Mortal Kombat 1

GamepurRaymond Dyer

9/10

The graphics are pretty spectacular on every console (except the Switch), and the framerate holds up pretty well, even during the action. The only downside Mortal Kombat offers is the servers for online play, and even that’s improved a bit since the official launch. Every fan of Mortal Kombat owes it to themselves to check out this game. If you weren’t a fan of the previous games for any reason, Mortal Kombat 1 changes enough to give it another look.

Capsule ComputersTravis Bruno

8.5/10

Although Mortal Kombat 1 may have some flaws, they do little to dampen the expanded toolkit that Kameos add to the highly entertaining and gory combat that will keep fans coming back for more.

Checkpoint GamingElliot Attard

8.5/10

There is always a lighthouse. There is always a man. There is always a finisher uppercut into a rain of blood and viscera—or something like that. Mortal Kombat 1 marks the inevitable return of one of the most iconic fighting game franchises of all time, bringing about its known and loved level of violence and campy fun. This time around the universe is reset by Kronika’s Hourglass, a story beat introduced in the game’s previous installment, allowing for a sort of soft reset to the story...

VGChartzDaniel Parker

8/10

While the series has traditionally had very good presentation values, Mortal Kombat 1 actually vitalizes the gameplay into something engaging, silky, and fun.   The fighting genre is my favorite when it comes to video games.  I don't play favorites between Street [...]

GameLusterSarim Irfan

8/10

Fighting games are no stranger to reinventions—they do it with every iteration. However, something as grand as an entire narrative reboot is a slightly bigger undertaking. Crafting a timeline is hard work. There’s lore to rewrite, worlds to build, and fanservice to find space for. Fortunately, these responsibilities also present an opportunity for imaginations to run wild. Just what would you do with power over time itself? Thanks to one iconic Shaolin, we now have quite the answer.

The OuterHavenKarl Smart

Mortal Kombat 1 brings the idea of a whole new universe into light with an amazing, but really fast-paced, story mode. However, the rest of the game feels like Mortal Kombat as a franchise has stagnated in terms of gameplay with nothing really innovating things outside of the cameo fighter system. Then we have the impending microtransaction additions that you know are coming, and I hate those with a passion.

Dot EsportsCale Michael

8/10

Unfortunately, the lack of appealing single-player content beyond the story and barren online matchmaking variety will limit the time casual players spend with the game once their friends stop playing or if Invasions doesn’t grab their interest.

GameGrinJacob Sanderson

8/10

Mortal Kombat 1 is fantastic, having some minor issues in the story here and there, along with the underwhelming Invasion’s mode, but overall is a great time.

Digital TrendsTomas Franzese

“Mortal Kombat 1's creative Kameo system helps reinvent the classic fighting series, but poor single-player offerings feel like a step back.”

GameSpotJason Fanelli

6/10

Three additional characters and brutal Animalities are overshadowed by an uneven, head-scratching story expansion.

PolygonMichael McWhertor

Unscored

With Mortal Kombat 1, NetherRealm has made an admirable effort to refresh its gameplay mechanics and differentiate its latest entry from the recent trilogy of games. On some fronts, particularly around the story, audiovisual presentation, and accessibility, it’s a huge step forward. But some very visible elements, especially online play, do not represent the same leap. Even after a four-year gap since Mortal Kombat 11, Mortal Kombat 1 feels like it needed a bit more time to cook. But with a commitment to seasonal content and the next six fighters already revealed as part of the game’s first Ko...

KotakuZack Zwiezen

Unscored

If you skipped the last game, Mortal Kombat 11, you might be a bit confused about this one’s name. Why is this, the 12th main entry in the franchise, named Mortal Kombat 1? Well, because the whole timeline from the last few games was reset by MK mainstay Liu Kang, who’s now a demigod. And when he reset everything, he got a chance to reshape the entire Mortal Kombat universe. His plan was to make sure evil people like Shang Tsung were nobodies who would never become powerful and screw things up. But, well, you can probably guess how well that plan worked out.