The story of Mortal Kombat X is very expansive which allows us to explore more personal and intimate settings than ever before, including D'Vorah's quarters. As a high ranking member of Shao Kahn's regime, she's been given the Outworld equivalent of a penthouse suite, so we designed an airy, expansive space that opens out onto a balcony, giving her a commanding view of the city.

Rather than designing the apartment to look like it was personalized to D'Vorah's tastes, we took the opportunity to bring the architecture of the city inside. The walls are made of thick stone, the ceiling is reinforced with giant timbers, and the furniture is rugged and rustic. We also hung weaponry and banners bearing the Kahn's sigil as a constant reminder that living there is a privilege, not a right.

We didn't want D'Vorah's quarters to be completely devoid of her insectoid style though, so we gave her a habitat for her larvae where they can get a small taste of home. We gave it a slimy, organic look to contrast with the hard, manmade structures surrounding it.

With the expansive nature of the story in Mortal Kombat X we ended up designing a lot of different vehicles, including the ship where several of the characters are held captive.

Since this is an Outworld vessel, we continued the approach we took with some of the other new Outworld locations by looking at lots of different ancient cultures for inspiration -- Egyptian funerary ships, Greek Trireme war ships, the great treasure shipsof China, as well as pirate ships - and combining them into something new and interesting.

We wanted the ship to look fast, powerful and intimidating so we gave it a sleek profile and a single sail, but also an armored hull and battering ram.

Below decks, the holding cells are spartan and battered, having hosted many unwilling and unruly guests over the years. Light filtering in from the portholes gives the environment a menacing and claustrophobic feel.

When players first see Jax in story mode it's important that they understand that he's not just retired - he's completely removed himself from the world of Mortal Kombat. Briggs Farm visually represents that separation -- a remote, quiet place where the most advanced technology around is an old tractor.

At the heart of the farm is the barn, which acts as Jax's sanctuary. A place where he can use hard, physical work to exorcise his personal demons as well as a place where he can keep safe his memories of better times with old friends.

With that in mind, we wanted the barn to have an old, timeless look -- faded red paint, weathered wood, and full of tools and equipment that had been handed down through several generations of the Briggs family. If you look closely on the walls, you also find a few in-jokes for longtime fans of Mortal Kombat.

The centerpiece of the set is the old tractor that Jax is working on. Maybe Jax sees a lot of himself in it -- an old machine that's seen better days.

The main focus of Kotal Kahn's Chamber and Tent was that we really wanted to put a lot of influence from his outfit that was Aztec inspired. His chambers was set up for the dramatic shot of the meeting in front of the stone opening overlooking the Outworld City he now rules. Pulling in elements from his background "Emperor's Courtyard" gave the player a feel of what the interior would look like. From the Giant Bronze Snakes to the serpents wrapping around the pillars. His table shares these elements as well with the arm chairs molded in form of a snake. Another idea we had was to have giant bust of Sindel and Shao Kahn that where badly damaged.

His Tent we wanted it to feel regal but at the same time rugged. Thick animal skins sewn together for the outer shell with rich red drapery inside. Kotal Kahn's Throne is portable so we made more regal. He always keeps trophies and artifacts around him to remind him of his victories.

Here we have Sub Zero's Throne room and his fellow Lin Kuei Clan members. His Throne Room was inspired from Chinese Temples with paper windows and cloth banners. We wanted the Lin Kuei Symbol to be prominent in the Throne Room. His Throne was based off an ancient Chinese Style Throne. We wanted to give the Throne a magical quality so we decided to make it out of ice that never melts. The arch over the throne is in the style as the stone arch from the exterior.

The Lin Kuei Clan members where designed with Sub Zero in mind. Using similar cloth wrapped armor plates on the arms and shins with padded leather. The Lin Kuei Symbol and mask we felt was a must.

The final scene of the story takes place in the throne room of Netherrealm's palace. Although it's a brief scene, we wanted something grand for the end of the story - part palace, part cathedral, part heavy metal album cover.

The throne room was designed to have an epic scale with an emphasis on vertical space. Massive columns flank the main walkway leading up to an elaborate vaulted ceiling and tall gothic windows frame the throne dais.

The entire room is clad in black marble embellished with gold and lit by chandeliers filled with red candles and giant burning braziers, giving it dark and decadent feel. If you look closely at the braziers you'll see that they're fueled with burning skulls.

Being the throne room of a powerful sorcerer, the floors and walls are inlaid with magical lay lines and geometry, making the entire room a nexus for evil power.

Deep inside the Sky Temple lies a shrine built to honor past heroes who fought to protect Earthrealm from outside threats. In a flashback, young Kung Jin sneaks in to steal a family heirloom. Before he does, he gets caught up in the reverent atmosphere of the space and takes a moment to appreciate all the history surrounding him.

In designing the shrine, we wanted something small and intimate in contrast to the enormous scale of the rest of the Sky Temple. Somewhere that Raiden and his acolytes can go for solitary prayer and meditation. We looked to temples and shrines from all around Asia for inspiration.

The room is filled with candles, incense burners, prayer scrolls and small totems left in tribute. On the walls hang portraits of some of the honored heroes. Along with prominent images of Liu Kang and Kung Lao, we also created portraits of the Great Kung Lao, the founder of the Lin Kuei, as well as ancestors of Johnny Cage and Kenshi.

The Snow Cave is located in a remote part of the "Dead Woods" The idea we wanted to convey is that the cave look as if it were carved by the same people who created the "Jinsei Chamber".

Carved runes are though out the cavern. The cave leads to an ancient portal chamber that can teleport people to the Sky Temple. It is said that hidden runes lie under the stone wall and can only be revealed though magical powers. Once the runes are read a portal will appear.

We liked the idea of the cave being very snowy towards the opening and slowly dissipates as the player moves ahead.

In the past timeline, Earthrealm is under attack by the Netherrealm and the Special Forces are on the frontline of Earthrealm's defenses. The soldiers have a darker, edgier look to them and are decked out in full combat gear.

In the current timeline, Earthrealm has been enjoying a lasting peace, and the soldiers haven't seen any activity from the other realms in some time. These soldiers have a simpler, less aggressive look to them with an emphasis on peacekeeping activities over combat.

When it came to designing the chopper, we needed something that looked realistic, but needed to be big enough to accommodate a big fight scene going on inside. We came up with something that combines elements of smaller combat choppers with larger troop transports.

For the mobile command center, we needed something to convey a busy hub of activity packed full of people and communications gear, but it couldn't distract from the dialogue going on between the characters in the foreground. We used the lights from the computer screens to wash the background in cooler blue/green colors while the display on the table that the heroes gather around casts a warm amber light on them, making them pop out from their surroundings.