Mortal Kombat 1

Mortal Kombat 1 is a joyful reinvention of a series that is continually hitting its stride. A strong and varied roster is bolstered by an ingenious Kameo system that offers up a great degree of player flexibility unlike anything else. While it’s a bit off an odd choice to not have crossplay at launch and the approach to gear is bound to be divisive, Mortal Kombat 1 feels like the most complete Mortal Kombat experience so far. And perhaps even one of the best fighting games I’ve ever played.

Mortal Kombat 1 is the best installment of the franchise for years, and fights to be the best fighting game of the year. The gameplay changes make it a frantic and fun experience, and visually it is one of the most impressive games of the year.

Mortal Kombat 1 doesn't do a lot to push its boundaries and largely plays it safe, but it’s still amongst the best entries in this series. Its campaign continues to set the standard once more for its genre, it looks absolutely gorgeous on Xbox Series X|S and it’s packed full of content that will keep fans entertained for years to come. We’ve already been blessed with the amazing Street Fighter 6 this year and with Mortal Kombat 1 joining the ranks as one of the best fighting games in years, it’s certainly a great time for fans of the genre.

Mortal Kombat 1 is a love letter to everyone that’s grown up with the series, while still inviting newcomers to join the fight. Its a ‘best of MK’ compilation — that brings a few of the series’ missteps along for the ride. But it wouldn’t be Mortal Kombat without a bit of jank, right?

Outdoing previous Mortal Kombats in the gore stakes, and boasting a slew of meaningful and genuinely exciting single-player content, alongside the usual online offerings, Mortal Kombat 1 outstrips previous efforts, delivering one of the finest fighting games money can buy.

Mortal Kombat 1’s New Era might be a bit too familiar, but the core gameplay and range of modes on offer here is undeniable.

Mortal Kombat 1 isn’t the clean narrative reboot that its name implies, but its rich single-player action and new tag-team aerial brawls make for the best fighting system in the history of the franchise.

Mortal Kombat 1 meets its lofty expectations and continues to set the standard for fighting games. The invasion mode didn’t blow me away, but with seasonal updates it has the potential to become great.

Mortal Kombat 1 is an impressive fighting game. Violent to an exaggerated degree, of course, but that is the trademark of the series. Fortunately, the title offers more than just executed losers, but convinces with clever changes to the gameplay, a considerable number of stages and fighters - and tons of stuff that you can unlock, which of course helps the long-term motivation.

Mortal Kombat 1 might not necessarily be the evolution some were hoping for, but it's still an incredibly polished production. The 'Kombat' is perhaps the most refined it’s ever been in the series' history, Kameo Fighters add a new level of strategy, and reuniting with classic characters in Liu Kang’s reborn universe is an absolute blast. It’s a promising refresh for this legendary series that’s arrived at the perfect time. Here’s to another 30 years of blood, guts and Fatalities.

NetherRealm has really managed to make an exceptionally high quality title that is great story-wise and handles the brand boldly, yet with honour. Mortal Kombat 1 may very well be the best fighting game in this busy year, and it ranks among the best that this well-known franchise has ever delivered.

The guys at Netherrealm don't take too many risks here, but they have crafted a brutal game in any way, with a well designed fight mechanics and really, really fun to play.

Mortal Kombat 1 is one hell of a fighting game, one that I can see myself putting in as many hours as Mortal Kombat 11, if not more, and I’m really excited about its future.

Ultimately, Mortal Kombat 1 delivers a quality story that is rarely found in fighting games and one that naturally allows for many years of stories to be told. It can't be overlooked though the number of shortcomings that unfortunately plague this game, which is disappointing. If less is more than please NetherRealm, give us more. More kontent, more kreativity. This should be the one that starts it all over again, but unfortunately Mortal Kombat 1 feels like a step backwards rather than forwards. Despite all that though, despite the lack of content and all the shortcomings, Mortal Kombat 1 is an incredibly fun, gory, and fluid fighting game that should be enjoyed by all the fans of the fighting game genre. It may not have a lot of kontent, but what it does have is exceptional.

Mortal Kombat 1 is the perfect entry point for newcomers to the series, while at the same time winking at veterans with constant references and familiar situations. Also outstanding are the design and gameplay twists on historical characters, as well as the novelty of the Kameo successfully paving the way for new strategies and mechanics. An excellent fighting game, recommended both to fans and to those who want to approach the saga for the first time.

Liu Kang welcomes us to a new edition of Mortal Kombat as the Fire God. A new entry of the franchise that dares to innovate and does it right. Might it be the best of the series? It might as well be.

The gameplay is really great, the story campaign will positively tickle your nerves and the new mechanic with Kameo fighters is really fun, it lacks a few aspects and the juice you may know from previous installments. [Issue#330]

This sort of reboot is just what the series needed.

Mortal Kombat successfully resets the timeline with a strong campaign and fun gameplay. Not everything receives the same care and attention, as customization in multiplayer leaves a fair bit to be desired, with microtransactions aplenty. It's still a game worthy of the Mortal Kombat name however, and a great excuse to test your might by yourself or with friends.

Mortal Kombat 1 is a great game that feels like a step back in the extras. They are all here but shoved into one mode that I found more cumbersome than enjoyable. The grind to max character levels needs to be tweaked, but with the promise of support for years to come these are things that can be ironed out. The fighting itself is outstanding and the story mode is the best it has ever been. It is easy to recommend this game, it doesn’t quite hit the mark of best MK game of all-time, but it delivers where it counts the most. I look forward to seeing how the game evolves over time. A new MK game is always an event and this entry is no exception.

How can we continue to keep a legendary video game series that has just celebrated its 30th anniversary alive? NetherRealm has decided. The apprentice sorcerers led by Ed Boon reanimate the beast and opt for a nice reboot taking care of its accessibility strategy, adding a big touch of RPG (Invasions) and deepening its gameplay with a feature previously unpublished in the series (Kaméos). Despite its aggressive Live service side, fairly classic solo/multi modes and the disappearance of elements loved by fans, the title published by WB Games hits hard if not delivering an uppercut.

Unfortunately, the new single-player mode has quite a few annoying elements, and online play needs some fixing. The good news is that both of these can be tuned and fixed in the future. Even as they are now, I still think this is a fantastic time to jump into the new timeline and crush some literal skulls.

Mortal Kombat is back with a vengeance, and the developers have really dared to modify both gameplay and overall framing and present everything with great graphics.

Mortal Kombat 1 is undeniably fun, well polished and visually spectacular, but the story is the worst we've had since the series first reboot. The Kameo system is a welcome addition, but the lack of The Krypt in favor of an Invasion mode doesn't do it any favors.