The Mortal Kombat gaming franchise has been around for about 31 years since its original launch in 1992. It was a very controversial game with its focus on hand-to-hand combat with “blood & gore” as one of its selling points. It was a game that was a favorite at the arcade and it gained even more popularity when Mortal Kombat was changed into a movie. There are already multiple versions of the original Mortal Kombat and this time NetherRealm Studios goes even further by rebooting the original game with a fully playable single-player story, multiplayer mode, updated graphics, and a new feature called Kameo Fighters. Let’s talk about it…
Even though the game is being portrayed as a “Komplete” reboot, Mortal Kombat 1 is actually a sequel to Mortal Kombat 11 which was released in 2019. This is just a side note that we have to give because of the story’s plot. In Mortal Kombat 11, Liu Kang has become a powerful God and re-worked the Mortal Kombat universe at this hand. This ending gave the NetherRealm Studios the opportunity to re-work the basics of the game as well as some of the fighters. Even though a lot of the fighters seem like the original characters of the previous installment of Mortal Kombat, they will probably feel new as well because of the fact that NetherRealms Studios not only re-worked the technical/ graphical side of things but they also did a rundown on the fighters combat profile. This in combination with the new Kameo Fighters’ roster to choose from, makes the game a lot more different than the previous chapter.
“The characters are convincing and the presentation value is top-notch!”
Mortal Kombat 1 offers multiple modes to choose from: Campaign, Invasion, and Multiplayer. In order to justify the complete reboot of Mortal Kombat, the developers made sure there was a story to tell. If you know NetherRealm Studios, you know that they can deliver a great story to line up all the pieces in the game. The campaign takes you around 6 hours to finish and if I’m being honest the story does live up to its expectations and the quality of it all, is something worth noticing. There are some great scenes that get you excited and it’s also good to see that underdeveloped characters from previous games get an opportunity to shine a little bit brighter. What were once simplistic characters, now turn into the stars of their own show. This is why a reboot version of a popular franchise shines in my opinion. Taking on forgotten characters and making them stand out like the writer or developer always wanted. The characters are convincing and the presentation value is top-notch!
There’s also the “Invasion”- mode which is another feature that can be played as a single player. The mode feels like a great concept on paper but lacks the depth of everything it wants to offer. It’s actually a virtual board game where you move your character from one space to another. Each space has an enemy of some sort that needs to be defeated in order for you to progress and unlock different things like keys, rewards, and challenges. It’s a long grind towards the end. However, the developers try to spice things up with sporadic dungeons in the form of towers. Within these towers, you’ll have to fight a series of battles under a specific form of conditions. For example, during these towers, you’ll have to fight enemies in order for you to get to the next stage but one wrong move will send you back to where you came from, the bottom of the tower. Also, sporadic boss enemies will spawn between stages that will definitely put your skills to the test as these boss monsters are often challengers with modifiers to bump up the difficulty. Most of the time, they were okay to handle but it’s an interesting concept that can force fighters to think out of the box and execute other combos than your auto-piloting combos. It’s a good concept that will let you learn more about your fighter and other combo lines.
” It’s a great way to mix up these elements with your standard Mortal Kombat experience…”
This Invasion mode also has a bit of an “RPG feeling” to it. These powered-up bosses have strengths/ weaknesses that can give you a bit of an edge against the opposing challenger. This system isn’t really something unique but it does give that little bit of extra when you’re going against an enemy. Each character or Kameo fighter has its own strength/ weakness attributes. These attributes offer you an advantage or even a disadvantage against certain opponents and during your journey, you’ll find talismans that can influence these attributes, just like an RPG-type game would do. It’s a great way to mix up these elements with your standard Mortal Kombat experience but I don’t feel like this “RPG element” will bring my Mortal Kombat experience into a higher state of pleasantry or satisfaction. Mortal Kombat (for me) is more about the combos you can pull off and showing them off. I don’t think that these RPG elements are so impactful but I’m definitely glad that they try to change things up Mortal Kombat may be a game that doesn’t need all of these extras. I do love the fact that you can unlock multiple outfits, brutalities, and emotes while playing this Invasion mode but it does feel like a grind in the end. I will probably only do this invasion for the characters I love because I don’t want the game to turn into a chore. It’s good that this feature is optional.
So we talked a bit about the Kameo fighters in Mortal Kombat 1 and it also adds a bit more change when you battle an opponent. Before you enter a match, you’re of course able to choose the character you want to fight with but after this selection screen, you’ll also be able to choose one of the 15 Kameo fighters. These Kameo fighters are actually a fighter that can be triggered with the touch of a button. These Kameo fighters can be used to deliver some hits without the expectation of your opponent and to line up some of your combos. You can see this Kameo fighter as a support that can assist you in three different ways. Each Kameo can be customized to the need of your fighting style and with each character there are 3 kind-of-assists to choose from. This type of system isn’t really new in the fighting game industry but it is in the Mortal Kombat franchise. It’s still a bit too early to see how this feature will change the meta in the online community. Some assists are better than others but some assists are better in combination with others. In a few weeks, we’ll probably see which assist will rule the online game environment. NetherRealms shall have to keep a close eye on this, as these overpowered assists can be game-breaking but every fighting game that uses this type of support, is always being monitored by the developers. It won’t be long until the first patch to balance out the fighters. Also, each Kameo can’t be used continuously, they all have their own meter that will be drained by the use of an assist. Some assist moves will need more power of the super meter than others. It’s another thing to take into consideration when battling an online opponent. It will definitely shape things up a bit. Find the Kameo that suits your playstyle best. Do you want to extend a combo? Catch an opponent off-guard? Line an opponent up to start a new combo and overthrow them? Lots of options are available.
“Each character also has a couple of tutorials that can help you with learning their combo lines which is great.”
All of these features are included in their combat system. Even though Mortal Kombat is a game with a high learning curve, the developers try to be as supportive as they can be for new players. Even though Mortal Kombat is a game where you need practice to get good, the developers try to make it accessible to new players or veteran players who want to play a fighting game that’s a bit more streamlined and less complex. I can convincingly say that the developers truly did a great job of explaining the game and offering these supportive aspects to make the game more accessible for newbies. From the basics to the challenging gameplay mechanics, they really try to explain it to its fullest. Of course, this type of explanation feels basic and a must for any type of game but they also give a bit more practical tips on how to react defensively or pressure your opponents. They definitely explain the options that you have that you need to change the battle in your favor. Each character also has a couple of tutorials that can help you with learning their combo lines which is great.
Don’t get me wrong, even with the inclusion of a tutorial, you will still need practice because a match can be pretty sweaty when you’re being challenged by a veteran player. This “frustration of mine” is also one of the greatest examples I can give when it comes to the balance between “new players” and “veteran players”. The game is built in a way that “new players” are being trained from the ground up and yet “veteran players” can still pick the game up and still feel like the new Mortal Kombat is a familiar game. It’s a hard balance to figure out, but NetherRealm Studios did a fantastic job.
“It would have been nice to get a quick mastering tutorial…”
I do believe that they could have implemented this kind of tutorial during the story. I have had my ass beaten so many times, just because of the fact that you’re thrown into a fighting game with basic principles but also challenging mechanics that you need to figure out on your own. I often would look at my character sheets to see some of my combos because the AI doesn’t give you some room to breathe. It would have been nice to get a quick mastering tutorial on how you could play a certain character during story mode because every character plays out differently. Don’t get me wrong, eventually, it’s great to figure out a character on your own but it could have been a bit less time-demanding.
Graphically speaking the developers did an amazing job: the graphical representation of the characters, moves, and outfits look very well and it’s a sight to behold. Especially, when you hit a stable FPS on your console. It’s definitely a plus when a game looks good but when the game runs fluently, it’s even better. You can’t have a fast-paced fighting game that lags or stutters during an online match. From what I’ve played, the game is optimized very well and I can get my ass beaten without any delay. The sound design is also great, I’ve had no complaints so far.
“NetherRealm studios succeeded in bringing this classic game into the modern era.”
Just like the previous Mortal Kombat, there is a bit of a Microtransaction feature in the game. There’s a story where you can convert real money into a premium currency that allows you to buy cosmetics for your beloved characters. Also, there will be a season pass that allows you to unlock a new character and some new seasonal cosmetic items. Unfortunately, it seems that a game can never live without the exclusion of some type of “battle pass”. Then again, it’s only cosmetics and a bit of pay-to-win as new characters will only be available by buying them. Of course, it isn’t set in stone that every new paid character is stronger than the characters in the original roster but it can take a certain of time to convince players into buying them. Time will tell.
Conclusion:
Mortal Kombat 1 is definitely the total package when it comes to a fighting game. NetherRealm Studios succeeded in bringing this classic game into the modern era. The story campaign is short but great and gives the player some background in the new Mortal Kombat universe. Not only that but they’ve managed to give some of the underrated characters more shine time story-wise. It’s a great start to get you excited and bring in the immersion. All characters have their own playstyle and with the coming of the new Kameo fighters, you can be sure that in time different types of characters will exist because some combinations are better than others or suit your combat style best. It will be a game of balancing out the characters based on feedback so that certain combinations aren’t dominating the online arena. There is progression in the game and with the seasonal updates, you can be sure that the game will be around for quite some time. Also, you will be able to sink in a couple of hours before you eventually run out of excitement. The invasion feature is a great concept and will definitely be liked by some people but I don’t think the RPG elements impact the gameplay that much. I believe it’s a “cup of tea” kind of thing. Long story short, Mortal Kombat has returned as one of the great contenders for fighting game of the year. Now finish them!
