Mortal Kombat 1

The twelfth main installment of the brutal fighting game series — Mortal Kombat 1 — is a simultaneous continuation of Mortal Kombat 11 and the second reboot after Mortal Kombat (2011). The combat system has added the ability to call an assistant fighter and tag combinations between the main character and the cameo hero, making the game more focused on knowledge of various fighters and all sorts of combinations than ever before. The game is fully three-dimensional, but the battles in the arenas are stylized after the classic side view of the series and 2.5D. Unreal Engine 4 provides high-quality graphics, and the abundance of cutscenes turns the game into a full-fledged film with many epic moments.

The events of Mortal Kombat 1 unfold in the multiverse formed after the events of the DLC Mortal Kombat 11 Aftermath. Taking the Hourglass of Kronika, the antagonist of MK11, Liu Kang reshapes the Mortal Kombat universe, pushing the bad guys out of power. Shang Tsung here is a petty charlatan-trader. Shao Kahn is a loyal general of Sindel, the Empress of the Outworld. She, along with her daughters Kitana and Mileena, rules a thriving array of worlds that include Edenia and Tarkat. Raiden and Kung Lao are just regular guys in Earthrealm. Johnny Cage is a major movie star at the twilight of his career.

In this best alternate future, Liu Kang, as a Titan, maintains peace between Earthrealm and the Outworld, turning the "Mortal Kombat" into a showcase. Fighters battle to strengthen the alliance of 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 longs to seize the throne of the Outworld. Trying to untangle a tangle of unexpected problems, Liu Kang sends heroes (Sub-Zero, Cage, Kung Lao, Scorpion, Smoke, and others) to different places in Earthrealm and the Outworld.

Tensions rise with the appearance of Shang Tsung from the alternate ending of Aftermath. He becomes the main antagonist of the game once again. The omnipotent Titan, who conquered Earthrealm and all other worlds in his timeline, Tsung seeks to conquer the multiverse. In the finale, MK characters from Liu Kang's universe will fight against MK characters from Shang Tsung's universe.

By creating a multiverse, NetherRealm has redefined the backstory 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 of them, and anyone 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 quality direction and cinematography, where 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 final result looks so convincing and is so visually impressive that overshadows adaptations with live actors.

In terms of content, this is a silly but cool fantasy fighting action game with plenty of dialogues and beautiful stories, gradually unraveling the changes in the universe. The writers keep attention through fan service, the appearance of beloved characters, and a couple of unexpected twists. There is only one ending, but in additional game modes, you can see story-related finales of other characters.

The locations in Mortal Kombat 1 are of two types: large story pseudo-open levels and separate arenas. Some follow in the footsteps of the classics, easily recognizable are the 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 Outworlds. The arenas and levels look great, are picturesque, atmospheric, and decorated with numerous elements. However, they did not achieve the level of environmental interactivity that was present in MK11, focusing attention on the characters and the fight.

Mortal Kombat 1 targets a young audience, which is reflected in its visual style: peaceful and bright arenas that do not fit the concept of a bloodthirsty fighting game. The character designs and their outfits, especially the female ones, exude carefree warmth and are far from the harsh past times. The movements and techniques are overly colorful, although the animations are at the highest level, and some of the fatalities have become even more brutal and bloody.

The combat in Mortal Kombat 1 corresponds to the benchmark of the ninth part, being less aggressive compared to MK11 and with a lower entry threshold. The same simple attack strikes and defensive blocks combine into a series of moves that activate combinations, all together accumulating energy for the fighter. It is no longer divided into defense and offense, but represented by a bar with three segments, opening new attack options and combo moves.

The control of fighters is smoother than ever, despite the fact that the "movesets" are similar to MK9, while the pace is closer to MK11. The button combinations and attack "levels" (low, medium, high) have changed. A pure block serves solely to reduce incoming damage and significantly decreases the opponent's energy gain. 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 it with their lightning-fast attack. With significant damage, the X-Ray effect activates, allowing you to see through the enemy and showing how their bones break.

A system of Kameo Fighters has been introduced, allowing the main fighter to have an assistant, who can be called at any moment. The 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 weaknesses and complement the skill sets of the main characters, increasing combo effectiveness and damage, making each fight unpredictable. The selected Kameo fighter affects the health of the main character, can use their own fatalities and brutalities. At the same time, Kameo does not turn the gameplay into a tag fighting (team battle) and allows playing without this feature.

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

Single and online modes require a connection to the game servers for online profile progression. This accumulates experience for victories, and like in other online grind games, each account level unlocks new content: fighters, Kameo fighters, inventory items and gear, greetings, and victory moves.