opponents. The staff of BradyGames considered Ermac a "great choice for the advanced player" in MK Trilogy, but felt his offense was ineffective in close range and easily nullified by using the block button. His main fighting style in Deception and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is Choy Lay Fut, a martial art that specializes, as depicted in his Deception ending, in warding off multiple attackers. GameSpy considered his combo (a timed succession of attacks) abilities "strong" in Deception, but felt his special moves were less effective when used individually. In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Ermac is a boss hidden inside a statue at the Warrior Shrine level. GameFront's Mitchell Saltzman described Ermac in the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot game as a novice-friendly character that experts could use to inflict heavy-damage combos. In Mortal Kombat X, Ermac floats across the playfield instead of walking, and his play style is split into three fighting variations like those of the game's other playable characters. Bryan Dawson of Prima Games wrote that the character was ideal for distance fighting and pressuring downed opponents. Appearances In video games Ermac is an amalgam of the souls of deceased warriors, crafted to serve as an enforcer for Shao Kahn, the evil emperor of the otherworldly dimension of Outworld. The concentration of souls results in his possessing telekinetic powers and referring to himself in plural form. In Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (UMK3), which expanded on the plot of Mortal Kombat 3 to accommodate the upgrade's new characters, Ermac emerges from hiding to prove his existence by participating in Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm and in the third tournament. He disappears from the series continuity until Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002), in which Shao Kahn is killed along with series protagonist Liu Kang by the evil sorcerers Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, but Ermac remains under his control and wanders Outworld without instructions until an encounter with blind swordsman Kenshi, who breaks him free of Kahn's spell out of pity. As a token of gratitude, Ermac teaches Kenshi the Telekinetic Slam. In Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004), Ermac becomes a force for good to atone for his crimes committed in Kahn's name. He allies himself with the spirit of Liu Kang and helps free the imprisoned souls of his friends—Johnny Cage, Jax, Sonya Blade, Kitana, and Kung Lao—who had been killed by the Deadly Alliance and then resurrected and controlled by the