How Mortal Kombat’s story mode forever changed fighting games
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This article is part of a new initiative on Heaven32 where we spent an entire month exploring topics we find interesting in the world of video games (and we hope you do too!). May is Development Month, where we will tell untold stories behind the scenes of our favorite games.
Story modes in fighting games have always been a tricky puzzle for developers. The origin of the fighting game genre has its roots in arcades, where the operational design of games like Street Fighter 2, Killer Instinct and Mortal Kombat prohibits any traditional narrative. Instead, arcade games have delivered their stories in small disjointed pieces through character-specific endings, as a reward for erasing a glove of increasingly difficult battles. Despite the fact that fighting games have started to evolve towards home consoles, these “Arcade modes” have remained the standard for the genre when it comes to something story-centric.
But Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe changed everything.
Launched in 2008 by Midway Games, Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe was warmly welcomed by critics and fans alike for his prowess in the game. Today, he is best remembered as a T-rated Mortal Kombat with neutralized violence. However, it was also one of the first fighting games to introduce a four-hour story mode, fully acted and captured on the move.
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“We were really trying to break the mold of fighting games with what is generally expected of them,” said Ed Boon, co-creator of Mortal Kombat and creative director at Netherrealm Studios. “And also just because mixing Mortal Kombat and DC was something dramatic and unexpected. We thought, okay, let’s really make a difference. “
Ed Boon himself presented the idea to the Central Groups of Midway Games, a team of talented artists, artists and producers, but they were not convinced.
“It involved a lot of work, a ton of new technology that was not yet implemented, in terms of video streaming when loading the next fight, and a full memory fix that we didn’t have,” said Boon. “And then he encountered a lot of resistance, and not from the point of view of” oh, we don’t want to work “, but it was rather” is it going to be great? “Really? How? This is a solo game, people will only play it once and then it will end.”
It should also be mentioned that during this period Midway was in the midst of a financial crisis which would eventually lead to its bankruptcy. The team released several alternatives to Boon’s ambitious plan, but insisted that it work. He wanted people to “feel like they were watching a movie and participating in it”.
The team showed Boon moving graphics, “as you would see in some comic book presentations” where music and dialogue were played against still images to tell a story. “I remember experiencing some frustration because I thought,” How aren’t you excited about this? And finally, I forced him. Then [it was] One of the few times I feel like, I got an idea, people weren’t excited about it, and I said, no, you’re not going to kill this. It happens, we will, whether you are on board or not. “
Despite initial resistance, Boon said it only took a full transition scene in and out of a fight for him to click on everyone’s head. It also helped several people on the Midway team gain experience in film, animation, and scriptwriting, and were able to use a skill set they never thought they could use. Of course, they also had the advantage of working with DC.
“[DC] He insisted that we have two writers to help us, so we didn’t make their characters diverge from what they would do. Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray were therefore like consultant writers. They read our drafts and said, no, Superman would say this or Batman would never say it that way. [They] that kept us authentic, “said Boon.
“Fighting games, by definition, require skill and practice that a number of casual gamers simply don’t want to spend time learning.”
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“We are going to be as close as possible to making a Mortal Kombat movie.”
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After Midway sank, the Mortal Kombat team emerged from the ashes and formed a new studio – Netherrealm. Taking everything they learned from Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, they would take Mortal Kombat and its history into a new era with Mortal Kombat 9.
“The dream for us was to be able to tell a true story of Mortal Kombat. MK vs. DC was MK and DC. So it was Batman, Superman and Scorpion, and the novelty was the crossroads of the two. When MK9 came out, it was like, “oh, we’re going to tell a Mortal Kombat movie, we’re going to get as close as possible to making a Mortal Kombat movie. These stories that we told through text messages, endings in the playroom and other less sophisticated forms of media, we’ll finally tell in cinematic, “said Boon.
Obviously, creating a “Netherrealm quality” story mode is not easy, nor cheap. While Boon was unable to comment on the actual numbers, Netherrealm director Marty Stoltz was able to give an idea of the amount of labor required to bring the mode to life.
“It’s a big team, for sure. It’s almost like half a study, I think, [in terms] of everyone who touches it, “said Stoltz.” From the start, we’re going to be working with screenwriters. We’re taking the next step, which will be on board the o-matics. And then I’ll start working with the team animation at some point, just before we’re ready to shoot … and later it’s going to be effects people, audio people, composers to make the music. And we have a team that will record only the Vcams themselves. So we have a modern looking portable camera that needs to be filmed. Almost every movie theater is re-recorded with a comparable weighted Vcam that gets the style we want. So there is another team that is coming, so it’s a pretty huge effort. “
The effort seems to be paying off. The Netherrealm era of Mortal Kombat was the most successful in the history of the series, with Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11 decrypting the 10 best-selling games of their respective years, not to mention the successful launch of a new game IP combat with serial injustice. Of course, these games aren’t limited to their story modes, but Boon sees story mode as a way out of the FGC bubble and reaching the more casual fanatic who otherwise wouldn’t see much value in a fight. Game.
“Fighting games, by definition, require precision and practice and things that a number of casual gamers just don’t want to spend time learning, let alone be good enough [at] playing a random person online, “said Boon.” And so the online experience of getting your ass kicked repeatedly was a diversion for some people. So the goal was to make a solid experience for a And it was, I think it was … it’s at least 50% of the casual gamer appeal of our game, it’s the independent experience of a single player. “
Netherrealm’s influence on the solo fighting game landscape is felt everywhere, whether through direct attempts at rival games like Street Fighter 5, Tekken 7 and Marvel vs Capcom Infinite who tested their own hands in storytelling of movies, or by indirect attempts at games trying to do what Boon did 12 years ago: breaking the mold. Not all fighting game developers have the financial support or the manpower to replicate what Netherrealm has done with its story modes, but the success of games like Mortal Kombat and Injustice must emphasize the importance single player modes in fighting games.