A 3D-printed replica of Mortal Kombat’s classic challenge towers is catching fans' attention, and the artist selling them allows customers to choose their own custom roster of fighters. Fans of the long-running fighting game franchise will fondly remember retro Mortal Kombat games' towers, which have players run a gauntlet against multiple opponents on their way up to the final boss - be that Shang Tsung in the original Mortal Kombat or Shao Kahn in the following two sequels.
Even as later Mortal Kombat games began moving toward a more fleshed out, story-driven campaign for their primary single-player content, climbing these towers have remained as a staple side mode. The series has most recently built on the established framework of the old towers with MK11's Towers Of Time, an ever-changing assortment of towers with different objectives, challenges, and attributes which reward players with unlockables and bonuses. However, the arcade-era Mortal Kombat titles remain near and dear to fans’ hearts for being the primary source of the series’ signature one-on-one arcade combat.
Last week, a Reddit user by the handle of maximo4421 posted an image of their replica 3D-printed Mortal Kombat challenge tower to r/MortalKombat, wowing commenters with its high level of quality and fidelity. The custom replica is the work of Etsy artist ANetherDimension3D, who prints copies of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 “Choose Your Destiny” models and sells them on the platform. Customers can customize their own roster of fighters from across the first three Mortal Kombat games, with their "player" character beginning at the bottom rung in true series fashion.
As rumors of NetherRealm Studios already beginning work on Mortal Kombat 12 have already begun to spread rapidly, longtime players are acknowledging the fighting game franchise’s long past in many different ways. Some are reimagining the warriors of MK11 in the style of older installments, like 2004’s Mortal Kombat Deception, or requesting that the upcoming Mortal Kombat 12 feature a massive roster like the combatant-filled Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. Others are crafting and wearing impressive cosplays of their favorite characters, like one artist’s spot-on rendition of MK 11's insectoid fighter D'Vorah.
Mortal Kombat’s classic towers are an instantly recognizable sight for '90s gamers and retro fighting game enthusiasts, and ANetherDimension3D’s custom 3D-printed models capture their simple stone aesthetic and iconic character portraits incredibly well. ANetherDimension3D charges roughly $130 for these replica Mortal Kombat challenge towers, so customers with the cash can bring home their own custom lineup of fighters to hold them over until Mortal Kombat 12 arrives.
Sources: maximo4421/Reddit, ANetherDimension3D/Etsy