Mortal Kombat 11: Everything we learned from its debut event

I'll pick your bones clean. Savagery is no match for skill. The wait is over. We just got our very first hands-on look at Mortal Kombat 11. At an event developer netherrealm held for hands and media alike, the studio showcases some of the new systems, characters and gameplay mechanics coming to this year's highly anticipated fighting game. One of the newest things that we are offering this time is the ability for character customization. In MKX, we introduced the concept of character variations but those were kind of set in stone. Now, we are handing all that control back to the player and they are able to make their specific variations exactly how they want. Mortal Combat 11 combines the character customization of its predecessor With the gear system found in NetherRealm's prior title Injustice 2, players can pick between character variations or create their own for a personally tailored experience. So the gear that you get throughout the game and stuff like that is a cosmetic only pick. So the gear, like the mask that Scorpion wears, The sphere of the sword those are cosmetic only piece. And the other loot that drops through the game is called augments. And through those augments you can slot those into each piece of gear to give yourself different stat advantages. We were able to see a total of seven characters that include Scorpion and Sub Zero, along with a mix of familiar Mortal Kombat fighters and newcomers. MK9Scarlet is back as his fan-favorite boracca. Raidon is a bit more surly, going by Dark Raidon, and new character, Garus, controls both time and sand in combat. And in a surprise announcement, WWE and a former UFC star, Ronda Rousy, is performing the voice for Sonya Blade. Voicing a character has been Really different, and really interesting and fun. Because I don't have to think about how I look, and only about how I sound. Sonya Blade, calling in air support. [SOUND] As for the gameplay itself, series mastermind Ed Boon showed off several significant changes to Mortal Kombat 11's fighting systems. Instead of a single meter allowing players to enhance their moves There are now two meters, one for offensive and one for defensive maneuvers. A new comeback mechanic has been added to the game, with players getting what Nether Realm calls a fatal blow once they're down to 30% health. It does significant damage, but it can also grant your opponent their own fatal blow in the process. [SOUND] [MUSIC] The other realm also presented a story prologue for Mortal Kombat 11 with Hoon promising a bunch of time travel hijinks with characters meeting their younger selves, master manipulators getting mad at Raiden's plots and, of course, cinematic spilled rapport. And yes, Mortal Kombat 11's story is a canon continuation of previous games in the franchise. Looking for me, Skarlet? A few pints of blood is all I ask. Trust me, I'm not your type. Round 1. Fight. Well, this is a continuation of our 26-year story arc, technically, and we're really excited to show the next installment of where the story is leading. Really encourage you to check it out, because I wish I could share more about the story, but it's really exciting where it's headed. Mortal Kombat 11 will hit stores April 23 with a beta launching March 28 for those who preorder. The game will be available on PS4, Xbox I, PC and the Switch. Though we haven't seen the Switch version in action yet. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [NOISE] Fatality! [MUSIC] [APPLAUSE]