We got our first taste of Mortal Kombat 11 gameplay as footage teasing the game's new characters, fatalities and story was revealed at a live event Thursday.

Developer NetherRealm Studios also showed off the story prologue and some delightfully violent fatalities -- including a variant on Sub Zero's klassic head-and-spine rip.

In terms of the characters, we saw Baraka, Sonya Blade (now played by WWE champion Ronda Rousey), Scorpion, Sub Zero, Raiden (who's gone a little dark), Skarlet and new fighter Geras -- seven of the 25 slots on the selection screen.

There are different variations of characters like Mortal Kombat X, but now you can create your own. You can customize costumes, like Scorpion's mask, spear and swords, so there's potential for infinite aesthetic variety when you play online.

The gameplay mechanics are a little different now too. Your souped attack and defense options are determined by horizontal and vertical meters respectively, while a perfectly timed Flawless Block gives you an opening to counterattack.

In terms of story, this game picks up directly after Mortal Kombat X, with the opening cinematic revealing the moment Raiden beheaded the defeated Shinnok. Series creator Ed Boon hinted that the Thunder God will suffer some consequences for his actions in this game, and we'll see some time travel elements (Raiden first tinkered with the timeline in 2011's Mortal Kombat).

NetherRealm revealed Chronica, the series' first female boss, in another behind-the scenes video and teased us with the prospect of versions of klassic characters from different points in the timeline going head-to-head. It's likely that old school Liu Kang and Kitana will run into their undead counterparts.

For the superfans, there's also a $99 Kollector's Edition with a steelbook case and Scorpion cowl-and-mask bust.

Mortal Kombat 11 was announced with a violent reveal trailer at The Game Awards 2018 back in December, and its cover art was revealed last week.

It hits PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch on April 23, and preordering a copy will unlock series archvillain Shao Kahn as a playable character.

Those who preorder on PS4 and Xbox One will get access to a prelaunch beta sometime in March, our sister site GameSpot noted. GameSpot also has a little speculation on characters we might see joining the roster.

Check out the full gameplay trailer and story prologue below:

First published at 9:24 a.m. PT.
Updates, 12:13 p.m.: Adds details from reveal; 1:20 p.m.: Includes additional details from NetherRealm.

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