In the second chapter of Mortal Kombat 11, it’s reasonable to believe the world is going to end. Beloved characters have died. Long-slain demigods are rising from their graves. The fabric of time itself is breaking down, and the greatest problem faced by Johnny Cage in this moment is that his unrepentant asshole of a younger self won’t take his feet off the table.
It s a small portion of a larger scene, an emotive moment of frustration while discussing the fate of the world, but it goes a long way towards expressing why I love the writing in NetherRealm s most recent fighting games, despite the unfortunate work conditions they were produced under. Among just generally good storytelling, the studio s writers seem to focus on a larger idea. In epic struggles of good and evil; light and dark; cool ninjas and other, slightly more edgy ninjas; NetherRealm s writers remember the most important conflicts of all are personal.