Earlier today, Mortal Kombat’s YouTube channel revealed another gameplay trailer for an upcoming DLC fighter in the smash hit Mortal Kombat 11, this one being for the Native-inspired shaman Nightwolf. A polarizing figure since his debut in Mortal Kombat 3, Nightwolf has been criticized for being a caricature of Native Americans, even though series creator Ed Boon has called Nightwolf a “nontraditional Indian.” Nevertheless, the last time we saw Nightwolf was in Mortal Kombat X, where he was a Revenant serving Quan Chi, and wasn’t even a playable character. Now, the ancestral archer is back and ready for kombat, and everyone is a target.
The reveal trailer makes me genuinely excited for Nightwolf, and that’s saying a lot, as I’ve not been a fan of playing as him in what games he has been on the roster. His spirit weaponry is on full display, with his bow and arrow, his infused tomahawks, and even wolf familiars that can pop the opponent up for great combo potential. His Fatal Blow looks absolutely brutal, and his Fatality is his best yet. Nightwolf has had some historically lame finishers, so seeing him with a brutal chest cavity opener of a move had me buzzing for his release date. The mark of a truly great Fatality is the “holy shit” factor, and this one definitely has that in spades.
Kombat Pack holders will have access to Nightwolf starting on August 13th, and he will become available for purchase to all players one week later, on August 20th. Sindel and Spawn has been announced as upcoming characters, in addition to pre-order bonus Shao Kahn and the necromancer Shang Tsung, with two more as-yet-unnamed characters promised.
Mortal Kombat 11 is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. See the Nightwolf reveal trailer below.