Finish him! 'Mortal Kombat X' is the bloody next chapter fans deserve

1:54 AM Unknown 0 Comments

It took just four button taps to squeeze a man's guts out, like a tube of toothpaste. Except you wouldn't brush your teeth with shimmering, red entrails. Five minutes later, a few more button taps left my victim's skull bisected. Her brain rolled out and her tongue lolled outside of a face without a jaw.

Absurd levels of gore are only part of the Mortal Kombat experience, but revelling in the shattered bones and oozing guts is something that unites casual and serious fans. You know you've arrived at a Mortal Kombat game when successfully ripping someone in half to finish your fight is a sweet reward.

Mortal Kombat X embraces the gore, but also builds on the foundation NetherRealm Studios constructed when it rebooted the storied Mortal Kombat franchise in 2011. The game is devoted to its players, every sect of them. It welcomes fighting game newbies with accessible gameplay, piques the interest of those heavily invested in series lore with a dark story and appears to be challenging and balanced enough to encourage highly competitive, professional play.

Image: NetherRealm/Warner Bros. Interactive

Mortal Kombat X takes a bold choice for the franchise by sending the characters into the future, and introducing us to many of their offspring. After NetherRealm chose to reboot the entire series mythology (akin to many comic book reboots we've seen in the last decade), it's fantastic to see the studio venture into untrod territory with lots of new faces.

Make no mistake: you need to refresh yourself on Mortal Kombat 9's story before diving in here. There is no "previously on..." to guide you, so a visit to a wiki, a playthrough or even viewing the previous title's cutscenes on YouTube is pretty much required. Remembering what happened to Raiden, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade and the rest of our heroes, including the ones that didn't survive, is important in this new story. And that's a lot of people.

You'll punch and kick through 12 chapters, each focusing on a different character, which has become a signature piece of NetherRealm's games. Each chapter has about four fights that are interspersed between long cinematic cutscenes. One weird feature is the addition of quicktime events, which require timed button presses after being prompted, to move certain scenes forward. Unfortunately, these bursts of interactivity are infrequent enough that you usually let down your guard and miss the first one. While they don't have an effect on the story, they feel weirdly out of place.

Most of the story focuses on the future battle against Shinnok, with flashback chapters interspersed to show us how we got there. Through these, character motivations are revealed. Overall, it's much more character development than fighting game fans are often treated to. In a genre known for its twisting, ridiculous plots, NetherRealm balances that with a closer view of the fan-favorite characters; it's especially true when you see some of the growing relationship between Johnny and Sonya.

If anything, I wanted more story by the time it was over. When you reach the final battle, it feels more like a middle chapter than a dramatic finisher — especially after only four to five hours of play. After the previous game's 16 chapters, I wanted something a little more beefy.

The feeling of not having enough is echoed in your fighter selection. There are 24 playable characters in Mortal Kombat X, plus Goro for those who pre-ordered the game. Four have already been announced as downloadable content as well. But as I met fan-favorite characters (that I won't name because of spoilers) in story mode, I immediately wondered why they weren't playable, and if they'll playable down the line.

That said, there are several brand new fighters for the series, and they're all dynamite. Mysterious outlaw Erron Black, who fights with both pistols and swords, offers a fun mix of combat styles. Part-insect, part-woman D'vorah's speed and reach — thanks to insectoid arms that quickly close the gap between her and another fighter — make her deadly. And Cassie Cage — the offspring of Johnny and Sonya — is just plain fun, thanks to a great mix of her parents' techniques folded into one character.

And these are just a few examples, since there are eight brand-new playable characters for players to master. But each character has three variants that change the way they handle in battle. Selecting a variation before the fight affects that entire fight; it isn't a mere stance change. These definitely cater to different player's strengths competitively.

Image: NetherRealm/Warner Bros. Interactive

For instance, Sub-Zero's "Cryomancer" variation allows him to summon weapons made of ice, which is mapped to quarter-circle gestures. They make him more more offensive, especially because of the powerful overhead ability of his ice axe. But more defensive players may opt for the "Grandmaster" variant, which allows Sub-Zero to summon a frozen clone of himself that can be tossed to keep a foe at a distance, or used a shield. Each variant also comes with its own telltale visual cue, so you can see what version of each character you're fighting before they even throw out a move.

For casual players, that's more than enough options, but seasoned fighting game veterans have a lot of new systems to learn. Mortal Kombat has always had prominence in the professional fighting game community, but this version is already posed to make waves after securing a spot in professional fighting game tournaments before release. No one character or variation seemed too powerful during a few days of play, but watching it shake out over weeks and months will be interesting.

Thanks to easy combos, the game is more beginner-friendly than some of its contemporaries. This is most evident in the new "easy" fatalities, the gruesome, iconic finishing move the series is known for. Once strictly the domain of perfectly-timed inputs button combos, you can now unlock a character's fatality with just two buttons — an option that is clearly displayed when a match is paused. But these simplified fatalities aren't free — they cost in-game currency, so looking cool still costs you if you don't want to learn the longer combos. 

Mortal Kombat X doesn't add a lot of dramatically new things, but it proves that NetherRealm loves and cares about the franchise — and its legacy. Its outlandish gore and deep lore are long-established trappings and they haven't gone anywhere, but the deeper-than-ever (<—just a suggestion) fighting game is ready to keep fans invested.

Mechanics that style to beginner and advanced play • Eight fantastic new characters blend well with series staples • Unique story builds on the Mortal Kombat legacy

Some prominent characters missing from line-up • story mode could be longer • quick-time events are a little unnecessary

 

More than just a blood fest, Mortal Kombat X builds on the strong foundation of the last game, and is something fans have every reason to be excited for.