Mortal Kombat 1 review – a new realm of gore-soaked possibilities
The goriest fighting game around is almost a flawless victory as NetherRealm reboots the Mortal Kombat universe for a second time.
I can’t remember a time in my life before Mortal Kombat. Whether it be the cheesy (but no less iconic) 1995 movie, its sequel TV series Mortal Kombat Conquest, or the Mortal Kombat 4 arcade machine I played for hours at my Florida hotel instead of being at the beach, it’s a fighting game series that’s remained a constant for me, rarely slipping up even when boldly trying something new. Arguably there’s nothing bolder than rebooting the entire universe… again. But Mortal Kombat 1 justifies its remixed universe by being gorier, bloodier, and snappier to play than ever. It’d be almost perfect, were it not for the edge towards ‘live service-ification’ plaguing most modern games.
Picking up immediately after the events of Mortal Kombat 11, you shouldn't be fooled by the choice of name. In terms of its narrative single-player, mode Mortal Kombat 1 is very much a canonical sequel to the 2019 release just as much as it is a good entry point for newcomers. The main difference is in how Liu Kang has taken over as the god-like protector of Earthrealm instead of Raiden, choosing to reboot the previous universe in favour of one where former foes are now friends, character origins are yet to be experienced, and he is entrusted with guiding a new team of defenders to compete in the titular tournament against Outworld’s forces.
Mortal Kombat 1's story mode lets you play as a good amount of the starting roster, including master swordsman Kenshi. (Aaron Potter)As far as cinematic story campaigns go, Mortal Kombat 1 – rather expectedly – presents one of the best. Continuing the success it had over 10 years ago with the franchise’s first reboot – 2011’s simply titled Mortal Kombat – It’s the same setup of progressing through a linear story, just prettier and far more detailed. Developer NetherRealm again has fun working in reasons to have players engage in 30 or so battles to give them an excuse to try out fighters they probably otherwise wouldn’t. It’s essentially a six-hour long animated movie just as before, yet one where things are far less convoluted and easier to follow thanks to the new timeline.
The single-player story is not particularly ground-breaking, but as a long-time fan I was constantly kept guessing about how certain plot changes would affect select series mainstays. How does Sub-Zero and Scorpion now being brothers affect their dynamic in the Lin Kuei? Will Kenshi ultimately still be blinded? And how does Mileena succumb to the Tarkatan disease? All these questions and more are answered with a cheeky wink and a grin, granting NetherRealm the chance to remix fan-favourite events and circumstances within a new context.
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If there’s one drawback to this altered story, it’s when characters who you’re typically used to having a specific power set don’t yet have it in the timeline, which sucks when you’re forced to play as them in what is essentially a underpowered state. This relates to characters early on in the narrative and affects mostly Kung Lao, who is done somewhat dirty as the first chapter’s hero; he’s without his iconic saw-bladed hat. That said, watching a young Raiden grow helps to add a degree of uncertainty to how familiar events would play out, and his relationship with Fire God Liu Kang is a highlight.
Near flawless victory
In terms of the gameplay itself, fighting as any of the 23 starting roster feels much quicker than it did in Mortal Kombat 11 by quite a distance. Getting from one side of a stage to the other, or escaping particularly heavy punishment against the screen’s edge is made easier thanks to most characters having a long-distance special move – whether it’s Sub-Zero’s ice slide, or Baraka’s new Barrage melee attack. The roster is small by the standards of some Mortal Kombat entries, but it’s made up for by being better balanced, and every fighter is touting a more rounded moveset.
Of course, this being a rebooted universe means that previously introduced new-generation characters like Erron Black, Kotal Khan and D’Vorah are kicked to the curb, as are the spawn of classic fighters like Cassie Cage and Jacqui Briggs. This means that, for the first time ever, Mortal Kombat 1 has launched without a single new character to the canon (if you don’t count Fire God Liu Kang), which at first felt sacrilegious before I realised the amount of dynamism and complexity the new Kameo system adds to each battle.
It's no longer a single fighter at a time you’re bringing in, with an exclusive roster of Kameo fighters letting you make up for any shortfalls found in main fighters; it makes for several interesting combinations. Because sure, you could double up on ice and freeze attacks by pairing Sub-Zero and Frost together, but the latter might better be suited to General Shao’s heavier fighting style. When combined with the returning Fatal Blow mechanic and grabs, the Kameo fighter system can make for some interesting combinations and is far more ingenious than, say, Mortal Kombat X’s decision to split each character’s fighting styles into three, or Mortal Kombat 11’s heavy reliance on gear.
If there’s one area where Mortal Kombat 1 falters, it’s in its approach to keeping players engaged on a regular basis. Strange, considering that the gameplay is good enough on its own to encourage players to jump online and keep coming back. This time around it comes in the form of daily and weekly quests to unlock Seasonal Kredits, used to unlock cosmetic modifications for characters – which at least isn’t as inconsistent as how some previous entries dished rewards out. The worst offender is Dragon Krystals, where the push is clear towards having players pony up real money in the form of microtransactions to gain the most cool-looking equipment.
Then you have Invasions, Mortal Kombat 1’s big new single-player mode that sits outside of its main campaign. And while it’s fun to have something else other than Towers to dip into after credits have rolled in the form of a tabletop RPG, commanding characters from node to node on a board swiftly feels like a grind. Seeing familiar characters take on roles like shopkeeper and chef as you endlessly battle reskins a la Super Smash Bros.’ Subspace Emissary is a novelty at first, sure, yet it soon wore off in the two Invasions maps available to play at launch. Not even elemental strengths and weaknesses, or specific character loadouts – where different Talismans and Relics introduce gameplay altering affects – could keep these chopped-up battles interesting for long.
Mortal Kombat 1 is easily better than Mortal Kombat 11 before it (microtransactions aside), doing away with the overreliance on move-altering gear and an odd character roster to focus on what matters: the fighting. And while it’s too early to tell just how engaging Invasions will be in the long term, this is the best Mortal Kombat has felt to play arguably since the last time the franchise rebooted back in 2011.
Complete with a fresh narrative and timeline, there’s also no better time to jump in before the lore inevitably spirals out of control yet again in future.
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