Newly announced earlier this month, Mortal Kombat X is the follow up to the acclaimed 2011 dust-up from NetherRealm Studios. We went hands on at E3 2014 and plucked out a few of the most important aspects of the brutal brawler.

1. There are new characters to fight

NetherRealm showed off just four of the new characters that will be added to an expansive list of fighters both old and new, with plenty more to come in the months ahead.

Kotal Kahn – a descendent of Shao Kahn, he has the ability to summon totems to increase his strength during battle and has a gruesome finishing move that involves plucking the heart right from the chest of his opponent. D’Vorah – half insect, half human, D’Vorah can choose to poison enemies with her moves so that damage continues even after she’s finished her combo. She can also summon swarms of insects and has powerful stingers that can be used to attack her enemies. Ferra and Torr – two for the price of one. Feral-looking Ferra rides on the back Torr. Whilst a touch slower than some other characters, they make up for it in sheer power. Torr can throw Ferra at fighters to attack from a distance. Cassie Cage – the daughter of Mortal Kombat stalwarts Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage, Cassie uses moves from both her mother and father to devastating effect.

2. You’ll need to use the environment

Littered around every level, there are a number of items you can use to your advantage – from bounding off walls to jump over your opponent to grabbing a washed up corpse out of the sea to throw at them – the environment around you is always there to lend a hand.

3. Mixing up your fighting style is key

Every character has three fighting style variations to choose from that can drastically change the way that fighter plays. Among the examples we were shown were Pain and Gain, a variation for Ferra and Torr that saw Ferra watch from the sidelines whilst Torr started the match by stabbing himself, dramatically increasing the damage he can deal. Meanwhile Inferno Scorpion can summon demons to help him fight.

4. The future is now

The story of Mortal Kombat X picks up right after the end of Mortal Kombat, released in 2011. What’s really exciting is that it spans a full 25 years beyond that, so on top of the brand new characters to play as, we’re going to potentially see fan favourites at a later stage in life, as well as seeing Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade winning the ‘worst parents award’ as their daughter heads into the arena to fight to death.

5. Finish him!

Fatalities are back and more brutal than ever. You can see a taste of what’s to come in the announcement trailer above. No doubt you’ll see more soon, but as Ed Boon, Creative Director at NetherRealm Studios told us: “We have these meetings and everyone comes up with ideas for Fatalities. The ones that people say ‘there’s no way we can do that’ – they’re the first ones we work on.”

To keep up with the latest updates on Mortal Kombat X, make sure you keep an eye on PlayStation.Blog.