Mortal Kombat X

Mortal Kombat X is a fighting game in which two players fight against each other using a variety of attacks, special moves, and gruesome Fatalities. The energy meter, first introduced in the previous Mortal Kombat game, allows players to perform techniques such as "X-Ray" special moves. Similarly to NetherRealm Studios' previous title, Injustice: Gods Among Us, fighters are able to interact with the environment, bouncing off areas to reposition themselves or using parts of the environment as weapons. In addition, each fighter has three different variations, each featuring a different set of moves they can use during the fight: for example, the character Scorpion features a Ninjutsu variation in which he wields dual swords, a Hellfire variation which relies more on fiery special moves, and an Inferno variation which allows him to summon hellspawn minions to aid him in the fight. The sprint gauge, which was last seen in Mortal Kombat 4/Gold, returns in this game. MKX features two new types of finishing moves: Quality, which will instantly kill a player's character if they quit during a multiplayer match; and Faction Kills, finishing moves tied to each of the game's five factions. Brutality finishing moves make a comeback from Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 in the form of enhanced versions of certain moves that are triggered when they are used to give the opponent the last attack in a round.

The game's play modes include Story, 1 vs. 1 Ranked, King of the Hill, Survivor, and Test Your Luck. A new addition called Living Towers is an evolved form of Mortal Kombat's Challenge Tower where the play conditions will be changing every hour. Another new mode is Faction Wars, where the players will have to choose one from the five factions (Black Dragon, the Brotherhood of Shadow, the Lin Kuei, Special Forces, and White Lotus) to align with and join a persistent online cross-platform competition with the others, winning points for their faction to contribute in the conflict between them, ranking up personally, and earning special rewards such as faction-specific finishing moves if the player's faction win at the end of any given week.

Plot:

Two years after the defeat of Shao Kahn, Shinnok attacks Earthrealm with his army of Netherrealm forces, including the Earthrealm warriors who were killed during Kahn's invasion and are now resurrected as revenants under Quan Chi's control. After fighting their fallen comrades, a strike team led by Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and Kenshi open a portal to Raiden's Sky Temple and head to the Jinsei Chamber, the source of Earthrealm's life force, where Raiden and Fujin are battling Shinnok and his Netherrealm forces. During the fight near the Jinsei, they distract Shinnok long enough for Raiden to steal Shinnok's amulet and imprison him inside it, but Quan Chi escapes. Johnny and Sonya track him to his lair in the Netherrealm and defeat him, successfully restoring Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Jax to human form, though Quan Chi escapes again. In the years that follow, Johnny and Sonya marry and have a daughter, Cassie, and later divorce. Scorpion reinstates his Shirai Ryu clan while mentoring Kenshi's son Takeda, and Sub-Zero becomes the new Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei after killing Sektor.

Twenty years after Shinnok's defeat, Johnny assembles a team of fighters composed of Cassie, Takeda, Jax's daughter Jacqui, and Kung Lao's cousin Kung Jin. After undergoing a training exercise with Sub-Zero, they are deployed to Outworld to resolve a civil war between former empress Mileena, who has obtained Shinnok's amulet from Kano, and Outworld's current emperor Kotal Kahn, with whom Earthrealm has a peace treaty. Sonya captures Kano and forces him to reveal Mileena's location. Using this information, Cassie's team aids Kotal in recovering Shinnok's amulet and capturing Mileena, who is subsequently executed on Kotal's orders. No longer believing Earthrealm capable of keeping the amulet safe, Kotal decides to keep it in