Summary
Players are noticing a reference to an old feature in one ofMortal Kombat 1’s daily challenges: the Mercy mechanic. While theMortal Kombatseries is infamous for itsbrutal and gory Fatality finishers, other, less lethal methods of dispatching downed opponents have been introduced over the years. This includes Mercies, which were brought into the series in 1995’sMortal Kombat 3and would make a surprising return inMortal Kombat 11.
UnlikeMortal Kombat 1’s Brutalities and Fatalities, performing a Mercy attack would extend a match by granting the receiving opponent more health after the iconic “Finish Him/Her” phrase appears onscreen. Most of the time this would only delay the revived player’s downfall, and inMortal Kombat 3Mercies were used to grant access toMK’s shape-shifting Animality finishers.Mortal Kombat 11’s version of Mercy, on the other hand, only provided players with a trophy and the ability to rub extra salt on the wound of defeat by giving them one last chance to defend themselves.
So far, the Mercy mechanic has been completely absent fromMortal Kombat 1, though one of the game’s daily challenges suggests that this wasn’t always the case. Reddit Supa_Link pointed this challenge out on r/Mortalkombatleaks with a screenshot, with a highlighted achievement offering the player 25 Silver Koins for performing two Mercies during a match. Since there are no Mercies inMortal Kombat 1as far as players can tell, this challenge can’t be completed - though it does raise the question of why the game mentions the oldMortal Kombat 3feature in the first place.
Many theories have been formed to explain this strange reference, with one possibility being that NetherRealm was originally going to include Mercies inMortal Kombat 1- only to cut the feature due to time constraints. Another possibility is that Mercies could be added toMortal Kombat 1in a future update, just likeFriendships were brought intoMortal Kombat 11in its story-expandingAftermathDLC. Evidence for this can be found in leaked audio for upcomingMortal Kombat 1DLC characters like Omni-Man, who mentions the Mercy mechanic in his Announcer voice pack.
In the meantime, not being able to complete all ofMortal Kombat 1’s daily challenges might be frustrating for completionists, who are also pointing out a reference to non-existent “Titan Battles” within the game’s list of bonus tasks. Perhaps these battles will be brought intoMortal Kombatin an upcoming updatealongside the ability to perform Mercies, though nothing is clear at this point.
Mortal Kombat 1is available now for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.
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