Kameos are a new addition toMortal Kombat 1and to the series as a whole. This system allows you to call a support character for either offensive or defensive help and gain an advantage against your opponent. But how can you efficiently use it?

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A screenshot of the winning opse of Scorpion and Frost.

Mortal Kombat 1 seems to create a new foundation for the future titles. Unique combo extensions, new ways of poking your enemy, and other interesting situations are introduced thanks to Kameos. In this guide, we’ll explore how this system works and everything you need to know about it, so you can start practicing in the lab.

What Are Kameos?

The Kameo System is an essential new mechanic in Mortal Kombat 1. It’s basicallya tag system feature that lets you call a second character for an assist. This character, called Kameo, can throw a projectile, attack in a particular way, or help you move around the scenario, among other utilities.

This mechanic is the heart of the game, and you won’t be able to get good at it without learning how to masterthe options your favorite Kameo can bring to the table.

Scorpion spitting a fire ball.

How To Use Kameos

Before going into battle, you will select a Kameo after having picked up who will be your Fighter (your main character).You have a total of 15 Kameos at launch, and you’ll have to spend hours experimenting with them to know which one is the best one for you.

Five of these Kameos are initially lockedwhen you start the game. To know how to unlock them, pleasevisit this guide.

Scorpion spitting fire and hitting Ashrah, which makes her juggle higher.

Once you’re ready to fight, you simply need topress one button(R1 on PlayStation and RB on Xbox), and your Kameo will appear on the screen and perform an action.

There’sa circular bar with two chargesbelow your Fighter HP. As long as there’s at least one charge, you can call your Kameo. This barrecovers its meter over time.

Scorpion performing a Kameo Throw on Ashrah.

What exactly your Kameo does depends ontheir list of abilities and if you press the Kameo button alone or with a directional input. For example, Scorpion can grab you with his spear and make you retreat if you press the Kameo button and back, or he can throw projectiles if you press the Kameo button alone.

The different Kameos not only have different moves, butthey also vary from each other in the quantity of them. Some Kameos have abilities that require the up input or to hold the Kameo button, while others don’t have these options.

A screenshot of Scorpio Kameo Moves.

you’re able to also do aKameo Throw. Simply press forward and the Throw button at the same time.

Apart from everything said up to this point, there are a few important things to keep in mind about Kameos. The first one is thatthey can be hit when you summon them. For instance, if you call Sareena and she gets hurt before doing anything, she will disappear before doing her action and you’ll lose one charge.

Sub-Zero grabbing Scorpions Spine while Reptiles is in beast mode observing.

Secondly, while you can call your Kameo anytime you want as long as you have charges and are about to attack,you can’t always call them at any moment if you’re already attackingwith your main character. Also,your Fighter will freezewhen you use the majority of your Kameo attacks, leaving them exposed.

The thing is,most Kameo moves count as regular moves, and just like your normals and special moves have specific timings and windows, most of your Kameo tools also have them.

Following this,you can cancel specific basic attacks from your Fighter into a Kameo move.

There is a type of Kameo attack that can be used more flexibly. This is calledKameo Ambush, andit lets you move your main character freelywhile calling your support. This also allows you to call for your Kameo at basically any moment while you’re attacking an enemy. An example of this is Sonya’s projectile, which can be performed whenever you want it.

While Kameo Ambushes’ flexibility sounds great on paper, please note thatthis drastically increases the complexity and the number of windowsat which you’re able to extend combos, which will depend on your opponent’s attitude and distance from you.

Unfortunately,the game doesn’t tell you which Kameo moves are Kameo Ambushesfrom the get-go. You need to test them by yourself.

How To Do Kameos Fatalities And Brutalities

You can perform Fatalities and Brutalities with your Kameos, just like you do with your Fighter. However,you will have to unlock a lot of them.

To do so, you need tolevel up your Kameo Mastery Rank. This is increased simply by playing the game in specific modes and ways. To learn more about it,you can check this guide.

Once you have unlocked a Finisher for your Kameo, you can check out how to do it in the Pause Menu.