Mortal Kombat 1

 

Apologies for several game reviews that will elicit the reaction, "What the f**k, didn't this come out many months ago?", including this one for Mortal Kombat 1. There are some I've chosen to outright not review (e.g. Forza Mortorsport) but others where I feel partly obligated to talk about them, even if in an abbreviated "Rapid Review"-esque manner. Or at least as much as I can be brief with videogame reviews. 

It should also be noted for Mortal Kombat 1, that I didn't really dip into the controversial, expensive DLC for this title because...well...I have self control. I'm always a tad confused about visceral reactions to these practices as there's a simple solution: don't buy these digital things with your real money. I agree with the masses that some of the practices I've read about with this game are overly pricey, but hey...I found there to be a generally komplete (see what I did there?) game to enjoy. 

I mean...some of these locales are breathtaking...

If you've followed my game reviews, you'll know that Mortal Kombat - or fighting games for that matter - are not my usual cup of tea. I've played them in the past, and I particularly tend to gravitate toward developer NetherRealm's versions (I reviewed Injustice 2 a long time ago). Every once in a while a fighting game intrigues me and Mortal Kombat, with its comical buckets of gore and semi-bonkers stories has been late-stage purchases for me in the past. For Mortal Kombat 1 - a "reboot" of sorts - it was the reviews that hooked me because the game looked absolutely gorgeous.

Delightfully, what I found was a fighting game that was indeed gorgeous (just look at these screenshots!), easy enough to pick up without writing down and memorizing moves, and featured a pretty fantastic campaign and some other goodies that I enjoyed the majority of my time with it. The story was easily the biggest surprise as it's completely ridiculous and silly, but features some kompelling (see...again!) characters and wonderfully directed cutscenes. The writing is corny, yes, but that's par for the course and the tale of other timelines, realm travel, and some BIG ideas really had me hooked on this reboot and looking forward to where things are going next. I'll reiterate: it's ridiculous, but much like Johnny Cage, that's where half the fun comes from.

Gut Punch!

But did you die?

This campaign allows you to fight as a multitude of different characters across its various acts, which is exciting. Rather than dreading who I'd have to fight next, I looked forward to learning each fighter and how they intersect with my half-button-mash-half-strategic-combo playstyle. Most of the time, it was very fun and appropriately challenging on "Medium" difficulty, and I was able to highlight some of my favorites. The gameplay is fluid, fast, and crisp. I'm not a professional in this genre, but I never felt like my button inputs weren't recognized or that the game wasn't responding. Secret things like Brutalities and some Fatalities are still a bit ridiculous to execute on, but again...I'm no professional with these games.    

Perhaps my favorite element though was just how damn gorgeous the game looks, especially the fighting arenas. They're layered with detail in both the foreground and the background, each feels unique, and they're consistently colorful in ways that make them really pop. I do wish MK would include things like Injustice where you can destroy the environment and move to new sections entirely, but despite that miss, the game is painstakingly pretty at almost every turn. 

I'm not sure what you call this position, but it looks difficult!

Once finished with the Kampaign, I found a handful of other things to sink some time into, but it does feel a tad hollow after the story in a way I don't remember happening with previous Mortal Kombat games. I'm also suffering from an unhealthy abundance of games right now so it could be my angst to continue playing other things making me not appreciate what else is here. Even with that hollow feeling however - and some other slight missteps - Mortal Kombat 1 is a fun package. By now, it's almost certainly on consistent sale, making it even more enticing. 

CONS

• Some fatalities, brutalities, etc. can feel frustratingly difficult to pull off
• I wasn't wildly intrigued with some of the other content outside the Kampaign
• Fighter roster has some misses
• A shame that really exciting characters like Omni-Man cost too much
• Ditches some previous ideas this developer has used that would have been welcomed (e.g. destructible environments)

PROS

• As ridiculous and over-the-top silly as it is, I loved the story and campaign. It brings together a lot of characters and the scenes in between fights are well done
• Impressive voice acting that balances being corny without going overboard
• There's enough to do to make this feel like a Komplete purchase
• Drop dead gorgeous, which is what got me to purchase it in the first place. Everything looks fantastic, but special shout out goes to the environment (background and foreground) artists
• Gameplay feels newcomer friendly, but very deep if you want to go there. I'm somewhere in the middle, and I rarely felt overly frustrated
• Hilarious buckets of blood and gore are still a staple...some Fatalities are wild

Rath's Review Score | 8/10