Mortal Kombat 1’s second chapter features a surprisingly lengthy tribute to Indiana Jones, with Johnny Cage donning the archaeologist’s famous fedora and brown leather jacket.
Ever since the firstMortal Kombatgame, fans have heard a lot about Johnny Cage’s acting career, with such classics as Ninja Mime, Citizen Cage, and Tommy Scissorfists all being mentioned by him and other characters in the last few games. It’s not something we’ve actuallyseenmuch of, though, as Johnny Cage has usually been presented as a washed-up has-been on the search for his next big thing.
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That’s changed in Mortal Kombat 1, however. Well, not the bit about being a washed-up has-been, that’s very much still here, but we do at least get to finally see one of the movies that Johnny Cage is starring in. Better yet, it’s one loving tribute toIndiana Jonesand the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The reference begins in the second chapter of Mortal Kombat 1’s campaign mode, which focuses on Johnny Cage before he’s recruited by Liu Kang to help defend Earthrealm. As the chapter begins, we see Johnny Cage in the middle of filming his latest movie, which is obviously a reference to the first Indiana Jones film.
Not only do you have Johnny Cage dressed up as Indiana Jones (without the whip, sadly), but he’s also got a sidekick guiding him to the temple who meets with a grisly fate, just like Satipo did. The references don’t stop there either, as once Johnny makes his way past the dart traps at the start of the temple, he meets some demons who are referred to as “Kalima”, a reference to the chant featured in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
The surprisingly involved tribute isn’t just for the sake of a few cutscenes, either, as you actually get to play as Indiana Jones Johnny Cage for a few fights against enemies that resemble Havik and Nitara’s playstyles. I have no clue if you can eventually unlock this skin for Johnny through the Invasions mode, but I hope you can since it’s such a great look for the character.
After Johnny clears his second fight against one of the demons, it’s revealed that the director is named Stephen,yet anotherreference to Indiana Jones and its real-life director, Stephen Spielberg. Considering previous Mortal Kombat games have already revealed some of Johnny Cage’s movies like Ninja Mime, it’s surprising that MK1 decided to do a big Indiana Jones tribute instead of just adapting one of them, but it’s a very nice surprise that really starts the game off strong.
