Mortal Kombat 1 Reviews

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 most complete package I have ever seen in a fighting game. It is an excellent new chapter for returning fans and a great jumping-on point for new players. In this new golden era of fighting games, where more people are playing them than ever before, Mortal Kombat 1 is exactly what we need. A fighting game for everyone, and a beautiful reminder of why we play.

When the issues of a game are rolled and stomped by its greatness, then it’s something to invest on if you have some spare.

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.

Mortal Kombat 1 certainly looks gorgeous, with the characters being shockingly detailed and realistic. This makes the ridiculous finishers even more wild than ever, though it also makes the characters a bit less colorful and immediately recognizable. The designs of the cast are more mixed this time around, though ideally, future skins might help change that.

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.

And ultimately, that’s Mortal Kombat 1’s dilemma. It delivers a fantastic storyline with sensational fan service, extremely smart gameplay improvements, the new exciting Invasions mode, the Kameo system that throws in a lot of depth, with visuals absolutely unparalleled by any fighter on the market. The reboot, however, isn’t quite as valid of an entry point for newcomers as initially suspected, and with (so far) much less content and vareity than Mortal Kombat 11’s 4-year long support, it is perhaps not an essential buy for less enthusiastic fans – for now, at least.

During Mortal Kombat 1’s superhero movie-like story campaign, one standout action scene finds me inside a dingy dungeon full of Shang Tsung’s disgusting experiments. Kenshi, Baraka, Johnny Cage, and Kung Lao fight against a horde of monsters within the grimy lab, and an intense fight ensues. Instead of cutting to a traditional 1v1 fight, it all initially played out in an impressive cutscene choreographed and “filmed” like it had all happened within one take. The scene may not have much in terms of emotional depth or unique gameplay interaction, but it’s a thoroughly entertaining fight that I’ve gone back and rewatched multiple times since first seeing it.

After two decades of Mortal Kombat video games' stories, Mortal Kombat 1 serves well as a polished reboot. The gameplay has hardly changed since MK11, introducing Kameos to pay homage to the classic MK titles.

Mortal Kombat 1 envisions an exciting future with fluid combat, a fantastic story mode, and superb visuals - but receding features, underbaked mechanics, and a dated online experience keep it in the past.

A solid but oddly soulless entry that fails to commit to being a series reboot.

Mortal Kombat 1 offers smart changes to the series’ gameplay, an entertaining story that still threatens to baffle newcomers and veterans alike, an online mode that works well on PC, and tons of gore. While the seasonal Invasions mode is a fascinating idea, it’s unclear whether it’ll be enough to retain long-term interest. However, this is still a fantastic, horribly gruesome Mortal Kombat game that’s well worth your time.

Mortal Kombat 1’s online offerings are not as robust as the deep options and virtual arcade environment of Street Fighter 6. However, I found its simple menus easier to navigate and more convenient for diving into matches. No matter which game mode you play, you’ll earn XP that goes toward leveling up characters and your player profile. Every level gives you goodies such as weapon or costume skins, concept artwork, or input codes for fatalities. Unlocks happen quickly, especially while playing Invasions mode, so leveling up felt fast and organic.

Mortal Kombat 1 isn't a flawless victory, but it feels close to one.

Great mechanics and a wild story make a solid first impression, but a shallow selection of modes keeps MK1 from a flawless victory.

Mortal Kombat 1 was pitched as the start of a new era for Mortal Kombat, where NetherRealm Studios had complete freedom to craft the universe they wanted, mostly free from the previous two eras. In some ways, the studio has managed to get back to basics and deliver the best rendition of Mortal Kombat yet, but in others, they've second-guessed themselves and taken steps back. The story mode is thrilling and does a lot to establish characters that were previously forgotten or never got a chance to shine, and it even gives fan favorites a new lease on life. Much of that, however, is thrown away for an exhilarating yet absurd ending that repositions Mortal Kombat 1 as a sequel to Mortal Kombat 11 rather than a clean slate. In Mortal Kombat 1, we have the best iteration of the core fighting mechanics in years, but the extra content built around it is a grindy slog. The game presents a roster filled with classic characters and long-forgotten ones fans have clamored for for years, yet it feels compromised by the need to cut three characters to sell as DLC. Mortal Kombat 1 is a fun time teetering on the edge of greatness but held back by a lot of second-guessing and unnecessary grinding. Mortal Kombat 1 is a victory with most of its story, gameplay and presentation; it's just nowhere near a flawless victory.

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.

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 good.

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.

While Mortal Kombat 1 feels a little streamlined and cut down compared to Mortal Kombat 11, it surpasses it where it really counts: the gameplay. This is quite simply the most fun we’ve had with a Mortal Kombat game to date. The improved combat with its faster pace, combined with a brilliant roster of fighters and the new Kameo system, means that we’re once again excited for the future of the series, as well as what’s to come to this entry. We’ll be returning to Invasion mode time and time again as its seasonal content is refreshed, and look forward to more characters being added into the mix.

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.

With its largely satisfying story mode, an intriguing new mode in Invasions, a better progression system for both playable and Kameo characters, and robust online modes, Mortal Kombat 1 delivers the best Mortal Kombat experience ever.

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.

The story campaign and, arguably, the fighting are the best they’ve ever been for Mortal Kombat, although there’s currently a lack of other modes and Invasion is a disappointment.

NetherRealm Studios has scooped up all of its favourite toys and re-distributed them across the playroom in a way that has revivified the Mortal Kombat experience, birthing perhaps the most solid and enjoyable fighting game I have ever encountered.

A pillar of the genre, Mortal Kombat is not afraid to take risks with each release. Whether it’s fighting stances or suit modifications, Ed Boon introduces new elements so that every iteration is distinct. With MK1, not only has NetherRealm performed a reset on the complex lore of the universe, but they have also added new combat elements that help to make this the finest fighter in the franchise’s history.