Nightwolf is the latest Mortal Komabt 11 character to be unveiled via a gameplay trailer ahead of his August 13th early access DLC release. First appearing in MK3, Nightwolf joins Shang Tsung, Sindel, and Image Comics' Spawn as the first set of downloadable characters for MK11, which has been out since April 2019. Two more upcoming guest characters have also been announced, but they are as-of-yet still unnamed.
Originally born as Grey Cloud, Nightwolf is a member of the fictional Native American Makota tibe and was chosen by their Great Spirit to be its champion and protector. Nightwolf joins the convoluted timeline of MK11 in his younger form, having been last seen as an undead Revenant under Quan Chi's control in Mortal Kombat X. While previous incarnations of Nightwolf have been criticized for a lack of ingenuity in the character's fatality department, the one shown off here is perhaps one of the more gruesome finishing moves in the game.
In the announcement trailer he can be seen sparring with Kabal, another MK3 fan favorite that returned for MK11. All his classic special moves return, including the shoulder rush, calling lightning down from the sky, and the ability to conjure energy weapons like bows and knives. New to Nightwolf's arsenal are animal-based attacks, where the shaman summons transparent spirit creatures to defend, buff, and attack in combat. Check it out, below.
Purchasers of the $39.99 MK11 Kombat Pack will also be receiving retro-themed arcade fighter skins for Jax, Kano, and Kung Lao. So-called "Klassic" skins have been a staple of Mortal Kombat DLC packs since MK9, available for free to Kombat Pack owners and then released a week later for everyone else to buy individually. Another additional, all-new player skin called War Games will be releasing for Ronda Rousey-voiced Sonya Blade as well.
Nightwolf, although many players personal favorite, has long been considered a somewhat offensive character in the eyes of the public. In 2012 he was named the most stereotypical character in all video games by Complex magazine, and although his MK9 reboot gave him a more rounded persona it's still easy to make parallels to Native American tropes. While it's never a good idea to go around looking for positive representation in a game that features fully-rendered testicular explosions, at least Mortal Kombat 11's Nightwolf seems far less directly offensive than characters like Killer Instinct's Chief Thunder, and thankfully, the severe crunch studio NetherRealm has (so far) restrained themselves from picking the low-hanging fruit of creating a scalping fatality.
Source: Mortal Kombat/YouTube