Despite not being affiliated with Marvel’s reboot of the classic video game series, the casual fan may have noticed the teaser of Ghostface from ‘Scream’ in Mortal Kombat 1. With the trend of horror movie crossovers becoming increasingly popular in video games, is the original title is ready for the iconic slasher villain?
Kombat veterans and newcomers alike will most likely be split on the arrival of the Ghostface. He is arguably the most recognizable of the slasher villains, and his appeal could reach out to ladies and gentleman who may have never perhaps considered Mortal Kombat 1. With his staples of a black and white mask, and the trademark “What’s your favorite scary movie?” catchphrase, he certainly provides a common interest between the horror genre and video game fans.
His appearance in Mortal Kombat 1 might also attract more classics fans than modern players. Though sub-zero and Scorpion are the poster boys of the series, newcomer and veterans of the game alike were treated to the classic debuts of Kano, Sonya blade, and Johnny Cage. Nostalgia too counts for a great deal in the modern climate, which would give a sparkle to the original title, rather than the haywire thrown by Mortal Kombat X.
Though this could be a consensus of positive enhancement, the purists of the old-school games could be left bitter. It’s true that crossover events have been done before with Big Daddy from Bioshock, or Spawn from the comics series. But those characters still managed to keep their original appearance and style from their own respective sandboxes. Ghostface is the complete opposite of Sub-Zero with his bow-tie, off-white sweater, and a kitchen knife.
This is also the issue of gameplay, in which Ghostface would be a wildcard of the entire roster, to which current players are accustomed to. With all the classic combo moves trademarked already in the characters from MK1, there’s no doubting that Ghostface could carry his own moveset. Advanced gamers will be left scratching their heads, unable to conceive of how the knife wielding slasher would work against the speed of Sub-Zero’s cybernetic kung fu.
There’s no doubting the power of brand recognition for crossover events between games and films; however, there will still be staunch supporters of both sides who will refuse the amalgamation of the two. It’s ultimately up to the player to decide whether MK1 is ready for the official entry of Ghostface.
