NetherRealm Studios continues to spearhead the Mortal Kombat franchise as one of the biggest in the world and with Mortal Kombat 1, it pretty much plays to its strengths while also occasionally tripping over some of its weaknesses. When taken as a package, though, this new entry is actually a great jumping in point for newcomers while giving veterans fans a refreshing new spin on a familiar, bloody tale.

Mortal Kombat 1 is both a soft reboot and a sequel to Mortal Kombat 11, though it quickly severs any connections to its predecessors. The story follows Fire God Liu Kang who, in an effort to right the wrongs of a vicious past, reshapes the universe to his liking, essentially setting the clock back to 1 for the story and its characters. That means we get to re-experience classic franchise characters in a new light, sometimes with a new origins story, and it's as wonderful as it is wildly unpredictable at times.



The story of Mortal Kombat 1 is a surprise, to say the least. Instead of continuing the story from previous games, the slate has been wiped almost clean (for the most part, huge emphasis on that), giving us time to learn and grow with several Mortal Kombat familiars like Scorpion, Sub-Zero and others before the bloodshed. The Mortal Kombat tournament itself has also been reshaped as it's less about a bloody interdimensional conflict and more about celebrating prosperity and peace.

Instead of continuing the story from previous games, the slate has been wiped almost clean (for the most part, huge emphasis on that), giving us time to learn and grow with several Mortal Kombat familiars.

Of course, this is Mortal Kombat and things go south very quickly, forcing unlikely heroes to team up against some invading new evil. Liu Kang, Scorpion and Sub-Zero are front and centre for most of the story but it's in the side characters that the narrative really shines. For example, Baraka and Reptile, after spending most of the series being relegated to cool-looking fighters without much depth, are given a lot of pivotal backstory and focus this time. Kitana and Mileena also get moments in the spotlight which should please long-time fans of the characters. Altogether, the cast works tremendously well in the story. All have believable banter, quips, and dialogue exchanges that never cease to be fun, especially since many of them are actually meeting for the first time.



The one thing I appreciated most about Mortal Kombat 1's story is the way NetherRealm Studios reframes its locations and set pieces. In previous Mortal Kombat games, most conflicts and exchanges clearly happened on a stage to the point where it became distracting and made the world and events feel restrictive after a while. Mortal Kombat 1 has no such problem. Most locations visited are unique and framed in multiple different areas, giving it a very cinematic quality. When the transition did eventually happen to a stage for battles, it was smooth and barely noticeable.

In terms of gameplay, Mortal Kombat 1 doesn't stray too far off the beaten path. Combat still feels weighty, visceral and violent as each bone crunch or punch thrown has tremendous impact. The smaller changes ultimately make the biggest and most welcoming changes to Mortal Kombat 1, especially compared to its predecessors. Instead of a double meter for specials and defence like in Mortal Kombat 11, there's only one meter in this game that dictates your special moves. It brings the focus back to the flow of fighting and thankfully gets rid of the stuffiness of the previous game's mechanics.



While Mortal Kombat's core combat system remains less fluid than other fighting games, Mortal Kombat 1 makes up for that by simply doubling down on it, oddly enough. Attacks feel snappy, very responsive and less wooden than previous entries as the controls have been refined here to a welcoming degree. It's easy for newcomers to simply pick up a controller now and still be able to execute flashy, devastating combos thanks to how concise the controls feel. At the same time, it still requires a level of patience and an understanding of each character's strengths and limitations to win, which long-time fans will appreciate.

It's easy for newcomers to simply pick up a controller now and still be able to execute flashy, devastating combos thanks to how concise the controls feel.

By far, the biggest addition to Mortal Kombat 1 is Kameos. These act as assists during battle that you can pair with your main fighter. They're not tag-ins but rather background fighters that you can call in to perform a number of moves, either to string combos, juggle, air lift, deflect oncoming projectiles, reposition you or break you out of a tricky spot, along with multiple other purposes. Each Kameo has a meter that gradually fills up and often has limited usage so you can't spam them, but you can't really neglect them either, especially if your opponent has the upper hand in a fight and you need to call in your Kameo to give you an edge.



While the story and gameplay are as strong as they've ever been in Mortal Kombat 1, the lack of content might upset some people. The story mode, like previous titles in the series, can be completed in roughly 5-6 hours including watching cutscenes. Other than that, there are two single-player modes available: Klassic Towers, where you get to challenge new opponents on an increasingly difficult tower; and Invasion mode, which replaces the Krypt to offer a board game-like mini-game that can net you rewards like concept art and cosmetics for characters. If you're looking for a meaty single-player offering, Mortal Kombat 1 might be short on it.

While the story and gameplay are as strong as they've ever been in Mortal Kombat 1, the lack of content might upset some people.

While I didn't get to extensively test out the full brunt of online multiplayer in Mortal Kombat 1, it does add a bit of longevity to the experience if you're the type to hop online and hone your skills against other players. Jumping online is easy and I personally didn't encounter any long waiting times for matches, but that might change in the coming days following the game's full release to more players.



In terms of visuals, Mortal Kombat 1 looks and sounds terrific. You can see why NetherRealm Studios opted to focus on current-gen consoles for the game as it's difficult to imagine it looking this good on last-gen hardware (though with the now infamous Nintendo Switch version, you probably won't need to imagine it). Character models are exquisitely detailed and lively, especially for facial animations which are a few notches above its predecessor. Textures look phenomenal as you can see the blemishes on skin or the finer details like clothing textures really leap off the screen, especially in 4K. I'd like to give a special shout-out to the outstanding sound design as well, making each hit sound as powerful as it feels.

Mortal Kombat 1 takes a back-to-basics approach to its combat, characters and story that rewards both newcomers and long-time fans in equal measures. It's a narratively satisfying, fresh restart that the series desperately needed after nearly three decades. The gameplay and controls are explosively snappy and the brutality is ramped up to some absurd degrees, but it wouldn't be Mortal Kombat without a few spines being ripped out. Hopefully NetherRealm Studios can use this a springboard for greater sequels but it lays a pretty damn solid foundation here.

*PS5 Review code provided by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment