Warning! Spoilers about story mode follow!
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It’s been four years since we got our hands on a “Mortal Kombat” game. Fans like myself were excited to get our hands on “Mortal Kombat 11,” developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros Games. The game came out on April 23, 2019, and it is much better than the last one. The graphics are amazing, story mode is impressive, and a lot more has been added and changed. In this review I will be going through the things I liked about the game and the things that could use some improvement.
Character roster
“Mortal Kombat 11’s” roster is mostly returning characters from previous “Mortal Kombat” games such as Scorpion, Kabal, Noob Saibot, Johnny Cage, and more. However, the roster only has three new characters: Geras, Kollector, and Cetrion. What makes the roster so good is its returning characters because that’s what people were looking forward to the most.
Gameplay/mechanics
The Mechanics in “Mortal Kombat 11” are very different compared to “Mortal Kombat 9” and “Mortal Kombat X.” In “Mortal Kombat 11,” the players use two meters: one being the offensive meter and the other one being a defensive meter. The offensive meter is used to amplify attacks to make them do more damage, and the defensive meter is used for evading attacks without getting hit. However, you still take damage, which makes it a risky move. Another new mechanic implemented into the game is the fatal blow. A fatal blow can be activated by pressing both triggers on your controller, and when you are at 30% or lower in health. The fatal blow can cause huge comebacks in a match because it deals 35% or more damage to your opponent. If you successfully hit the fatal blow with your opponent, you can’t use it for the rest of match. However, if you opponent blocks, you can try again but it will have a nine second cool down period before you can use it again. The last mechanic I want to talk about is the crushing blow. Crushing blows have strange requirements, but they deal more damage than a regular special move does. Plus, they have a cool animation that makes you feel like you are breaking your opponent’s bones. Crushing blows can be activated from using special moves, uppercuts, grabs, and stage interactables. These new mechanics really add so much more to an already amazing fighting game series. Not to mention, the fatalities are disgustingly awesome.
Story mode
The best thing about the “Mortal Kombat 11” story mode is that you play a certain character in each chapter, but in some chapters you can choose which character you want to play to keep things interesting. The story starts when Raiden tortures and kills Shinnok to send a warning to Liu Kang and his Netherrealm minions. It’s also where we get to see our main villain in the story, Kronika, a time bending god who later on makes the past and present collide. It’s up to Raiden and his allies from both past and present to stop her and restore time. What I really like about playing a certain character in story mode has a variety of preferred playstyles that are being given to you. I don’t like that the writers killed off fan favorite “Mortal Kombat” characters like Kano because it shows that they might not show up in “Mortal Kombat 12.” However, deaths like these make the story mode more emotional, also dark.
Krypt
The Krypt is where you get special gear, skins, and all sorts of treasures. Your guide is Shang Tsung, a old sorcerer and the final boss of the first “Mortal Kombat” back in the day. Having this character in the game is a nice treat to the fans who have been around since the beginning of the franchise. In the Krypt, you get to roam around an island as an adventurer looking for treasure chests that contain very cool things like concept art, ingame music, gear, and a lot more. Plus, there are secrets there waiting to be discovered, keeping replayability of this side of the game really high.
Online
If you are a seasoned fighter, then you know about the game’s online mode. The online mode consists of four things: Private Match, Kasual Match, Ranked Match, and King of the Hill. Private Match is where you and a friend can battle it out. Ranked Match is for people who are very good at the game and want to see a record of how many matches they have won and lost. Kasual Match is where you get to face a random player from around the world. Kasual Matches don’t affect your record in rankings and are available for players who want a better challenge. King of the Hill is where one player is a king and the rest have to dethrone him. The player who dethrones the king becomes the new king and then it starts over again, the winner becoming the new king. After fights on online play, you can rate the winners performance in the game on a 1 out of 10 scale, adding a slight touch of nice communication. The online aspect is better than the previous game because it runs more smoothly than the other games.
Towers of Time
The Towers of Time are another ways to get gear, souls, and all other goodies in addition to Krypt mode. Some of these towers let you fight boss characters that are challenging, some towers where you can have an online partner come help you in a tag team match, and some other towers have modifiers that can make the tower harder. You can also make a tower for a certain character, giving you freedom on which character you want more customization on. For example, if I want items for Scorpion, I would go to the character tower on the upper left, and pick Scorpion on the roster to play through his towers. These towers are challenging, but the rewards make it so worth it.
DLC characters
“Mortal Kombat 11” provides six downloadable characters that have already been confirmed. One of them is Shang Tsung, while the remaining five are unknown. Here are my predictions for the remaining five DLC characters: I’d say that Spawn would make it as DLC because he was teased to be in an Netherrealm Studios game for years. He was supposed to be in “Injustice 2” back in 2017, but he never made it in. I think there is a good chance for Spawn being in as a guest character because he is a icon. Next, I’d see Nightwolf making his way in because he is a very popular character and wasn’t in the “Mortal Kombat” series since “Mortal Kombat 9” back in 2011. Next, I want to see Drahmin, being he hasn’t been in “Mortal Kombat” since “Mortal Kombat Armageddon” back in 2007. Considering the fact that he is fan favorite character, there is a high chance for someone like Drahmin to make it in. I’d also like to see Ash Williams from “The Evil Dead” making it in since “Mortal Kombat” guest characters are usually horror movie icons such as Freddy Krueger and Jason Vorhees. Since they would most likely go down the same road with the guest characters like they did in the past, Ash would definitely be a great candidate. Lastly, for a surprise, I would like DC Universe’s Joker. Those are my predictions for the remaining “Mortal Kombat 11” DLC characters. Since the main roster is returning characters, NetherRealm Studios should go down that exact same road with the DLC characters. I hope my predictions come true, but for now we just wait until we get a reveal trailer in some way.
“Mortal Kombat 11” is the greatest installment in the series because of so many excellent reasons. The roster is great, the story mode is awesome, and the online is fantastic. Whether you’re a seasoned fighter or a new contender, “Mortal Kombat 11” is perfect for anybody looking to give fighting games a try.
