I usually do not pay attention to trends on Twitter, but one was strange enough to grab my attention: “Robocop.” It blew me away when I found out he is a new DLC character in Mortal Kombat’s first-ever expansion pack, Aftermath.

Mortal Kombat 11 has been among the most successful games in the franchise, becoming one of the top selling games of 2019. Netherrealm made good use of that money and reinvested in keeping the game rolling. Mortal Kombat has become a platform where new characters can be easily added with great graphics and satisfying moves. MK X gave us Jason Voorhees vs. Leatherface and Alien vs. Predator, and MK 11 is clearing the dispute between Robocop and The Terminator.

What makes MK 11’s engines rolling is that it is extremely rewarding. Netherrealm is constantly adding new skins and finishers, and most of them are locked up and only available after certain gameplays (or purchase, if you want to take a shortcut). Aftermath adds new looks to the game, but also friendships and stage fatalities for free. When those were announced, I was happy I had purchased Mortal Kombat.

A Game of Nostalgia

Friendships were particularly surprising, coming back from the early MK II and MK 3 days. Since lots of MK is fought online, they are a great way to pay kudos to your opponent. And they are extremely cute and funny as well, with lots of potential to be used as memes in the future.

What makes the MK characters particularly enjoyable is the great length they went to actually bring in the original actors—The Terminator is played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robocop is voiced by Peter Weller, Shang Tsung is acted by Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa and Spawn is voiced by Keith David. These bring extra pleasure to the fans of the movies.

Being a gory game, MK has also gone great lengths into fully recreating the characters anatomy. Robocop is part human – break his skull and you will see metal. Break his jaw and you will see human teeth pop up. And he spills oil where others spill blood.

Aftermath comes with a Kombat Pack bundle, which gives access to 6 additional characters. Among those, Spawn is the most vicious who wants to tear his opponents down with every move—from easy Krushing Blows to an early stage Fatal Blow.

What’s Next for MK?

When MK 11 finished, we were at the dawn of time – any possible scenario could play out. Aftermath came as a shock to me, starting right were the original story had ended.

We may either see MK 12 next, or Netherrealm can keep expanding on MK 11. It is already turning into a great battleground to settle years-long disputes.