The first Kombat Kast live stream for Mortal Kombat 1 revealed Smoke and Rain as playable characters. The July 6 broadcast from Netherrealm Studios in Chicago also confirmed Cyrax Sektor, Frost, and Scorpion as Kameos. Other news shared during the stream included a new trailer, followed by a look at Scorpion, Johnny Cage, and Kung Lao.
New Tidbits on the Mortal Kombat 1 Story
As per tradition, the Kast began with a new trailer, which followed the story of the Lin Kuei clan in MK1. In the new game’s timeline, the Lin Kuei have returned to their original tradition as defenders of Earth.
However, Liu Kang’s New Era has been so peaceful that Earth hasn’t needed defending. Now, as Liu Kang sends the Lin Kuei on a mission, the current Sub-Zero (Bi-Han) is asking pointed questions about whether the Lin Kuei should be protecting Earth or ruling it.
Smoke, Rain, New Kameos Revealed
The Lin Kuei’s trailer featured a look at some of MK1’s story mode and featured several character reveals. Smoke and Rain are back as playable characters, while Cyrax, Sektor, Frost, and the original version of Scorpion all appear as Kameos.
Smoke
The return of Smoke marks the character’s first appearance on the roster in over a decade. In the 2011 reboot, Smoke was reinvented as Tomas Vrbada, a Czech member of the Lin Kuei who gained his powers from an encounter with a monster called an enenra. He seems to have returned to that characterization in MK1, fighting alongside Sub-Zero and Scorpion.
It’s also worth noting that the Lin Kuei trailer, along with the character bios on the official website for MK1, seems to confirm that the version of Scorpion in MK1 isn’t our old buddy Hanzo Hasashi. Instead, Scorpion is now the codename for Kuai Liang, the second Sub-Zero and Smoke’s best friend.
Rain
Rain is a bit of a deeper cut. Starting as one of the small army of palette-swapped ninjas in Mortal Kombat Trilogy (1995), Rain was eventually reinvented as a renegade prince from Edenia, one of the other dimensions that got subsumed into Outworld. Due to being the illegitimate son of the god Argus, Rain has the ability to control water. He was previously a DLC character for MK9 and MK11, and appeared as an opponent in MKX’s story mode.
We’re sure to learn more about Rain and Smoke, as well as the other characters and Kameos as we approach launch. Mortal Kombat 1 is scheduled for release on September 19 for PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S. Those who pre-order the game will get access to a bonus character, Shang Tsung.
