Mortal Kombat 1 Reviews
Check out Mortal Kombat 1 Review Scores from trusted Critics below. With 28 reviews on CriticDB, Mortal Kombat 1 has a score of:
Three additional characters and brutal Animalities are overshadowed by an uneven, head-scratching story expansion.
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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.
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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.
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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 Kombat Pack...
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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.
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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.
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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...
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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.
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“Mortal Kombat 1's creative Kameo system helps reinvent the classic fighting series, but poor single-player offerings feel like a step back.”
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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...
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Discover a reborn Mortal Kombat Universe created by the Fire God Liu Kang. Mortal Kombat 1 ushers in a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and fatalities! PS5 version reviewed.
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The brand-new Invasion mode mixes MK brawls with Mario Party minigames, the progression of Soul Calibur 2’s Weapon Master, and the character customization of an roleplaying game. Sounds cool on paper — but it quickly becomes a repetitive slog. Walking around the world map and fighting samey battles with goofy effects thrown in, can be a bit underwhelming, but it’s a decent distraction for those moments when you just want to turn off your brain and mash some buttons.
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So does Mortal Kombat 1 live up to its hype? Absolutely. Despite how short the story is, it is a great story nonetheless, and beyond that is lots of single-player content that will keep you coming back day after day. And of course, the finishing moves are bloodier and grittier than ever before. This is an entry that I can't recommend enough.
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With the responsibility of becoming the next great Mortal Kombat game, Mortal Kombat 1 is a masterclass in gaming achievement. While not perfect, it surely brings the ultimate Mortal Kombat experience to the table.
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Mortal Kombat 1 talks a big game about a fresh start but it’s a relatively safe entry in the now 6th iteration of Netherrealm’s modern fighting game formula, if you include Injustice 1 and 2. The nostalgia-soaked story campaign is a great deal of fun if you’re already in love with this world and its characters, but the rest of the game’s modes and core fighting just didn’t hold my attention for long. The game is available now for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S as well as a terrible switch port apparently.
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Mortal Kombat 1 isn't a flawless victory, but it feels close to one.
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Mortal Kombat 1 is a superbly presented fighting game with something to offer players of all experience and familiarity with NetherRealm's sprawling MK universe. The Kameo fighter system injects new strategic depth into combat, the rebooted timeline feeds a ridiculous story, and the suite of game modes are both varied and well made.
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Whether you are a seasoned combatant or a new one stepping into the arena for the first time, Mortal Kombat 1 has something for you. The Kameo system has revitalized the trusted formula, which has improved with the many welcomed changes made by the team, everything looks great in motion, and the story mode is more engaging than ever before. Invasions might not be for everybody, and online play could do with some work, but there is nothing too major holding this game back from shining brightly. A new era of Mortal Kombat has arrived, and things are looking smashingly...
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Mortal Kombat 1 stands out among the best in the franchise, taking some of the best elements from games past and introducing new ways to grab new players.
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The dependably bloody fighter franchise mixes things up for Mortal Kombat 1, but don't call it a reboot.
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Mortal Kombat 1 on Nintendo Switch manages to deliver this superb game's Story and Towers modes in a state that's playable, but only if you've got plenty of patience. There are frame rate issues, big resolution dips, input and timing problems related to performance drops, missing content, game-breaking bugs in Invasion mode, long loading times, and unresponsive menus. If you are a huge Mortal Kombat fan whose only option is Switch, you may be able to press through all of this. However, if you have any other option, we suggest you stay away from this one for now.
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Mortal Kombat 1 is another great fighting game that released in 2023. While it exhibits some of the same faults previous entries did, the Kameo system adds a new depth to the main mechanics.
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Mortal Kombat 1 represents a new era for the fighting game series. However, it also marks the first time in a while that a new Mortal Kombat title has been released where worthy competitors have been present. Games like Guilty Gear Strive and Street Fighter 6 have raised the bar for fighting games significantly since Mortal Kombat 11 released, and it’s on Mortal Kombat 1 to keep up.
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All together, Mortal Kombat 1 is an impressive package, changing things up while showing reverence for even the most obscure parts of its franchise. With that said, nothing in MK1, from gameplay to narrative, is any more than a strict evolution of MK11. Mortal Kombat 1 contributes little new to the fighting game space, and the nearby Street Fighter 6 harshly contrasts it by claiming the custom fighters and open world Konquest mode Mortal Kombat left behind. Still, Liu Kang's new timeline shows great promise, and Mortal Kombat 1 should keep its community satisfied until the next Mortal Kombat begins.
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Liu Kang has spent eons crafting timelines, taking lessons from one era and applying them to the next. All of his meticulous planning has resulted in a new era, one that bends previously sacred rules in order to lead to a better tomorrow. NetherRealm Studios’ journey mirrors Liu Kang’s, and while it didn’t take eons, the studio spent an unusually long time rebooting the Mortal Kombat universe for Mortal Kombat 1. These efforts to reshape the series have led to a more freeform gameplay style where creativity and player expression rule like an empress in Outworld. But such innovation has...
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Following the apocalyptic events of Mortal Kombat 11 and its story-based expansion, Mortal Kombat 1 represents a new era for the franchise’s characters. While it purports to do the same for the video game series, the more I played Mortal Kombat 1, the more familiar the latest entry felt, but that’s far from a bad thing.
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Mortal Kombat 1 serves as a love letter to fans of this thirty-one-year-old franchise and as a pseudo-reboot it also has potential appeal to newcomers alike. There's still room to grow and I'm sure it will just keep getting better, but Mortal Kombat 1 is already definitely worth your time.
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A new start for the legendary series. But has it left something precious in the past?
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