Mortal Kombat is a legendary fighting game franchise that has seen its fair share of highs and lows. I remember when I was little, I used to play the original game constantly with my sister who would always choose Scorpion due to his devastating spear attack. Back then the franchise was all about skill and how good you were at anticipating your opponent’s moves. As the franchise evolved, superfluous elements like Motor Kombat were added that took away from the extreme nature of the game. For me, Mortal Kombat was always serious and gory. Instead of refining combat further, ideas that detracted from that overall feel of the franchise kept making their way into future titles. However, all of that changed a few years ago with the reboot of the franchise. Mortal Kombat went back to basics and focused on perfecting combat mechanics. Mortal Kombat X enhances the foundations laid by that title. The fighting mechanics have also been refined and new additions like differing skills for each character add much-needed diversity. Overall, Mortal Kombat X is an excellent fighting game, one of the best ever made, and the incredible amount of content makes this a title every fan should experience.
Mortal Kombat X has gorgeous graphics and the fact that it runs at sixty frames per second elevates the game even further. The arenas where the fights take place are also a sight to behold. Environments are detailed and weather affects add to the intensity of some fights. Character models are also fantastic. X-ray moves are gory and raw. Not only is the game one of the best-looking fighting games ever made, it is also one of the best-looking games overall. It is a technical triumph on multiple levels.
The title’s story mode features some great fights with varying characters but the overall plot is underwhelming. The children of famous Mortal Kombat characters are the main protagonists and this is one of the most interesting aspects of this mode. The plot is campy but fans of the Mortal Kombat movies will enjoy it a lot. Usually when you think about the franchise, especially the films, they’re all about preventing the rise of some ancient evil after battling a multitude of foes. Mortal Kombat X explores family relationships more than anything and that’s a refreshing change for the franchise. The presence of these dynamics in a fighting game, however sappy they might be, is rather interesting to say the least. That was what kept me interested more than the overarching conflict. Losing a fight in story mode doesn’t seem to have any consequences though. Maybe having varying animations would’ve been the solution here. For example, early in the game, you play as Johnny Cage while your teammate Sonya Blade gets knocked out. Instead of skipping the fight they could’ve inserted a scene where Sonya or another character saves Cage if you lose the match. This would’ve added another layer of complexity.
Many new modes have been added to the game in order to enhance replayability. Living Towers is a new online mode introduced in Mortal Kombat X. They are similar to the Challenge Towers from the previous game and feature tough modified fights that give numerous rewards. Each challenge can include multiple modifiers that significantly change gameplay. The towers offers new challenges after some time so they’re always exciting and feel fresh. This adds a lot of replayability to the game after you’re done with the story.
The Krypt is also an excellent addition to the title. It is a grid-based game where you collect rewards and collectibles through koins earned through fights. People who have played titles like Legend of Grimrock will feel right at home. The Krypt maintains a dark and gritty theme that sits well in the Mortal Kombat universe. There are also elements of survival horror mixed in there and it is a unique way to unlock concept art and more. There are many other aspects to the game like Faction Wars that keep the player coming back for more. A lot of thought was put into this title so that it would keep on attracting players months after release.
There are also lot of competitive online modes which I thoroughly enjoyed. While classic matches against one opponent are at the heart of the Mortal Kombat X experience, I found team battles with multiple players to be much more fun. While the majority of gamers prefer to partake in classic matches, I would strongly recommend playing those other game types. It’s a chaotic experience and adds to its appeal.
You can’t discuss a fighting game without talking about the character roster. The variety Mortal Kombat X offers is nothing short of incredible. There are dozens of unique characters and, as mentioned earlier, they have three variations. For example, Scorpion can be equipped with blades, a demonic minion and fire. While you would expect these changes to be mostly cosmetic, they actually change gameplay significantly and I found myself employing new strategies to vanquish my opponents. Mastering every character and their three variations is a daunting task but will provide hundreds of hours gameplay. There are also numerous add-on characters like Jason Voorhees and the Predator to master.
Controls are smooth and precise. Maneuvering your character feels great and even tough combos can be accomplished with more ease than previous titles. Everything seems to have been tightened and works like a charm. In previous Mortal Kombat games, I had difficulty with many of the advanced attacks but didn’t encounter these problems in Mortal Kombat X. If you can’t execute something it is because you weren’t fast enough or pressed the wrong button. That’s the way it should be.
The tutorial has to be one of the best aspects of Mortal Kombat X. It teaches you the mechanics one step at a time. The tutorial is as good as the one provided in Killer Instinct and teaches you everything you need to know. I found myself going back to various sections to learn some special moves and combos. Not only is the tutorial a great reference for seasoned players, but it will also encourage newcomers to try out the game and learn how to play it.
There are some performance issues that plague the title though. There are noticeable stutters especially when executing X-ray moves. However, I never encountered any problems during normal combat. It remained as intense as ever. There was also some lag while playing online but that happened towards the beginning of a match and didn’t affect gameplay that much. These issues are few and far between and don’t detract from the overall experience.
As you might have heard, microtransactions are a part of the game. Fatalities have always been a challenging and amazing part of the Mortal Kombat series and being able to accomplish them takes a lot of patience and practice. Some individuals might not have the time to do so. The title offers easy fatalities for a small price and they can also be won through areas like The Krypt. While you don’t have to pay for easy fatalities and can earn some just by playing the game, it is still something that will tempt a lot of people, especially those who love playing online.
Another aspect of the game that didn’t sit well with me was the option to unlock all of the Krypt collectibles for a substantial fee. The Krypt features numerous items to unlock and earning that many koins will take hundreds of hours of gameplay in my opinion. While the easy fatalities are something that can be avoided, I felt that to experience everything the game had to offer, I would have to buy the unlock everything add-on. That compulsion shouldn’t exist for a full price game.
In conclusion, Mortal Kombat X is a title that will appeal to a broad set of people. Beginners can start their journey by playing through the extensive tutorial and get a feel for the combat. Long-time fans will feel right at home and character variations will keep them coming back for more. People who follow Mortal Kombat lore will also find something new in the personal stories of the various fighters and their progeny. Fluid combat, gory animations, tight controls and excellent online modes make Mortal Kombat X a must-own for any fighting fan. Individuals who aren’t fans of fighting games will also enjoy it. The extensive content ensures replayability. I can’t recommend this title enough and you should definitely check this game out.
Asher is a games journalist, former News Writer (Gaming) at Windows Central. They contributed 1110 articles to ICXM between 2015–2017, focused on opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: wrote over 1,100 ICXM pieces on Xbox news, hardware reviews, and platform commentary before joining Future plc’s Windows Central in 2017.