Mortal Kombat is a fighting game made by Netherrealm Studios. Mortal Kombat 1 is the newest game in the series, right after Mortal Kombat 11. It serves as a reboot of the story, which went from MK9 to MK11, and in terms of fighting games, it is one of the most popular in the competitive community, showing off skill with challenging but rewarding combos, knowing how to read your opponent, and knowledge of frame data within the game.
Netherrealm’s graphic designers and artists have only increased in skill in the coming years, and MK1 is an excellent example of their expertise. This is one of the most realistic games I have seen in my entire life, comprised of many video games and watching movies. I seriously enjoy watching the scenery or even just the home screen, which takes a Japanese-style look, having a statue of two dragons in what looks like a lake and trees with red leaves covering the entire screen.
In terms of characters, this game brings back a lot of familiar faces since the older days of Mortal Kombat 4 and on. MK1 brings back people such as Reiko, Ashrah, Nitara, and more from the 3D era of Mortal Kombat, over 25 years, from the fourth installment to the seventh. People are placed in different roles in the story; Scorpion is now Sub-Zero’s brother, Liu Kang used to be the main character, but now he is a god, and Johnny Cage is no longer the big-time actor he once was and is now forced to find his way back to stardom.
I played the story all in one day, about 7 hours of gameplay. I enjoyed the story more than most other games, but there are the occasional problems. There are spoilers for a later story from here on out, but one of my main questions is why they had to bring the multiverse into this game. I enjoyed that they brought back a “not canon” ending from MK11, that being the DLC ending for Shang Tsung, the main antagonist of this story, and the Aftermath DLC in MK11. However, I need clarification on why they had to bring in multiple gods from the tear in time and why it couldn’t just be the two primary timelines. This is an issue in so many new games and TV shows, where there is cheap writing to save some money for the company. Regardless of these points, this was the only disappointing part of the game I have seen in my playthrough.
Other than the story, the game’s mechanics have brought back an essential feature loved by many while keeping one that has been quite controversial. The part many people loved in the game was a bar that could enhance your moves or break out of a combo. On the other hand, they have since brought back a disputed function, the “Fatal Blow” mechanic. The fatal blow mechanic is a two-button press that gives your character a 30% damage deal by only pressing those two buttons. While a very stylistic animation, it can be quite gruesome animation, depending on the specific amounts of damage you are dealing with. Its controversy stems from it only activating when you are under 30% health, which is a huge game changer but sometimes feels incredibly overused.
As I look back on the MK series, MK1 delivers the same nostalgic, fast-paced fighting, making it incredibly entertaining to watch. I loved this game as it brought back many of my favorite characters, giving you hours of content to play. I recommend this game if you need to settle something with someone, enjoy a good story, or get into fighting games.
