Are you afraid of scary movies? Because Ghostface is making a killing with Mortal Kombat 1. The iconic slasher will join Mortal Kombat 1 on November 26th, later this month. The game has been going strong with both new and old characters. Ghostface’s introduction falls into one of Mortal Kombat’s later franchise traditions: guest fighters. Mortal Kombat has seen many guest fighter heavyweights join the tournament. Ghostface is just the most recent addition.
Ghostface’s Scary Beginnings
By the time Scream came out, horror movies were getting stale. Horror films included the same tired tropes and ideas. Scream helped breathe new life into the slasher genre by subverting those tropes. Ghostface is the mastermind of the film, a horror movie fan with an extra focus on horror. The original Ghostface was Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, two teenagers who harassed Sydney Prescott. Despite their deaths, the character’s legacy continues to live on. The killer has left his iconic, bloody footprints all over pop culture. Because of this, his entrance into Mortal Kombat is not that surprising.
Ghostface’s entry in Mortal Kombat 1 offers some unique information to go off of. In the intro clashes, Ghostface uses his voice recorder, the same tool he uses in the film. Roger L. Jackson is the original voice actor, and unsurprisingly, he’s voicing him in this game, too. As expected, Ghostface primarily uses his knife for close combat attacks. Remember the second Ghostface from the movie? He shows up as an assist to corner the enemy. The iconic ghost mask is a customizable object for players to use. Many of its options include masks worn by prior killers from the films.
Guest Fighter History
The Mortal Kombat franchise has a fascinating history with guest fighters. The first game to debut them was Mortal Kombat 9, which included Kratos from God of War and Freddy Krueger from The Nightmare on Elm Street film series. Mortal Kombat X upped the scales with iconic new additions like Jason Voorhes and the Predator.
11 marked a transition into the 80s action films with Robocop, Terminator, and Rambo. The Joker and Spawn were also included. Mortal Kombat 1 also featured guest fighters in Kombat Pack 1. Omni Man from Amazon Prime’s Invincible launched during early access on November 9. The superhero Peacemaker on February 28. Homelander from Amazon Prime’s original show The Boys took flight on June 4.
Mortal Kombat’s focus on horror guest fighters feels refreshing. It offers a fun perspective on these characters. They are tailor-made for the gory, flashy game that Mortal Kombat usually is. This goes back to the original Mortal Kombat, where Sub-Zero could rip your spine out with the skull still attached. It is not hard to see why a horror movie villain could seamlessly fit Mortal Kombat’s gameplay narrative. These characters are the main selling points of their franchise and scared their audience for years. Making them playable characters in a fighting game is fun.
Looking Ahead for Kombat Pack 2
Ghostface is the next in line to continue Mortal Kombat’s guest fighters, but he’s not the last. Other characters were revealed for Mortal Kombat 1’s Kombat Pack 2. Conan the Barbarian is a popular sword and sorcery character who debuted in pulp stories. He will debut later this year, bringing his talents to MK1. T-1000 was a breakout antagonist for Terminator 2: Judgement Day. This liquid metal assassin will also be joining MK1.
With just one teaser, Ghostface already has people excited to play him. Roger L. Jackson’s reprisal is just a further incentive for fans of the character. If you are a fan of the Scream film series or an avid MK1 fan, you should check him out.
