Mortal Kombat 11 Review

While most fighting games might make you may feel the need to button mash in hopes of hitting your opponent more than they hit you. Mortal Kombat uses a very precise system that requires knowledge of specific combinations that are unique to each character. It’s definitely not a super-accessible and easily learnt system, but thanks to the highly detailed tutorials, it shouldn’t be too difficult to learn the basics.

As far as fighting mechanics go, this is the pinnacle of what Mortal Kombat can be. Fluid combat with a very interesting set up of defensive and offensive based ability slots complimented with the new amplification system all help make the game feel one of the best fighting games today. Fatalities can turn the tide of the fight or hammer the final nail in your coffin in a exciting and gruesome manner. The
well-varied roster of characters and extensive customization helps cater to players that use all sorts of different play-styles.

The six hour story mode was a great change of pace which introduces each character and familiarizes players with them. The main plot involves a timeline reset where the characters are confronted by their past selves. This gives a fun and comedic tone to the story which complements the gore and brutality of the game really well. This paired with the gorgeously-shot cut-scenes makes the single player experience a truly memorable one.

The excellent online mode is by far the best aspect of the game and the most enjoyable. Mortal Kombat 11 has a great netcode which helps make online play as seamless and smooth as possible with close to no lag. The online game modes consist of ranked matches, casual matches,and King of the Hill. You can also choose to watch your team of characters fight against someone else’s where the AI does all the work for you. This is especially useful for people who want to earn rewards while doing chores or work.

The amount of customization options for each character is utterly staggering, with each character having dozens of skins, pieces of gear, and techniques to add which act as additional abilities. However, to unlock them you must play the Towers of Time and the Krypt which are not so great. In the Krypt you can open treasure chests to obtain the aforementioned customization items but due to the large amount of items, it is difficult to get an item you truly want or may use. While this micro-transaction system is being used a lot nowadays, it should not be implemented in such a way especially in full-priced games.

The Towers of Time acts as a challenge mode in which your opponent has some sort of advantage over you. While everybody likes a good challenge, this fights are extremely difficult and at times nearly impossible to beat. The core concept of this mode may be good and adds replayability to the game, but this mode is nearly unplayable at its current state. The problems have been addressed and will be fixed according to the developers, but best to stay away from this mode until it is patched.

Overall, the game is arguably one of the best of the series and a great option for fans of fighting games. Online play is phenomenal and the story was extremely fun to play through. Mortal Kombat 11 offers the same gory, over-the-top violence that we’ve grown accustomed to ever since the first game. The randomization of Krypt rewards and the impossible Towers of time may make the grind for resources very tedious, but the rest of the game does enough to make itself stand out as an incredible fighting game.

GameRev was provided with a digital download code for the purpose of this review.