When Mortal Kombat X was first revealed earlier this year, we saw early looks at several brand new characters. In addition to Scorpion and Sub-Zero, NetherRealm Studios showed off Cassie Cage, Kotal Kahn, D’Vorah and Ferra/Torr. Following the initial reveal, we’ve seen trailers for Raiden and Kano. Now we get another returning character in Quan Chi. However, unlike Raiden and Kano, Quan Chi looks to have been revamped significantly compared to his previous incarnations. It’s as exciting as it is mysterious, so let’s jump right in and take a look at what Quan Chi has to offer.
Quan Chi plays a big role in the story of Mortal Kombat X, but for now, we’ll focus on his fighting style. Like every other character in Mortal Kombat X, Quan Chi has three fighting variants. While each variant has a unique set of attacks, all three share Quan Chi’s trademark special moves, such as his Trance. Quan Chi’s fighting variants, meanwhile, are Sorcerer, Warlock and Summoner.
The Sorcerer variant gives Quan Chi access to spells that target specific areas in the stage. What this means is that Quan Chi will have special moves that hit close to him, in the middle of the screen and on the far side of the screen. You’ll need to anticipate where your opponent will be when using these attacks, but in the right hands, they can lead to dangerous frame traps and combos. This fighting variant also gives Quan Chi the ability to increase the power of his attacks, or weaken his opponent’s attacks. One spell even shows off Quan Chi’s armor ability, absorbing an opponent’s attack without interrupting Quan Chi’s attack.
If you choose the Summoner fighting variant, Quan Chi can call forth a NetherRealm Bat to aid him in combat. The demonic minion flies above Quan Chi’s head and attacks the opposing character during combos or as a standalone attack. Every time you use the NetherRealm Bat, it disappears and must be summoned again. The summon special move is quick enough to use as long as you’re not right next to an opponent, but many of Quan Chi’s combos end with enough push back to give you plenty of time to summon the demonic minion again.
When you use the Warlock fighting variant, Quan Chi gains access to his inter-dimensional portals. This gives Quan Chi far more reach than the other two fighting variants. While at least some of the portal attacks seem to have a decent amount of recovery, if you’re not readily blocking in anticipation of a portal attack, Quan Chi can attack no matter where you are on the stage. If you think you’re safe turtling on the far side of the screen, think again.
If Quan Chi’s three fighting variants weren’t enough, his X-Ray move is a projectile attack. It travels at roughly the same speed as his skull projectile attacks. With his X-Ray being a projectile, it makes it very easy to combo into, especially considering many of Quan Chi’s combos knock the opponent into the air. Even on the ground, when fighting Quan Chi, you’ll have to be extra careful as the X-Ray projectile can punish a number of attacks from a distance. When combined with the demonic minion of the Summoner variant, the portals from the Warlock variant and the long-range spell options in the Sorcerer variant, Quan Chi clearly has solid zoning options.
We’ll have to wait until we get a good look at Quan Chi’s frame data before we can determine if he’ll fair as well at close range, but for now he looks significantly improved over his MK9 counterpart. Stay tuned to Prima Games as we bring you more Mortal Kombat X content in the coming weeks and months, leading up to the April 2015 release.
