Mortal Kombat 1is bringing back many old, familiar faces, both as playable characters and in the form of assist Kameo Fighters. One of those characters is Li Mei, who last appeared in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon back in 2006. Many people were disappointed when she showed up in a reveal trailer, but opinions about her shifted greatly once the preorder beta came around.
In Liu Kang’s new era, Li Mei was part of a group of warrior priestesses called the Umgadi, tasked with protecting Outworld’s royal family. However, she would end up being blamed for the death of the princess’s father, causing her to quit the Umgadi and join the police force in Outworld’s capital, eventually becoming the First Constable. Despite seemingly being exiled, she’s still faithful to Umgadi and hopes to redeem herself. It looks like it’ll be an interesting part of Mortal Kombat 1’s story, but the real question is, how does she play?
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Her appearance in the Umgadi trailer didn’t leave a lasting impression on people. You had other characters like Tanya doing flashy moves with her staff, and Baraka slashing out deadly and lengthy combos. Li Mei didn’t have much of a showing in comparison, with her combos being mediocre in terms of presentation. The only thing that wowed people was her fatality, which many called very creative. But that was it.
This had people wondering what the point was in even bringing her back. She historically didn’t have a distinct playstyle, being widely regarded as a female Liu Kang; a character more defined by her physical features than her unique moves or feel. She also wasn’t treated well following her appearances, being reduced to a literal NPC in Mortal Kombat X. So when she was revealed as a playable character again, people were expecting more from her, and she felt pretty bare-bones compared to other characters.
Once people tried Li Mei out in the beta, that opinion quickly shifted. Her kit, while still not being anything extraordinary, had more to offer than people initially expected. I especially liked her lantern special, which acts as both an aerial control to ward off jumping and a combo extender that you can launch and pull enemies into. I ran into her more than any other character during my time in the beta, including the other newly added character, Johnny Cage (who people also found to be way more interesting and unique). It’s safe to say that Li Mei was one of the most-played characters in the beta.
The trailer didn’t do Li Mei any favors, but keep in mind that she’s meant to be a basic and straightforward character. There wasn’t muchNetherRealm Studioscould’ve shown with her that would’ve blown people away without going deeper into her capabilities than most trailers normally do, and viewing a trailer is rarely the same as trying out the character for yourself
Li Mei may not be the most complex character in Mortal Kombat 1, but as impressions from players' experiences with her in the beta show, she doesn’t need to be. Her moves have great potential on their own, and her simplicity makes her very enjoyable. This proves that a basic playstyle doesn’t have to be a boring one.
