Welcome to our review of Mortal Kombat, a dual review as we played it on both Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4!
Mortal Kombat 11 is the latest installment in the critically acclaimed franchise, providing a deeper and more personalized experience than ever before. The all new Custom Character Variations give you unprecedented control of your fighters to make them your own. Featuring a roster of new and returning Klassic Fighters, Mortal Kombat’s best-in-class cinematic story mode continues the epic saga over 25 years in the making. Players take on the role of a variety of past and present characters in a time-bending new narrative that pits Raiden against Kronika, the Keeper of Time. Packed to the brim with multiple modes, including the Towers of Time, allowing players to test their skills through various challenges, providing more ways than ever to continue the Mortal Kombat 11 experience.
This fighting franchise should need no introduction as its cruel nature and impressive fatalities are notorious. Even if a dagger through your skull will not instantly kill you in this game, the end of your energy bar sure will!
Timmy: As I was lucky enough to play it on Nintendo Switch, I got to experience Mortal Kombat 11 as a portable game! But first, let me talk about the storyline. As Nintendo gamers might be out of the loop, there is a full-blown storyline in Mortal Kombat games nowadays and with the lack of the franchise on Nintendo consoles, you might be in for a surprise. The latest iteration was in 2007 on the DS, the Ultimate Mortal Kombat game.
Coincidentally, the franchise was most successful on portable consoles with the DS, GBA and the OG GB leading the fray. Obviously, the elephant in the room is the lack in the past few years, mostly due to the violent nature of the games. This is not something you will buy for your youngest!
As I am known for not spoiling storylines too much, I will keep it to the following short description: there is a new enemy in town with the ability to modify time and thus also timelines. Suddenly you will have body doubles of many of the fighters, some died and some are no longer good guys! The intrigues are quite the impression of proper storytelling. My advice is to avoid skipping the story and really absorb everything. It often felt like a full-blown movie script being played in the form of a game.
Graphically, this game has a double standard in handheld mode. The cutscenes and the story advancing scenes are above average and look really good. Sadly when you go into the actual combat, the most loyal fans of the console, myself included, will agree that it looks anything but crisp. I honestly had a few glitches when the game moved from fighting to cutscene and well, not that it bothered me, I should point out that after playing an hour straight, the glitches become seconds instead of mere frames. The fanboy in me does want to point out that this game does play very nicely and this is why you should own a pro controller!
Mortal Kombat 11 might have its glitches, but I honestly think it is a must play title on the Switch! The depth in the story, the fatalities, the power, the energy, the entire package is just about everything that you’d expect. I really enjoyed my gameplay and I look forward to playing the game with my friends!
9/10
Tested on Nintendo Switch, written by Timmy
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Mortal Kombat is one of those fighting games that everyone remembers due to its bloody moves and gruesome fatalities, I, on the other hand, remember the game because I just sucked at it. However, putting personal experiences aside, Mortal Kombat 11 is here and I’m convinced that the fans are in for a treat, as it is the best looking Mortal Kombat so far. Mortal Kombat’s story is pretty straight forward and an all-around cinematic delight. The storytelling starts at the beginning of the end where a powerful new story character gets introduced. Kronika, a time-bending goddess takes the lead and turns the world upside down. It’s up to Raiden and his battle companions and battle doubles to get to the bottom of this and restore the presence as it was before because Kronika had the nerve to alter different timelines and create a butterfly effect, in the hope to get rid of Raiden.
The latest edition of this beloved fighter game won’t disappoint as the character roster has been the largest so far, including old and new fighters. These fighters can all be modified and mended into your own fearless battle machine. Upgrades or intros can be unlocked, different combat skills can be equipped and a variety of skins can be added to your fighters wardrobe, to create the ultimate killer that suits your playstyle best. Only by playing, you’ll be able to unlock all of these different features and get a sense of your fighters potential.
“It has been great and now it’s even slightly better.”
The game contains a Story mode, Towers of Time ( battles that modify your opponent), Klassik Towers (fight your way to the top) and Krypt (opening op loot boxes with your hard earned Koins). Next, to all of these different modes, there’s also the option to fight against other players with a local mode, online or AI battle. You will also be able to take on tournaments and test your worthiness among others.
Fighting in Mortal Kombat is mostly the same than previous ones. It has been great and now it’s even slightly better. The game offers different brutalities and fatalities to butter your biscuit. The environment can also be used to your advantage and do some serious damage to your opponent or it will give you the opportunity to get behind your opponent to strike from the shadows. Each character has its own playstyle and list of Kombos. If you’re not an experienced fighter like me, train yourself before you’re heading out to the online slaughterhouse. You’ll face opponents that’ll handle their fighters like their life depended on it, they’ll execute Kombos you didn’t even know they exist. However, defeating an opponent by executing Kombos almost perfectly, is so satisfying.
“Veteran players will feel right at home and newbies will find a challenging place.”
The game looks great, feels smooth and it’ll keep your attention for quite some while. Is the game without flaws? No, not exactly. There has been a slight stutter in some situations or some small glitches but they don’t ruin the experience. There’s also the option to have some sound coming out of your PS4 controller, but it seems a bit overexaggerating. The controller makes itself known a couple of times during battle but too limited to make an amazing experience.
Mortal Kombat 11 is a great fighting game that seems very polished. It’s a game perfect for those pro players, trying to max out their official rank on the Mortal Kombat ladder but it’s also a great game to play with friends. Veteran players will feel right at home and newbies will find a challenging place that’s worth sinking their teeth in.
