Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath

As an expansion, Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath features a quality addition to the campaign and three new characters that are mostly high quality. While quality should always trump quantity, Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath is a case where the quality can’t justify the high cost.

While not revolutionary by any stretch, Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath breathes new life into the experience in smart and welcome ways. With the exception of the average Robocop, the new characters are unique and brimming with potential, and the story content is a short but sweet trip through the world of Mortal Kombat post-MK11 - hefty price-tag aside.

Mortal Kombat 11 was always a perfectly fine game, and Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath gives it a few extra hours of story, a few more characters and moves, and not much else.

Despite a high launch price and few new costumes, MK11 Aftermath proposes three new cool characters, with Robocop as a guest star, a new pretty amazing cinematic mode.

A hugely enjoyable expansion that brings a trio of awesome new characters to the table, in addition to a rip-roaring continuation to Mortal Kombat 11's superb story campaign, Aftermath nonetheless struggles to properly justify its steep $40 price point.

But the Friendships, new stages, and new finishers are freely available for owners of Mortal Kombat 11, and the only content exclusive to Aftermath are the additional story chapters and three new characters. Though that's a very welcome decision--free is good--it makes Aftermath less compelling when considered specifically on its own terms. Mortal Kombat 11 remains one of the best fighting games of this console generation, and the recent free update makes it better. Aftermath introduces a couple of great characters, and the expanded story definitely has its highs, but it's not essential to your enjoyment of an already superb game.

The Aftermath expansion simply doesn’t add enough to warrant its additional cost.

The great content of the Aftermath DLC shouldn't distract you from its hefty price tag. Even though I've rarely enjoyed a Mortal Kombat story as much and the new fighters and stages are a delight for (old) fans, the price tag of 40 euros for just the DLC alone feels like the toughest of brutalities.

The epilogue is quite good, with an amazing performance by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung, but with only 3 new characters and no other substantial bonuses, it's hard to recommend with expansion to MK11 owners. New players get the deal of their life though.

Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath lets its villains strut their stuff in a fun epilogue, and the new fighters are all welcome additions, but an overall lack of content makes it tough to wholly recommend this expansion at its full $40 price tag. Those new to Mortal Kombat 11 can get a much better deal, but if you’ve already bought the game, this Aftermath may not add up.

Ultimately, Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath is a decent expansion. It has a solid story and the additional characters are a welcome addition but none of it is as good as the base game. In the end, Aftermath just might be asking a little too much from fans.

If you know Mortal Kombat, you can smell the ‘twists’ and ‘turns’ a mile off, and though it’s great to see some underloved characters get their turn in the limelight, the whole experience underwhelms from start to finish.