14 DAY TRIAL // Mortal Kombat X developer NetherRealm confirms that, while the visuals in the upcoming Mortal Kombat X fighting game are realistic, the violence is tongue in cheek.
Mortal Kombat X launches later this month, and developer NetherRealm has rolled out all sorts of different gameplay videos and many other details so far. Almost all the trailers have focused on the ultra-violent combat that's present in the game, from the trademark fatalities to the brutalities and other special moves.
Mortal Kombat X has outlandish violence, not realistic one
As you can imagine, this controversial aspect of the franchise has always sparked some outrage with each release, but with Mortal Kombat X, NetherRealm wants to make it clear that the violence is a tongue-in-cheek one.
While talking with Polygon, Lead Designer John Edwards confirms that the violence is rather outlandish than realistic. Sure, the visuals of the new game ensure that Mortal Kombat X looks quite real, especially on PC, PS4, or Xbox One, but the general tone is a tongue-in-cheek one.
While seeing the moves in action can be quite shocking at first, afterwards players will have fun thanks to their absurdity and their sheer unrealistic nature, as such moves aren't possible in real life.
"We like to keep everything a little on the tongue-in-cheek side. We don’t try to get the gore to be too realistic. We always want people to do a fatality and at first you’re just like, 'Wow, that’s gross.' But then you laugh about it after, because it’s so ridiculous. I mean, pulling the guy’s organs out? That’s not something that’s realistic violence, right? It looks realistic, just graphically because of the power of the new consoles, but it’s still very tongue-in-cheek and kind of fantastical," he explains.
Mortal Kombat X launches this month, on April 14, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One worldwide. The PS3 and Xbox 360 editions are set to appear in summer.