When a group of characters have been in existence for close to twenty years, it's not difficult to fathom the challenges involved in keeping them fresh and exciting. That is the exact challenge that has plagued the Mortal Kombat team for some years, with the majority of the franchise's characters making an appearance in more than one game.
So how does a developer continue to innovate? Dump the character in question from the franchise entirely, or try something completely new and different in an attempt to reboot their persona?
Ex-Midway artist Vincent Proce took it upon himself to answer this challenge, taking classic characters Kano, Raiden, Scorpion and Sonya, and giving them a makeover that strongly compliments the dark and dramatic universe of Mortal Kombat. In his art blog, Vincent describes Kano as a "half Japanese half US military bad ass", Raiden "as a god whose feet rarely touch the ground", Scorpion as "a wraith wearing the yellow blood of the demon that helped resurrect him", and Sonya as "the daughter of a Texas Ranger whose sex appeal weakens her opponents while her Special Forces training kicks their asses".
From the looks of things, Mortal Kombat 9 could turn into a giant success should the team choose to take this path. The series is seriously lacking a dark, gritty, gory and less comical atmosphere, and with character designs like this it's definitely a step in the right direction. Please Mr. Boon? |
