Mortal Kombat 1

The twelfth main installment in the brutal fighting game series — Mortal Kombat 1 — simultaneously continues Mortal Kombat 11 and serves as the second reboot following Mortal Kombat (2011). The combat system now includes the ability to summon an assistant fighter and tag-team combinations between the main and cameo characters, making the game more focused than ever on knowledge of various fighters and possible combinations. The game is fully three-dimensional, but the battles in the arenas are stylized in the classic side-view and 2.5D format typical of the series. Unreal Engine 4 delivers top-notch graphics, and the abundance of cutscenes transforms the game into a full-fledged movie with many epic moments.

The events of Mortal Kombat 1 unfold in a multiverse created after the events of the DLC Mortal Kombat 11 Aftermath. Taking Kronika's hourglass, the antagonist of MK11, Liu Kang reconstructs the Mortal Kombat universe, pushing the bad guys away from power. Shang Tsung is a petty charlatan-trader here. Shao Kahn is a loyal general to Sindel, the empress of the Outer World. She, along with her daughters Kitana and Mileena, rules a prosperous array of worlds, which includes Edenia and Tarkata. Raiden and Kung Lao are simple men in the Earthrealm. Johnny Cage is a top-tier movie star at the end of his career.

In this best alternative future, Liu Kang, being a Titan, maintains peace between the Earthrealm and the Outer World, turning the "Mortal Kombat" into a show. Fighters battle to strengthen the alliance between the two worlds, and no one has ever been seriously injured or killed.

During another tournament, Liu Kang notices that his cunning plan is falling apart under some unknown force. Shang Tsung and Quan Chi are villains again and form an alliance. Kenshi loses his sight. Shao Kahn becomes a separatist and seeks to take the throne of the Outer World. Trying to unravel the web of unexpected problems, Liu Kang sends heroes (Sub-Zero, Cage, Kung Lao, Scorpion, Smoke, and others) to various locations in the Earthrealm and Outer worlds.

The tension rises with the appearance of Shang Tsung from the alternate ending of Aftermath. He once again becomes the main antagonist of the game. The almighty Titan, who conquered the Earthrealm and all other worlds in his timeline, Tsung sets out to conquer the multiverse. In the finale, MK characters from Liu Kang's universe will battle MK characters from Shang Tsung's universe.

By creating a multiverse, NetherRealm has reimagined the backstories of Mortal Kombat characters. Whether it's Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Kung Lao, Kitana, Mileena, Johnny Cage, Shang Tsung, there are over 100 in total, any of them can now be anyone — change gender, become a robot, be a Titan or a weakling. This explains their various iterations in past and future games of the series.

Mortal Kombat 1 is a spectacular game-film with high-quality direction and cinematography, in which ⅔ of the narrative is filled with CGI cutscenes. The sense of presence is achieved through the smooth, seamless transition of cutscenes into gameplay and back. The end result looks so convincing and visually impressive that it eclipses live-action adaptations .

In terms of content, it is a silly but cool sci-fi fighting-action game with lots of dialogues and beautiful stories, gradually explaining the changes in the universe. The writers keep attention with fan service, the appearance of beloved characters, and a couple of unexpected twists. There is only one ending, but in the additional game modes, you can see side-story endings of other characters.

The locations of Mortal Kombat 1 in the game are of two types: large story-driven pseudo-open levels and separate arenas. Some follow in the footsteps of the classics, easily recognizable updated The Great Hall, The Flesh Pits, or Living Forest, although there are many more new places. All are located in the biomes of Earth and the Outer Worlds. The arenas and levels look great, picturesque, atmospheric, and decorated with many elements. But they did not receive the same degree of environmental interactivity as in MK11, to focus attention on characters and combat.

Mortal Kombat 1 is aimed at a younger audience, which affected its visual style: peaceful and bright arenas that do not fit into the concept of a bloodthirsty fighting game. The design of the characters and their outfits, especially the female ones, exude carefree warmth and are far from the harsh past times. Movements and moves are overly colorful, although the animations are top-notch, and some of the fatalities have become even more brutal and bloody.

The combat in Mortal Kombat 1 corresponds to the exemplary ninth part, relatively less aggressive than MK11 and with a lower entry threshold. The same simple attacking strikes and defensive blocks are combined into series of moves that activate combinations, and all together accumulate energy for the fighter. It is no longer divided into defense and attack but presented as a bar with three segments, opening up new attack and combo options.

Fighter control is smoother than ever, even though the movesets are similar to MK9, and the pace is closer to MK11. Button combinations and "levels" of attacks (low, medium, high) have changed. Pure block serves exclusively to reduce incoming damage and significantly lowers the energy gain of the opponent. Fatal Blow can be activated when the fighter has low health, but at the moment of activation, he will be vulnerable, and the opponent can interrupt him with a lightning-fast attack. With significant damage, the X-Ray effect is activated, showing the enemy's bones breaking.

The Kameo Fighters system has been introduced, allowing you to take an assistant to the main fighter and then call him in at any moment. Calls per round are limited only by the bar, which quickly replenishes if you actively integrate the assistant's combos with the main fighter's combos. Assistants compensate for the weaknesses and complement the skill set of the main characters, increasing combo efficiency and damage, making each fight unpredictable. The chosen cameo fighter affects the main character's health, can use their own fatalities and brutalities. At the same time, Kameo does not turn the gameplay into tag-fighting (team battle) and allows you to play without this feature.

Combo breakers have returned, stopping even fatal blows, but consuming the entire energy bar and activating through the Kameo call. Characters have been taught to fight in the air, where they hover for a few seconds, perform combos, and block such attacks with a transition to a counterattack.

Одиночный и сетевой режимы требуют подключения к серверам игры для прогрессии сетевого профиля. Оный накапливает опыт за победы и, как в других сетевых гриндилках, каждый уровень учетной записи открывает новый контент: бойцов, камео-бойцов, предметы инвентаря и экипировку, приветствия и победные движения.