Introducing Ghostface from Scream into the Mortal Kombat 1 World

Heads up, movie buffs! While I won’t spill the beans on specific Scream plot twists or reveal any villain’s identities, I will dive into the traits that make Scream’s unforgettable villain unforgettable and how those played a role in our character design. If this is your first encounter with the famed horror series, I urge you to watch Scream – it’s an absolute classic.

For all Mortal Kombat fans, prepare for the arrival of Ghostface, who will be slicing into the Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns roster on November 26, with early access starting November 19. Who exactly is Ghostface? Well, it’s an identity adopted by a series of vengeful, unhinged murderers. Aside from their notorious penchant for serial killing, they consistently wear the infamous costume and taunt their victims with a voice modulator. You’ll be thrilled to learn that Roger L. Jackson, the voice actor from the Scream films, reprises his role in Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns. When in the act of killing, Ghostface primarily uses a hunting knife, although anything at hand can be deadly. This makes the character a fantastic fit for our game.

In bringing Ghostface into Mortal Kombat 1, we took inspiration from the original Scream film, which revealed multiple killers behind the mask. We wanted to emphasize teamwork as the character’s most deadly weapon, showcasing how they achieve seemingly supernatural feats. Capturing this essence was key to integrating the character into our game.

Given that Ghostface in the original film was actually a duo of knife-happy high schoolers, we designed them with gritty brawler and grappler mechanics. Paulo Garcia, the Principal Designer at NetherRealm Studios, aimed to create perhaps the most throw-focused character in Mortal Kombat 1 to date. It was a gory joy to sift through the cringe-worthy stab sequences from the films to capture and implement the gritty mechanics of grab attacks.

Many moves in Mortal Kombat are inspired by signature Ghostface moments, such as maniacally sprinting towards victims, knife at the ready. Ghostface also has an eerie ability to belly-crawl like a predator, slashing low at opponents’ shins.

In classic horror style, it’s crucial for a villain to appear as if they can emerge from the shadows. The Backstage Pass special move allows Ghostface to briefly retreat, only to reappear from unexpected locations. The Always Outnumbered special move lets Ghostface summon another with an iconic ’90s brick cordless phone, creating a surprise attack from behind. While Ghostface isn’t a typical zoning character, this move offers long-range versatility, keeping opponents jumpy and on their toes.

The Ghostface background partners are more than just assist moves. The lead can delegate gruesome tasks to other Ghostfaces, each with distinctive skills. With moves like Backstage Pass and Always Outnumbered in their arsenal, players can switch between these ghostly sidekicks, each bringing their own twist to combat.

These alternate Ghostfaces share many core attack styles, maintaining the character’s mystique. However, their movesets offer subtle hints to their identities, with unique skills catering to different fighting styles. Some Ghostfaces lean towards aggressive combos, while others excel at range. Players will have to strategically decide when to keep the lead Ghostface in play or tag in a partner from the shadows.

Look out for Ghostface’s chilling entry on November 19 for Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns Expansion owners on Xbox Series X|S, with broader availability on November 26.

The Mortal Kombat™ 1: Khaos Reigns Expansion from Warner Bros. Games showcases the unfolding chaos in Liu Kang’s era. This expansion includes a new story and Kombat Pack 2 featuring characters available at launch like Noob Saibot, Cyrax, and Sektor, with post-launch additions including Ghostface (from Scream), T-1000 (from Terminator 2), and Conan the Barbarian.