“Mortal Kombat 1” was released on Sept. 14 for PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch. The game came out to rave reviews and thunderous applause for its new slick combat system, story and game mode. Overall, it has made a bloody splash to kick off the Halloween season.
Players lost their minds over the fact that many fan-favorite characters, some of whom haven’t been seen in almost 20 years, have made their long-awaited return to the battlefield. With its 23 character roster and the 15 Kameo Fighters, the game gives you a good choice of who you want to play as and which fighter you want backing you up in easy-to-pick-up combat. Just like in “Mortal Kombat 11,” you can earn cosmetic-only gear and skins to make the characters uniquely yours.
The new fighting system in the game, aka the Kameo System, changes how “Mortal Kombat” is played. With the press of a button, you can summon an ally to interrupt your opponents’ moves, attack your rival, or give you a hand dealing a fatal blow to your enemy. Think of it as an assistant, but with more opportunities to help you. Just like the playable characters, each Kameo Fighter is unique and has their own set of moves. Some Kameo Fighters focus on defensive-type moves, while others focus on offensive combat.
I haven’t had the game for long, but I will say I’ve had nothing but fun since I started playing.
“Mortal Kombat 1” also introduces a brand-new game mode called Invasion. This part of the game is the replacement for The Krypt. I need to preface this by stating that you should finish the story first, because Invasion does contain spoilers to the story. In Invasion, you take a character and a Kameo of your choice across numerous settings from the story, fighting opponents and taking on towers.
The rewards you receive from beating enemies and opening chests include cosmetic gear and skins you can put on your characters. A unique aspect of Invasion is its seasonal rotation, which influences the game boards and loot based on the time of year. But fear not – the seasons will repeat so if you don’t finish a season and get all the gear, you’ll have the chance to try again in the future.
The story of “Mortal Kombat 1” gets an immediate A+ from me, as it continues from the ending of “Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath” where Liu Kang gains control of the hourglass of time, restarts the timeline and creates a new era in his image. In the new era, characters’ stories are changed, enemies are now brothers and evil is purged from the hearts of many, creating new, benevolent personalities.
These new backstories are fleshed out without feeling forced. Three characters in particular received great rewrites: Baraka, Reptile and Ermac. In the past timelines, they were basically just lowly henchmen, but now they are interesting characters.
I haven’t had the game for long, but I will say I’ve had nothing but fun since I started playing. Since I’ve finished the story — and I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say it was wild — I’ve been playing Invasion. I’ve reached the third board and I’m doing well. My only complaint is that the game needs a patch to fix a couple of things such as a few clumsy inputs and the horrible graphics that are on the Switch.
I’m excited about the upcoming DLC, which will include Erma, Quan Chi, and Takada. Also on the roster will be Omni-Man who will be voiced by J.K. Simmons, Homelander voiced by his real-life actor Antony Starr and Peacemaker voiced by John Cena. If I had to give the game a rating, I’d be rating its week one version 4 out of 5 bloody spleens.
4/5 stars
npisano1@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @MortalKombat, X
