20 Years Later, Mortal Kombat: Deception's Konquest Mode…

After two decades since the initial release of Mortal Kombat: Deception, this title released during the series' 3D fighter period contains a standout feature that still shines against modern releases. With an RPG-inspired, story-driven adventure that takes the players across the realms of Mortal Kombat in Konquest mode, few other fighting games have ever come close to this level of commitment to a single-player narrative.

What made Konquest unique was how it addressed one of the primary issues with story modes in the genre by blending multiple types of gameplay together relatively seamlessly. By integrating quest design and popular character cameos into an immersive set of maps, Mortal Kombat: Deception was able to transcend the typical boundaries of a 2D fighter's narrative expression.

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By Cameron Swan

The RPG-Like Depth of Shujinko's Quest Still Remains a Highlight of the Fighting Game Genre

Blending Third-Person Progression with MK's Core Gameplay

Deception sees players following the protagonist Shujinko through his entire life, with multiple time skips and pivotal moments shaping his evolution into the character players might be more familiar with today. Guided by an entity known as Damashi, he traverses Mortal Kombat's realms in search of sacred Kamidogu artifacts through a mix of third-person exploration and subsequent 2D combat encounters which can be triggered. Training under various MK fighters found during this journey then allows the player to transform into them in later battles, also making the mode double as a tutorial for learning the game's roster.

Realizing the Series' Worldbuilding

Being able to walk through six of MK's realms provided what is still an unprecedented look into the franchise's worldbuilding. Through exploring Earthrealm, Netherrealm, Chaosrealm, Outworld, Orderrealm, and even Edenia, Shujinko gets to experience the distinct environments and cultures of each locale in a manner that is only implied or referenced in more recent entries. The very map design of these realms is based around their core concepts, and a diverse cast of recognizable characters, several of which exclusively appeared in Konquest in Deception, can be found throughout them for different side quests and rewards. Across decades of Shujinko's life, the player is able to see many top icons of Mortal K ombat history naturally inhabiting spaces with goals of their own in a way that can still seem remarkably organic.

Mortal Kombat: Deception's Open-World Design in Konquest Mode Was Ahead of Its Time

An Appeal to Replayability in an Often Linear Genre

While it's been a major trend to feature open-world exploration in gaming for several years now, this kind of approach was anything but that when Mortal Kombat: Deception's rich Konquest mode experimented with the concept in the early 2000s. This level of freedom hardly made sense in other fighting game series, which still often confine the player to completing fights to move forward through simple cutscenes, if that. In Konquest mode, however, being able to wander the realms to discover hidden unlockables, such as costumes and art, or take on side quests assigned by playable characters, can make it worth returning to for multiple playthroughs.

The Innovations of Konquest Mode Overshadow Its Weaknesses

Despite some clunky mechanics which were hard to avoid at the time, the ambition and scope of Konquest largely outweigh its technical shortcomings and cement it as one of Mortal Kombat's best story modes. For a fighting game in the PS2 age to embrace open-world elements, in a title that was already experimenting with the likes of Chess Kombat, could be considered representative of one of MK's creative peaks. In the current state of the series, where more linear storytelling based around chapters has been the norm for multiple games in a row now, the polish and advancements of modern fidelity could even make a return to an idea like Konquest a worthwhile prospect.

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