NetherRealm Studios & WB Games team up once again to deliver all the gore, glory & time traveling action one of gaming’s greatest franchises has provided for over two decades. Does “Mortal Kombat 11” live up to the massive hype? Get over here & lets find out!
The core gameplay that has made the previous “Mortal Kombat” games so addicting returns here with some very interesting changes to help newcomers and keep veterans on their toes alike. Beyond the front & back kicks & punches, an uppercut that can send opponents sailing through the air, debilitating throws, combos aplenty, Fatalities & Brutalities (the “Mortal Kombat X” version in regards to Brutalities) are additions to the core mechanics including a modification to what used to be known as “X-Ray” maneuvers, “Fatal Blow” attacks. In previous “Mortal Kombat” games, “X-Ray” attacks could be used at the expense of a character’s ex-meter. “Fatal Blow” maneuvers are solely connected to the character’s life as it can be activated when the health bar reaches thirty percent. “Fatal Blow” attacks can also only be used once per fight and don’t have the same level of unblockable armor as “X-Rays”. This meaning a player must be smart & plan accordingly if they want to pull off a “Fatal Blow” in the most effective way possible; adding an unexpected, yet wonderful change to the mental game of battle.
Another new implementation is “Krushing Blows” – a shortened x-ray-centric attack that is usually triggered after a perfectly timed combo or counterattack that can crack an opponent’s skull, sternum or limbs once per round for massive damage. “Flawless Blocking” rewards a player who knows the animations of incoming attacks and blocks at the perfect time to create a larger window for a counterattack.
Another modification is the ex-meters now becoming “Amplified”. With the “Amplify” meter taking up the bottom corners of the screen, characters can perform up to two enhanced versions of special attacks at a time thanks to the regenerating bar. Defensive measures such as wake-up attacks and rolls cost a bar on the defensive side of the “Amplify” meter; adding another nice bit of strategy to the overall gameplay not seen in previous “MK” offerings as things such as wake-up maneuvers could be used at any time a character was downed in “MK X”.
Returning from “Mortal Kombat X” are character style variations. The variations give each character several different special moves (though every character has a base set of moves that stay the same no matter the variation) and potential strategies that can prove effective and outright dangerous. Unlike previous “Mortal Kombat” games (and fighting games in general), the chance to find the character that works best for your play style might not come with the specific fighter, but the character’s style. I, for one, have never been a Baraka player, but Baraka’s “Restless Nomad” variation has him as one of my main characters that I’ll take through both offline and online competition at a moment’s notice.
Character variations tie nicely into the game’s expanded take on “Injustice 2’s” customization system that allows for not only clothing changes to any of the variations of any character, but also “Augmentations” (items forged in the Krypt) that can boost strength, health, damage output and the like (offline only in regards to stats boosting) by adding them to the up-to-three-levels upgradeable gear (gear is upgraded via experience gained by completing fights). For those wanting to mix & match variations, “MK 11” offers customizable special move-sets to go alongside clothing changes with a open slot for that player-created character variation to be saved for latter action.
Unlike the days of “Mortal Kombat” (single digits), “MK 11” features a variety of modes including Story Mode. Picking up where “Mortal Kombat X” left off, the player is given a chance to test out their skills while exploring the ever-expanding universe that has become something of a revolutionary concept in the fighting game genre. The mode lasts longer than “MK X’s”; proving to be a perfect starting point for players looking to test the depths of their potential skills with a variety of the fighters available.
For offline players, the Klassic Towers return – a mode where the player can take one character and fight CPU-controlled opponents until reaching “11’s” main boss Kronika (her battle is epic in scale with odes to Shang Tsung & Brainiac from “Injustice 2”) and witness the character-driven ending starring the victor. There are also “Survivor” and “Endless” towers to really test your might.
“Mortal Kombat X’s” “Living Towers” and “Injustice 2’s” “Multiverse” modes come together to form “Towers of Time” – am online mode made for the single player experience. These “Towers of Time” change on an hourly, daily and weekly basis; giving the player something different almost every time they play. Stipulations such as taking on enemies while periodically being hit by poisonous missiles to character specific towers that can be as daunting as any challenge in any “Mortal Kombat” game to date are the norm in “Towers of Time”.
For those who are up to the task, “Mortal Kombat 11” gives players the option of combating others online. Instead of just having simple one-on-one battles, “MK 11” allows players to start their own rooms/lobbies, fight with or without gear modifiers, and even brings back “King of the Hill” mode where the player must defeat the reigning champion and defend the figurative throne for as long as they can against a varying degree of player-controlled opponents with a loss resulting in having to start from the bottom all over again. There are also AI Battles from “Injustice 2” where the player creates a team to take on other player-organized teams to earn rewards & xp.
If there’s one flaw with “MK 11” it’s the grind necessary to collect gear & unlocking Krypt items. Unlike “Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance”, the Krypt offerings are randomized and it may take a copious amount of grinding to unlock various extra Fatalities and character skins. “Towers of Time” can prove to be the easiest way to attain gear, but difficulty spikes & potential settings limitations for the player’s character may result in a failed completion that rewards the player with nothing. Augmenting gear can get tedious as well with different augment types not being a “one size fits all” that may force the player to grind for something incredibly randomized (and removing augments to put in new gear unfortunately costs currency as well).
Other than some of the choices in regards to “Kustomization” grinding and online connectivity needed for constant reward awarding & profile progress to be saved, this is the epitome of everything that’s great about a “Mortal Kombat” game. The battles are always exhilarating, topped off by sickening Fatalities or impressively timed Brutalities. Story Mode continues NetherRealm Studio’s streak of fun narrative presentations. The online offerings are plentiful yet again. Fighting game & “Mortal Kombat” fans alike will be eating this up like so much brain during a Tarkatan feast.
9/10
Available on: Available on: PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Switch
