Mortal Kombat 1’s Kameo System is a lot more fleshed out than we thought

Mortal Kombat 1 is putting the Outrealms on notice with a reboot of the series’ canon and plenty of new content—like adding an assist system into the game. Kameo Fighters will bring an entirely different style of combat to the franchise by letting players further flesh out their arsenal using moves and actions outside of their selected character. 

During Summer Game Fest’s main show, Ed Boon and the team at NeatherRealm Games unveiled MK1’s first gameplay trailer and put a spotlight on Kameo Fighters and their destructive capabilities.

Based on what we saw during the trailer, and what Boon said in an interview with Geoff Keighley, there are plenty of changes to the timeline like Scorpion and Sub-Zero being brothers that will shape things in a new way. And that is just outside of gameplay. 

Related: When does Mortal Kombat 1 release?

With Kameo Fighters, you will select your main character to play as in a match and then go to a separate menu to choose your assist. For example, if you are playing as Scorpion but choose Jax as your Kameo Fighter, you will have access to multiple moves from Jax’s moveset. 

Not only will you be able to call in another fighter to extend your combos or break out of tough situations, but the entire assist system gives players access to multiple moves and even what appears to be multi-character Fatality inputs that will completely change the game. 

According to Boon, all characters can be combined with all Kameo Fighters, which you summon with one button. Depending on the direction or input you are using while hitting that assist button, the Kameo Fighter will perform a different move—leading to tons of creative options for players to mix and match. 

There is a meter that shows when your Kameo Fighter is ready to be called into action, and when the recharge is complete after you use it.

Some characters will appear on the main roster and also be selectable as Kameo Fighters. Boon noted that Scorpion and Sub-Zero will be among those who can be used as both, and you can even pair them with themselves if you want to.

More reveals for the main and Kameo Fighter roster will be revealed in the weeks to come, with a mix of throwbacks and new content.