Why? To train him and eventually make him his champion for…something. Afterwards, he visits the Wu Shi Academy and meets the Great Kung Lao, the ancestor of regular ol’ Kung Lao. Liu Kang possesses the Crown of Souls and goes about forging his new era. Playing as Liu Kang and defeating Shang Tsung will result in the Sorcerer being erased. As a result, there are actually two endings for Aftermath. The main difference is that the player can decide who to side with. In a way, this is a nice tribute to the first Mortal Kombat – the two warriors that closed out that storyline are battling, once again, for the fate of Earthrealm (and all of time). The stage is seemingly set for Shang Tsung to rewrite history but then, Liu Kang arrives, revealing that he – along with pretty much everyone else when the first trailer hit – knew Shang Tsung would betray him. Upon refusing, he drains their souls and takes down Kronika as well. Together with Shao Kahn and Sindel, he reaches the Hourglass to battle Kronika.Īfter the trio manage to take her down, Shang Tsung reveals that he wants Shao Kahn and Sindel to side with him. Shang Tsung is now in control and drains the souls from Raiden and Fujin to augment his powers, confirming his betrayal. Though Raiden learns of Shang Tsung’s plot, he fails to stop him from receiving the Crown from Fujin. This leads to the duo wreaking havoc, killing Jade, Kotal Kahn, Kitana and Kung Lao. During the big climactic battle, he has Sindel revive Shao Kahn – who was never really confirmed dead in the base story so it’s nice to see that addressed. Shang Tsung brings in Sindel to help fight off Cetrion (and eventually obtain the Crown of Souls). So yes, you’re essentially revisiting events from Mortal Kombat 11 but with new twists thrown in. Shang Tsung, Fujin and Nightwing are sent back by Liu Kang to do this although, once again, no one trusts the Sorcerer. But the only way to obtain the Crown is to steal it from the past before Cetrion, Kronika’s mother, can grab it instead. Shang Tsung informs Liu Kang that the Crown of Souls is needed to remake time with the Hourglass.
Refusing to join Kronika, the trio had been imprisoned before being set free by her demise.
In fact, Liu Kang stops short of using Kronika’s Hourglass when Shang Tsung, Fujin (Raiden’s brother) and Nightwolf arrive.
In Aftermath, however, Kitana isn’t seen. Raiden is by his side and depending on how efficiently Kronika is defeated, Kitana also returns to aid him. Upon defeating Kronika – and destroying the Crown of Souls in the process – Liu Kang began his process of remaking history. The latter opposed Kronika, who began the process of remaking time and wiping out all history up till that point. Mortal Kombat 11 ended in epic fashion with Raiden infusing Liu Kang with his powers. So what’s the deal with Aftermath, which takes place right after Mortal Kombat 11 ends, and what does its ending tell us about the future of the franchise? Before we go any further, keep in mind that major spoilers are included here for both Mortal Kombat 11 and Aftermath. Classic characters collided with their past versions, long-dead fighters re-emerged and a new era was forged.
The Mortal Kombat series has always had a strong sense of lore…until Mortal Kombat 11 came along and effectively blew everything up.