Khameleon will be joining the cast of Mortal Kombat 1 as a Kameo character.
NetherRealm revealed in a tweet from the official Mortal Kombat account that the copycat girl will be available on January 16, 2024.
Some fans may think that she is nothing more than a female version of Chameleon, so let’s get this cleared up now. Khameleon and Chameleon both officially debuted on Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Chameleon appeared in the PC, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn versions of the game, while Khameleon was exclusive to the Nintendo 64.
Khameleon’s second appearance came a decade later, in Mortal Kombat Armageddon. Once again, she was exclusive to a Nintendo platform, on the Wii. Her return as a DLC Kameo character will be her first appearance as a multiplatform character.
Because of Khameleon’s erstwhile Nintendo platform exclusivity, much of her story hasn’t been fully defined. In fact, she is the only female ninja who has yet to be unmasked.
But we do know that Khameleon is the same race as Chameleon and Reptile. Zaterrans, originally called Saurians, are a reptilian-humanoid creature that have the ability to shape shift, and often disguise themselves in human form.
We also know that Khameleon has demonstrated an ability to mimic every other female ninja’s ability, including use of each of their preferred weapons.
Now, as you may already know from having played Mortal Kombat 1, the title plays fast and loose with continuity by introducing the alternate multiverse idea into the franchise. What this means is that this Khameleon may not be canonical to the world established in Mortal Kombat 1.
Instead, it could be that she is the same character introduced in Mortal Kombat Trilogy, or, the modified version of her character in 3D for Mortal Kombat Armageddon.
NetherRealm’s spoiler image describes her as versatile, utility, and extender, suggesting that she will be an ideal support character. Fans are going to have to test that out for themselves, but if she retains her propensity for mimicry, this may be a situation where you will be able to string together the best moves from several female ninja Kameos, to make even longer combos than earlier Kameo characters can offer you.
Speaking of Nintendo, the latest patches to Mortal Kombat 1 for the Nintendo Switch have not improved the graphics much, but the people who are actually playing that version know that NetherRealm prioritized performance. We don’t know if it will look better eventually, but clearly, with new DLC still on the way, NetherRealm has the opportunity to do it.
