Living Forest

The Living Forest is an arena located in Outworld. This forest has been haunted for centuries. The trees themselves are sentient, some with faces that groan and roar. Some of the trees are hungry, and unsuspecting travelers may find themselves ensnared in their treacherous branches and become devoured. In turn, those consumed become part of the forest.

Overview[]

In Mortal Kombat II, Jade and Smoke can be seen lurking in the background, occasionally poking their heads from around the trees. A since-disproved rumor had the winning player performing a Stage Fatality where one of the trees would chew up the opponent (this concept was integrated into Shaolin Monks as a means to progress through the level). This version of the Living Forest reappears in Mortal Kombat Trilogy.

The arena returns in Mortal Kombat 4 and Mortal Kombat Gold. It remains mostly the same, only with the exclusion of Jade or Smoke popping out in the background. The stage, like every other stage in Mortal Kombat 4, is rendered in 3D.

The arena's appearance in Mortal Kombat: Deception again remained largely unaltered, aside from being a square-shaped arena rather than a linear one.

In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, the Living Forest is both a Versus mode arena and a walkthrough area players can access through the single player/co-op modes. However, it looks significantly different than its MKII predecessor, sporting tombs and canopy walkways in the trees, and lit by many torches. It also features a variation of the sentient tree that is more humanoid and spindlier in shape and tries to swat at and toss unwary individuals about. The original larger trees can be used as a death trap for players to throw enemies into where they devour anyone unlucky enough to fly into their mouths. Snakes also inhabit the murky waters of the area, and they attack anyone who stumbles upon their territory.

The Living Forest returns once again in Mortal Kombat (2011), this time with corpses laying around and hanging in the trees, and the tree faces now have a more skull-esque shape. This new Living Forest is home to a new Stage Fatality where the opponent can be thrown into a tree's opened mouth. Soon afterward, the tree begins to feast on the kombatant's flesh, leaving only the legs behind.

In Mortal Kombat 11, the Living Forest appears as one of the many arenas in the Retrocade arena that appears on the monitors in the background.

MK Comics[]

In one of the MK comics, the forest is said to have once been a part of Edenia, where it was known as the Laughing Forest, as the trees were jolly and filled with mirth.

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Part II[]

There were some flashbacks involving Liu Kang and Kung Lao traversing thru the deadly forest, especially when the latter was involved in a lethal scrimmage against Reptile and his snake, before he fought against Komodai and the Saurian stragglers; thru that, he confused Komodai as Reptile.

Mortal Kombat: Shinnok's Uprising[]

Kung Lao and Aiko wound up there as they escaped from the overwhelming Army of Darkness. He heeded her to hide in the nearby cave as he unleashed his lethal Tornado to clear the lethal wave. Moments later, Kitana emerged, and she assisted the duo before they settled. She and the Edenians were in the process of restoring the forest to normal and draining Shang's souls and corruption over the trees, but many fellow Edenians failed trying. The trio wound up at a desolate bog and another Raptor attacked, leaving the women vulnerable, while Lao dealt with him. The skilled former monk was successful, and he introduced himself as Syzoth, a general who's very territorial and protective over his decimating race. That bog led the way to their lost, neglected realm of Zaterra, and they headed to the ruins to recruit the Saurians against Shinnok and Quan Chi.

Mortal Kombat: Vengeance[]

The Living Forest was encountered again as the Kombatants traversed thru it. Liu Kang's spirit, with Kung Lao as his retainer, came to the conclusion that it was the same forest, albeit dormant without the enemies and the mutated trees. Lao stated the Edenians lost so many lives, as did the Saurians, while ridding the corruption. Aiko noticed a ruffle behind her, though she and Lao saw nothing. They didn't even notice a pair of bright turquoise eyes piercing the darkness. Lao chased after an ominous figure there, who turned out to be Jax. Sonya stubbed upon Cyrax's missing arm console, and the heroes eventually reached the thriving kingdom of Edenia!

Return of the Dragon King[]

The Living Forest, along with the barren Outworld frontier, was the battleground for Onaga and his army against the Edenian resistance! The Saurians also made several traps there, including pouring acid from aloft, having the living trees pierce thru the enemies, and have the Saurians ambush them utilizing their invisibility. There was a vicious battle between the Resistance and Onaga's army and the melee started once Smoke covered the forest floor before he open fired a couple rockets, even when Jax quaked the woods and made the trees topple. It was just an overcrowded area as bodies fell everywhere, even when Nightwolf had to absorb the army's tainted souls for him to breach the Netherrealm. Enemies were everywhere, even the formidable ones such as the revenants, Sonya and Jax, Hotaru and the Seido soldiers, the Tarkatans, and Baraka and his ferocious present self! Once Hotaru was bested by Dairou and Darrius, and when the time-displaced Baraka had the upper hand, the melee began to turn to the heroes' favors, even when Onaga was separated from Reptile!

Within the forest, Kuai and Baraka were the last ones. Sub-Zero began to treat the Tarkatan's wounds from his double and waited for Sonya to create a portal to Arctika. He soon returned there as Lao and Liu were recuperated, although Baraka would rather rest at his Tarkatan Kamp than in an ethereal place such as Raiden's Sky Temple.

Trivia[]

In Mortal Kombat: Deception, the faces are static and do not make noise.
The tree faces seen in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks are based on Ed Boon's visage.
In Mortal Kombat (2011), Smoke (in his MKII costume) occasionally appears behind the trees, without Jade. Pressing down + select (PS3)/down + back (360) when he appears will initiate a secret battle with Smoke.
This place was chosen as one of Ikran's all-time favorite Forest Levels in Video Games.