Ghostface will be coming to Mortal Kombat 1 on November 19, and for as long as guest characters from other worlds have been present in our games, the Woodsboro serial killer has been in our mix as a dream addition. Horror villains have always been a perfect fit for the gritty, macabre, and over-the-top Mortal Kombat universe, and it was only a matter of time before Scream’s anonymous attacker, Ghostface, showed up.
That time has come and we had to answer many questions when designing Ghostface for Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns. How does this horror villain translate to a fighting game? And what will Ghostface look, sound and play like?
The overall look is of course familiar: the classic mask, robe and knife. Although it did present some surprising challenges in a fast-paced video game. Most costumes contain physics-based fabric elements, but no other costume is made entirely of fabric. In addition to the fact that the robe is made of tender material from head to toe, there are long strings of fringes of ghostly material trailing behind it. These are just the kinds of things that can easily go off unexpectedly and capsize in the heat of battle if you’re not careful enough. Our technical artists and animators worked back and forth to perfect everything, so to speak, to make Ghostface’s iconic duds look their best.
Although Mortal Kombat is famed for its masked ninjas, our combatants have sophisticated facial animations that highlight the action. Even among our masked characters, there are usually skin or equipment options that allow you to reveal your entire face during gameplay if you wish. But not here, because the stiff, unfeeling mask is a distinctive detail of the outfit. In the absence of facial expressions, we made sure to capture additional character movements during motion capture and in-game animation, so that, just like in movies, with the slightest tilt of the head or gesture, a lot could be seen – malice or humor, frustration or elation, rage or reserve.
And sound is as essential as movement. Roger L. Jackson returns to reprise his role as the voice of Ghostface from the films, which is probably the most memorable recurring storyline in the entire series. Thanks to readily available voice modification devices in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California, many different psychos have disguised their own voices over the years using Roger’s modulated voice, and our killers are no different.
And we know who’s there. Fans of the Scream franchise know that Ghostface is an identity assumed by various unstable people in each film, so there are many surprising and iconic portrayals to choose from. While the character’s face is covered by a mask during fights, the killer underneath is occasionally revealed during climactic moments. In movies, this usually happens with dramatic flourish when the killers’ identities are finally revealed. In Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns, this happens during cinematic, high-definition Fatal Blows and finishing moves. And our “canon” Ghostface for this moment is none other than Billy Loomis, one of the Ghostface killers from the original “Scream” movie.
And he is not the only blast from the past lurking under that mask, behind that voice, in the shadows. In movies, there’s usually not just one Ghostface, and that’s true here too. There are a few surprises in store for longtime Mortal Kombat fans looking to explore, including the addition of the OG’s assist, Woodsboro Ghostface. After all, this isn’t the first time Ghostface has sought the assist of a hired serial killer!
Ghostface’s moveset in Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns is also to die for. Of course, the character is packed with gory finishes in the form of brand recent Fatalities, Animalities, and Brutalities that winners can dish out after their victories. It was a grim pleasure to revisit the classic films themselves, looking for scenes to pay homage to, deciding what kind of attacks to launch and how they would lead to different attacks. Scream fans may have some of the most surprising and (sorry) eviscerating downfalls of beloved characters they’d expect to see mentioned, and while I wouldn’t dare spoil them here, we made sure to include some fun twists you might not expect.
We hope you enjoy Ghostface joining the lineup on November 19 as part of the early access period for owners of the Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns expansion on PlayStation 5, after which he will be available for purchase on November 26.
