storytelling mistakes of Mortal Kombat 11, the franchise has prided itself on gory action, intense combat, and grisly visuals. Though most of the focus goes toward the visceral fatalities and bone-crunching combos, the stages themselves carry just as much weight when it comes to conveying the lore and atmosphere of the tournaments. The series' arenas run the gamut from bridges over dark expanses to bustling markets to other dimensions. One of these other worlds, the desolate realm of Outworld, is of note for how well it personifies the series' harsh themes through its visual aesthetic. The aesthetic of Outworld is primarily the work of one person - its fearsome ruler, Shao Kahn.
Shao Kahn is a conqueror first and foremost. His entire life seems to revolve around finding new realms to conquer through the titular Mortal Kombat tournaments and subjugating the realms he has already subsumed into his own. By the time of Mortal Kombat 2, he had already claimed hundreds of realms as his own. From the moment that Shao Kahn sets his sights on a realm, that realm can expect a future filled with strife, combat, and fatalities.
The realm of Outworld showcases Shao Kahn's brutality through its use of background storytelling, beautifully grisly visuals, and the constant implication of greater evil going on just beyond what players can see, and this is perhaps best exemplified by Mortal Kombat 2's art. Whether it is the skeletons chained in Goro's Lair or the meat hooks in the foreground and background of the Dead Pool, Outworld is constantly shown as a plane steeped in combat, strife, and death. Sitting squarely at the center of it all, much like he does when watching a match in his Kahn's Arena, is Shao Kahn himself. The Kahn not only permits these acts, he's often party to them himself.
Mortal Kombat 2 Shows What Shao Kahn Turned Outworld Into
The Wasteland stage in Mortal Kombat 2 shows what happens to the realms that come under Shao Kahn's rule. Once the peaceful and idyllic realm of Edenia, Wasteland depicts a battlefield full of decaying corpses and jagged rock. The battle implied to have occurred here left a field full of corpses, some still impaled on the weapons that sent them to their doom. The fighters during the game are just the latest in a long line of warriors to spill blood on this ground. Shao Kahn left few standing when he took the realm as his own and left the beaten and battered corpses of those he and his armies slew as a message to all that he brings death and destruction wherever he goes. Given that Sindel's Edenia is only a recent addition to the Kahn's empire (Shao Kahn still claims Mortal Kombat's Queen Sindel as his wife and the princess as his daughter), it can be inferred that any of the realms the Kahn has put his sword to experienced a similar lack of mercy.
Those that didn't die at the hands of Shao Kahn or his armies may very well have wished they had. Both the dead and the living likely found their way to one notorious location in Outworld: the Dead Pools. The chamber itself is a testament to the Kahn's savagery. It is unknown how many victims and combatants have ed through the Dead Pools, but given its names and the copious amounts of chains, it is implied that the chamber receives a lot of use. With visuals dominated by features that look like they belong in Mortal Kombat stage fatalities, like meathooks and bubbling acid, this stage shows the treatment received by those who earn Shao Kahn's ire. When the Kahn or his servants are done with their victims, the acid bath below provides a barbarous, if efficient, disposal option. Given that there is nothing in the way of safety rails in this room, it's not an uncommon sight to see an unfortunate combatant taking a dip in the acid bath after a well-timed uppercut.
Shao Kahn Rewards Mortal Kombat Tournament Champions Like Goro
With Shao Kahn's disregard for life in mind, it's little wonder that bloodsport would be a common form of entertainment in Outworld. The Kahn will often host deathmatches in his arena, sitting close enough to the action to jump in when he feels the urge or is challenged by a contender. The area surrounding the arena is filled with spectator seating that gets packed to the brim every time there is a match. The crowd is active, enjoying the spectacle. The citizens of Outworld are just as much participants in the matches as the fighters themselves. As if a life-or-death battle wasn't enough to raise the stakes, the Kahn often stakes the lives of prisoners (seen tied up in the background of the fightline) on the outcomes of the matches. The sport is a regular and popular event in Outworld, and the reigning champions - tournament winners like Mortal Kombat's Goro - are treated to their own rewards.
Goro was treated to private chambers below the arena, where it is made obvious that the violence doesn't stop there. Skeletons litter the floors and walls of Goro's Lair, chained up or left in a heap in a forgotten corner. The implication is that these are all previous victims, either challengers that he has defeated or victims he has acquired. The fact that he is allowed these grisly trophies further shows the Kahn's callous lack of respect for life, and his willingness to let the corpses of his enemies and prisoners be used as both decoration and a powerful statement.
Outworld is a vicious place no matter when it's encountered in the challenges of Mortal Kombat 11.
