games now. Let the girlies get together, please. Anyway, we then get a better look at Mileena's infection of the all-new Tarkatan disease - the name that previously belonged to Baraka's race.
But Baraka is here, so in this new timeline, it turns out he was a normal dude until he contracted this ailment. All Tarkatan were, and they're not doing so great. This doesn't bode well for Mileena, even if her allies hope Liu Kang will provide a cure - something he hasn't done for the hundreds already afflicted. Some god he turned out to be.
Then, as a treat, we get a look at the new fatalities that the fighters are bringing to the table. It may to too early to call it yet, but Li Mei's is getting a lot of attention. I'm not surprised. It's uh, creative.
Mortal Kombat 1 will launch on September 17, later this year. It will be available on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.