Mortal Kombat 1 gets so close to being great but ends up falling short due to some regressive decisions in terms of modes and customization. The core gameplay is excellent, but the content around it leaves something to be desired.
Mortal Kombat 1
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Price: $70
Platforms: PS5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC
Mortal Kombat is a series that always brings me right back to it. I find the weighty hits of NetherRealm fighters to be quite satisfying, while the abundance of single-player content keeps me uncharacteristically returning to each game even after the initial launch period. I was hoping this would be the case with Mortal Kombat 1, but it feels as though the newest title is a bit less bountiful than previous entries,
At the core of it all, Mortal Kombat 1’s combat is excellent. Hits are as heavy and hard-hitting as ever, making every standard battle a blast. The dialup combo system is fun and easy to use, while Fatalities and Brutalities are as ridiculous and intense as anyone could hope for. The roster is a pleasant mix of different Mortal Kombat eras, allowing fans of any age their choice of old-school favorites. I dislike that some story mode characters are already locked behind DLC, as fighting against seemingly near-finished fighters like Quan Chi and Ermac with the knowledge that they have to be paid for in the future leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
The Kameo Fighter system, on the other hand, is a breath of fresh air, as having an assist character who can jump out and build on your combos leads to some great mixups. The multiple attacks each one has allow you to do all sorts of wild combos, adding another layer to combat that has been missing for a bit.
“Throwing coins in a near-static screen to receive environmental art is a lot less fun than exploring a weird and fascinating environment while unlocking things.“
The story mode is exactly what you’d hope for from Mortal Kombat, filled with wild nonsense and crazy moments. Seeing how different Liu Kang’s new timeline is can be a lot of fun, while the twist in the middle was ridiculous enough to work for me. The allusions to Mortal Kombat Armageddon towards the end were great as well, though that might be childhood nostalgia speaking.
Unfortunately, it feels like there’s a lot less to do this time around. The Krypt is gone, having been replaced with the Shrine and Invasions. The Shrine is just an RNG-fueled unlockable system seemingly pulled straight from a gacha game, removing all the fun and mystique that came with the Krypt. Throwing coins at a near-static screen to receive environmental art is a lot less fun than exploring a weird and fascinating environment while unlocking things.
Invasions is more akin to a board game with battles on most of the spaces, with each board being based on a different stage with bits of story strewn throughout. Many of these fights end up being with opponents with some form of super armor alongside environmental hazards like fireballs or flying demons. It feels fairly bland and repetitive, even with the occasional Test Your Might and Survival stage, meaning I’m not currently itching to get to the next Season after completing this one.
Customization has also taken a hit, as far fewer aspects of each character can be customized with unlockable items. While Mortal Kombat 11 allowed for a few different pieces of equipment to be swapped to create your ideal costume, only one piece of equipment can be changed. Depending on the character, it can be somewhat difficult to notice some pieces at a glance, making characters feel less like your own and making online towers and side modes less worth doing given the lack of substantial reward. The better items that are locked behind Character Mastery (something of a season pass per character) take a bit too long to get, so I hope future content speeds the process up.
Mortal Kombat 1 certainly looks gorgeous, with the characters being shockingly detailed and realistic. This makes the ridiculous finishers even more wild than ever, though it also makes the characters a bit less colorful and immediately recognizable. The designs of the cast are more mixed this time around, though ideally, future skins might help change that.
The Final Word
Mortal Kombat 1 does a lot right, but it’s missing things that really made NetherRealm’s fighting games stand out in recent years. I hope future patches and additions build the game up to fulfill all of its potential, but the base game here feels a bit too thin on content.
MonsterVine Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
