Mortal Kombat 1 is the new Mortal Kombat and it is the new game in the series after quite some time. This entry brings a lot of new things and refreshes some of the old ideas. Explaining every aspect of it can take a lot of time. So, this review has been written by a casual player rather than hardcore fighting game fans. It is a nice new addition to the series.
It is a fun game which is exactly what many expected from a new Mortal Kombat game. There is a new story that is not only interesting but fun to play as well. Side activities such as the tower and other PVE activities have also been revamped. Some new things have been added which makes the overall experience better. Characters are good and the change in combat is better while still retaining all that made the series great. All this makes you wonder, Is Mortal Kombat 1 worth it? Let’s find out.
Premise (Spoiler Free)
The story of Mortal Kombat 1 is good, it is not the longest but it is challenging, interesting, fun, and well-paced. Liu Kang is now a Fire God who has defeated the God time which enabled him to rewrite the timeline. Doing so has eliminated all that happened between Mortal Kombat 9 and 11. Liu Kang has rewritten everything to make the world more peaceful.
Doing so has completely changed, alliances, abilities, and even the origin of some characters. It is a complete change of character. Some enemies are now allies while allies are now enemies. Some characters will show up at unexpected places due to the change of their origin. It is basically a strange new world that has more magic, diseases, war, and more amazing fighters. Think of it like the What If situation in the world of Mortal Kombat.
The Fights
Combat is straightforward and fun. It is about doing combos, moving around, and shooting magic. The combo breaker feels better this time and Mortal Kombat 1 is generous with the combo breakers so it is easy to pull them off. Fatal blow is still as brutal and can turn the tide of a match. Air combos can be game changers and it’s cool to see them in action.
This time the focus is on simplicity and the art of fighting. You will be using weapons, shifting stances, and using things in the environment. Unlike some other fighting games, there is no extreme use of environments such as wall breaking and stuff. Punching feels satisfying, everything is tight and responsive. Animation of your attacks is cool and the meter burning system is just at the right spot. Just like the last Mortal Kombat, it is not complicated but deep enough to keep you going.
Two is Better Than One
The Kameo system is the biggest addition since it is the first time that such a system has been introduced in any mainstream Mortal Kombat game. It is fun to get used to more than one character at a time. It feels good to pick one character and then pick another secondary character as a Kameo in Mortal Kombat 1. With a press of a button or trigger depending on which platform you are playing on the Kameo character will hop in and attack.
Kameo attacks have a cooldown which adds depth to it. Different characters have different attacks. Some attacks are close-ups, others ranged, or even trickery which act as quick attacks. The Kameo button is not a victory button because you have to be careful when to use it. Using it at the wrong time could do more bad than good. When you do nail it, it can be a lifesaver.
Animation for the characters when they go in or out is really good and detailed. Some of the attacks are really aggressive and will push your characters backward and some will do cool poses before attacks. Once you learn in and out of Kameo, it can be really good. If your character has a weakness, you can use Kameo to overcome that weakness. It feels good that characters have these new abilities that act as backup.
Roaster
The roaster is not great but it is decent enough. It’s not like it matters since Mortal Kombat 1 will get characters through DLCs and updates but we are talking about the base game here. One of the negative aspects of Roater is the fact that some core characters are only given the Kameo role. One such character is Sonia and she has always been a main character.
It feels weird to have a character that is just out of reach. However, the developers have nailed the Kameo. I am not a hardcore fighting game fan so I will leave the nerfs and buffs of the characters on the community. The future of the game will also depend on the community and how they take it.
Lots of characters are improved or changed. Depending on how you perceive it they can either be disappointing or appreciable. Mortal Kombat 1 shows a lot of love to the initial 3d era. The logic of Mortal Kombat 1 is simple, introduce something new in the series. I think it was the main reason that some of the characters have been limited to Kameo only since we have seen enough of them. It tries to bring something new to the table.
The Design
Character design is good but customization has been toned down compared to the previous game in the series. Each character only has a few swappable items such as eyeglasses or different face masks. You can also select different unlockable taunts. There is no option to change boots or other stuff for any character. A Mortal Kombat game is not complete without fatalities and fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1 are quite good. You can unlock different types of fatalities. Characters look and environmental design is good and are detailed
Game Modes
There is the usual option of all the towers that have different difficulties and lengths to play through. Mortal Kombat 1 offers a good old-style character ending. Invasion is the new type of tower this time. It is like going through a Mortal Kombat tabletop game with special parameters and reward winning system. Tower and Invasion are a good way to keep playing that will be updated seasonally and you don’t have to pay for it.
From menus to earning coins through fights to dumping it in the magic dragon statue, all of it feels good. Such a tactic gives even more random rewards. It is pretty easy and straightforward to earn stuff. Microtransactions are an incoming missile at this point. So we would see more of them as the game gets more updates.
Verdict
Mortal Kombat 1 brings all that the previous game had while also introducing new things. There are multiple practice modes which makes jumping into it easier. There is a place to view unlockable and tutorials, it’s pretty much everything that you would expect from a fighting game. The offer here is good and has been made better through the availability of different game modes. The refreshed and simple combat feels like a solid foundation for the Mortal Kombat games that will follow suit.
That’s just the base of the game as many layers will be added to the game moving forward. All the updates are going to make it better. The base for a solid game is there, it just needs more sauce to keep itself fresh. It will be good to see where the series goes from this point onward. Some of the characters are pretty good. In the end, it is just another Mortal Kombat game but it’s brighter and better.
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