The creative director of theMortal Kombatseries, Ed Boon, reveals that the spin-off titleMortal Kombat: Shaolin Monkswas pitched much differently. This includes the character who would have been in the starring role, alongside its gameplay focus.Ed Boonrevealed this factoid in response to a fan’s reminiscence overMortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks.Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, released in 2004, is one of the few games in the franchise that isn’t a fighting game. Instead, this spin-off focuses on both Liu Kang and Kung Lao, after the events of the very firstMortal Kombat. Both monks are exploring Shang Tsung’s island fortress, taking place over the events ofMortal Kombat 2. It was praised for its smooth transition from a one-on-one fighting game to an action-adventure game while retaining aspects from the fighter like Fatalities and combos. Unfortunately, this is the last game of its kind, with some fans lamenting how the game never got a follow-up, a sentiment that a fan shared online that caught the attention of Ed Boon himself.RELATED:Mortal Kombat 2 Source Code Leaks, Reveals Hidden Cut ContentThis tweet was posted by TheSpineRip on Twitter, where they wished that instead of aMortal Kombat 12, they would like to seea revival or remaster ofShaolin Monks, stating it is one of the “best games of all time” to boot. Boon responded to this tweet, stating that he wished Netherrealm Studio could have done a remaster or follow-up as well. He then shared the game’s original pitch, where it would have been a single-player adventure that starred Raiden as its lead.
Another fan replied with a developmental screenshot that Ed Boon had shared a few years ago, this being the first look at the game that would eventually become Shaolin Monks. It featuredRaiden the Thunder God in his classic attire, where he stood in front of a waterfall at night. Fans reminisced that there were a bunch of lostMortal Kombatgames that fell through when Midway declared bankruptcy.
Some find that these lost games were brimming with potential. One of these was anotheradventure-basedMortal Kombatspin-off, the canceledMortal Kombat: Fire and Ice. It was touted to play much likeShaolin Monks, but instead of Liu Kang and Kung Lao, it would have focused on the iconic Scorpion and Sub-Zero duo. Some fans hope that the single-player Raiden-centric concept could be revisited one day, alongside the discardedFire and Icetoo.
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monkswas originally released for the PS2 and Xbox.
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