Mortal Kombat 1 is a comic book movie set in the Warner Bros. Cinematic Universe based on the fighting game series Mortal Kombat. Developed by Netherrealm Studios, Mortal Kombat 1 follows directly from the events of Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath and explores the new universe Liu Kang created after gaining control of Kronika’s Hourglass. Unfortunately but not unsurprisingly, this new universe ends up being way too similar to the first, and doesn’t do much to push the series forward despite being perfectly enjoyable to play.
That isn’t to say there aren’t good ideas here. The opening hours of Mortal Kombat 1’s story mode lets players utilize well-established characters in brand-new situations before slowly funneling them back towards the inevitable “Shang Tsung is evil and Earthrealm’s protector is more incompetant than he appears” shtick that’s been in use for decades, and until that happens there are moments of genuine creativity on display. Fighting as Kung Lao before he learns how to utilize his hat in combat, or as Raiden and Kenshi before their more magical abilities are unlocked, is a surprisingly fresh change of pace.
It’s a shame moments like that aren’t explored further. These early hours are when the game is at its most interesting, before it becomes an MCU-like romp through 30 years worth of guest stars and callbacks. If hearing phrases like “It has begun” and “compete in Mortal Kombat” make you clap and point at the screen like DiCaprio, you’re in for a treat. Even the most obscure characters get a bit of lip service – Ashrah brings up Kia and Jakaarta at one point, characters who haven’t been mentioned since MK: Mythologies. It’s nice, and it’s comfortable nostalgia, but it is absolutely nothing new.
Fighting Against Arrested Development
Mortal Kombat 1 is the fighting game equivalent of Toy Story’s Sid Phillips, a child taking all of their playthings apart and then gluing them back together in different combinations to see what happens. Nothing is unique here, not even any of the playable characters are original. As a series-long player, it’s hard to find Mortal Kombat 1’s roster entirely disappointing (even though it’s just a kameo, I can’t deny that seeing Shujinko from Mortal Kombat: Deception again fills me with nostalgia) but it is indicative of the franchise’s unwillingness to embrace evolution. Did we really need to spend another game listening to Johnny Cage’s one-liners again?
Fortunately, this is the best Mortal Kombat’s combat has felt in years. Both MKX and MK11 were slower, more heavy-feeling experiences when compared to Mortal Kombat (2011), and Mortal Kombat 1 strikes the perfect balance between 2011 and MK11 while also bringing back popup attacks. A fight between two skilled players is a joy to watch, both in a mechanical sense and visually. Mortal Kombat 1 is the prettiest and most realistic-looking Mortal Kombat game to date, so much so that some of the more violent fatalities might cause more squeamish players to look away. There are few faults to be found in the moment-to-moment fighting, apart from a few instances during the review period where audio glitches occurred.
Mortal Kombat 1’s Invasions mode is a perfectly fine dose of single-player variety, but it isn’t as visually interesting as the Krypt nor as enjoyable as some of Mortal Kombat’s Konquest modes or other mini-games in previous entries. It also suffers from feeling like a reuse of ideas, as many of the encounters and fight modifiers accessible in Invasions are just different variations of the gear system and Test Your Luck settings from the previous three games. The normal 1v1 Towers return, along with customizable outfits and adjustable gear which can be unlocked in either the game’s story mode, Invasions, or by leveling up your personal player account.
Unfulfilled Promises and Uncertain Futures
Mortal Kombat goes through phases. It tries something new, then it refines that new experience, and then it bloats too far and has to be blown up and rebuilt, often with periods of weirdness in between. The original Mortal Kombat through the release of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was one phase, followed by the weirdness of games like Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat 4. The next phase lasted from Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance through to Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, with that game’s weird followup being MK Vs. DC Universe. A new phase began with Mortal Kombat (2011), but it’s unclear where Mortal Kombat 1 sits on that graph now.
MKX and MK11 felt like evolutions of the 2011 formula, and tantalizingly hinted that they might move the franchise forward in some capacity. Characters were killed off, series favorites were allowed to grow older and have children, and it seemed like change was really happening. Even at the moment where Liu Kang rewrites history at the end of MK11: Aftermath, there seems to be the potential for more. Mortal Kombat 1, conversely, brings everything back around again. Even the ending heavily apes Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. There are superficial changes in Liu Kang’s new universe, but not meaningful ones.
Allowing Liu to finally defeat Shang Tsung “for good” at the end of MK11 feels cheapened when Shang turns out to be a villain again in this new world. Why would Liu Kang create a universe where Tsung and Shao Kahn exist at all? Why are we jumping into this story AFTER King Jerrod (Kitana’s father and Sindel’s first husband) died yet again? Even in Armageddon players got two new characters in Taven and Daegon, but here it’s just the reliable classics and a few obscure characters from some of the series’ worst games. Where is all the new blood, and why is all the blood that is being spilled so stale?
As someone’s first Mortal Kombat game, Mortal Kombat 1 is a perfectly adequate but not ideal place to start (that would still be Mortal Kombat 2011). For returning players who just want to see their favorite characters again, or for anyone itching to hear Johnny Cage come up with great jokes like “Reminds me of a terrible B-movie I was in called The Flesh Pits,” while walking around a room that looks just like the old MK level The Flesh Pits, this game will be a must-buy. If you were hoping to see The Great Kung Lao of myth, however, or an entirely new cast of characters, Mortal Kombat 1 isn’t essential, and brings very few truly new ideas to the table.
Mortal Kombat 1 launches in early access for Premium Edition purchasers on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Xbox Series S|X on September 14th, and is available to everyone on September 19th. A PS5 code was provided to Screen Rant for the purposes of this review.
