Mortal Kombat 1’s new Kameos system looks like it’s going to add a lot of variety to the upcoming fighter’s gameplay. For those who haven’t been keeping track of the title, these side-kicks are selected separately from the main roster, and can be called into battle using the R1 button and a direction. They can do various things in combat: extend combos, start juggles, and interfere with the flow of opponents.

The other really neat thing is that they have their own Fatalities, as we see glimpsed in this GameSpot gameplay video, as classic Jax Briggs grows in size and stomps on his opponent. This means there’s going to be a lot to explore in the final game, because you’ll be able to choose whether you want your main character to Finish Him/Her – or your accomplice.

Kameos are also involved in Fatal Blows, and it’s really clever the way this works. Judging by the gameplay footage above, your side-kick will setup the attack, which then segues into your main character’s animation. It’s really seamless the way NetherRealm’s assembled these, because even though the setup remains the same, it all flows naturally regardless of the main character.

We’re seriously impressed by what we’ve seen of the Kameo system so far, and we’ve barely even scratched the surface of what’s possible from a pure combat perspective. It’s going to add so much gameplay variety to each character, as you’ll have dozens of different accomplices you can pair with your main. The fact that they even have their own Fatalities is the icing on the cake!

[source youtube.com]