It has been twenty years since the first Mortal Kombat release and ten games later, the franchise is better than ever. Undoubtedly the title became famous from its epic yet graphic fatality kills but if you know Mortal Kombat, you know it is full of Easter Eggs. While the majority of the early Easter Eggs started off as inside jokes, they quickly turned into mainstays in the form of homages to previous Mortal Kombat titles and even other games.
Naturally, Mortal Kombat X is no exception to the expected Easter Eggs; however, with all the new playable characters and killer fatalities going on, you might have missed out on the real action. Don't worry; I have you covered. Keep reading to catch some throwbacks, tributes and surprising twists that you might have missed while playing Mortal Kombat X.
Moloch's Head Cameo
Unless you've been playing Mortal Kombat from the very first game, the significance in Quan Chi's introduction may go over your head. However, if you're a die-hard MK fan, then you would have recognized the forced "cameo" of Moloch. Moloch made his debut in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Allegiance as a sub-boss and as a playable character in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.
Interestingly enough, Moloch was a sub-boss prior to facing both Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. While there is no explanation as to why Quan Chi has his head, our guess is that Quan Chi got tired of Moloch failing to keep challenger's at bay and decided to make a permanent example out of him. That or he thought he'd make a killer fashion statement.
Cassie's Friendship Page & Selfie Fatality
It goes without saying that Cage certainly has a creative fatality that is both gruesome and a social commentary on the new generation's love of selfies. The only difference is, most selfies don't involve ripping your opponent's jaw off and forcing them to take a picture mid epileptic shock. But the surprise isn't in the selfie but in the social media page that pops up.
This obvious Facebook parody features a number of goodies including a randomized stream of comments featuring Sonya Blade, Stryker, and MK co-creator Ed Boon's Twitter handle Noobde.
Not only that, in the top left corner Friendship's rainbow logo is a fun reference to Shang Tsung's Mortal Kombat 2 as well as Johnny Cage's alternate Ninja Mime costume.
Cassie Cage's Taste In Music
We're not the only one's who are fan's of Mortal Kombat's heavy hitting music, as it turns out so is Cassie. Before every fight, we see Cage taking out her earbuds but, if you have your volume high enough and a good memory you can hear the faint sound of Mortal Kombat 3 tunes. We don't blame her though, MK as a whole has some great music, the kind to pump anyone up before a fatal fight.
"Happiness Is A Warm Gun"
If you don't get the title, chances are you didn't get the Erron Black Beatles reference. You probably didn't even get the early released MK hints either that mentioned the phrase. Nothing wrong with that but, you did indeed miss the Easter Egg that referenced not only the Beatles but Black's initial MKX teaser.
When and if Erron Black hits his Sand Trap special, you will likely hear him say "happiness is a warm gun" a nod to perhaps his favorite Beatles song:
Happiness is a warm gun
(Bang bang, shoot shoot)
Happiness is a warm gun mama
(Bang bang, shoot shoot)
When I hold you in my arms
(Oh yeah)
And I feel my finger on your trigger
(Ooo, oh yeah)
It's a very catchy song.
Whip It Good
Erron Black isn't the only one with a musical reference, Takeda's first fatality within Mortal Kombat X is called "Whip It Good," an obvious nod to Devo's "Whip It."
Johnny Cage's $500 Sunglasses
If you know Johnny Cage then you know he has a thing for sunglasses. He also has a very good memory even if it didn't come from the Mortal Kombat games. "Don't you owe me some sunglasses?" Is a bit cheesy but it's a perfect opening line to a fight against Goro, the guy who just so happened to crush the Hollywood star's favorite shades 25 years ago in the movie adaptation of Mortal Kombat.
Ketchup and Mustard
As weird as farmer Jax might be, it really is one of the most endearing moments in the otherwise violent game. It is also where we get another Easter Egg via the posters that feature the names of Cyrax and Sektor as services and products but the surprise doesn't end there.
In a way, it is a Easter Egg in within an Easter Egg because while Jax may have a tribute to Sektor and Cyra, the MK creators add their own tribute as Ketchup and Mustard refer to the early names given to the character's during MK3's development.
Erron Black's Arm Bone Sword
While we may know Black as gun-slinging bounty hunter, he can also handle a sword, specifically one crafted from a Takartan's arm. Yeah, that's not just some fancy sword handle, it is an actual arm bone. If you don't know what a Takartan is, think of Baraka from Mortal Kombat 2.
Tremor's Throwback Roots
While Tremor is a soon to be available DLC character, he actually isn't new to the Mortal Kombat world. The earthquake-causing ninja is actually from Mortal Kombat: Special Forces; however, unless you managed to reach the 100th challenge within the Challenge Tower you wouldn't know that you were able to briefly play as Tremor against Jax.
Shujinko's Cameo
It seems like if an old character makes an unexpected cameo it is likely to end up with their death as seen in the case of Moloch and now Shujinko. Shujinko makes a cameo in Cassie Cage's ending having been tasked by Raiden to hunt down a supposed soul stealer. Like Moloch, Shujinko comes from an earlier Mortal Kombat title: Mortal Kombat: Deception, to be exact.
Ironically, his deceptive ways of stealing other's movesets leads to a case of mistaken identity and his eventual death at the hands of Cassie.
Mortal Kombat's First Gay Character
If you didn't catch this while playing the game then maybe you've seen it floating about the internet either way Kung Jin is indeed gay, making him Mortal Kombat's first gay character. It isn't directly said but it is implied through conversation between Kung and Raiden during a flashback.
When Raiden suggests that Jin become a Shaolin Monk, Kung Jin replies by saying “I can’t… They won’t accept,” to which Raiden replies “they care only of what is in your heart, not whom your heart desires.”
Of course this could be just fans reading into the dialogue but, that was before cinematic director Dominic Cianciolo confirmed that Kung Jin is indeed gay and how pleased he was that fans were so observant to pick up on this.
Well, that's it for the Mortal Kombat X Easter Eggs. What were you favorite secret finds?
Published: Apr 28, 2015 12:10 pm