Since its release, Mortal Kombat 11 has seen a number of updates, downloadable content, and improvements. While always just a hair behind its more ferociously entertaining (if somewhat flawed) predecessor, it certainly boasts some great appealing factors. The combat is simplified but still technically impressive, and the violence has been upped considerably to make it the most vicious fighter on the market. Its latest story expansion, Aftermath, delivers more of the same greatness, though much like the base game, is also not without its flaws.

Note: This review is completely spoiler-free, so proceed without worries.


The story of Aftermath picks up right where the base game's campaign left off. However, due to the concluding events, the timelines are once again in peril, and it's up to some new faces - Fujin, Nightwolf and Shang Tsung - to correct the past and make sure everything falls into place before Kronika can once again intervene and set the course of history on another divergent path to destruction. For the most part, the story does well to complete the experience, though can feel a tad bit rushed and even confusingly retconned in parts - especially as far as plot contrivances go that alters the chain of events from the base game. Nonetheless, it's relentlessly entertaining from start to finish, though slightly undercut by a playtime that's half as short as the main campaign.

READ MORE: Review: Mortal Kombat 11

Where Aftermath shines is in its gameplay. If you've devoted time to learning the ins and outs of Mortal Kombat 11, you'll feel right at home here. The combat is superb, bloody, and technical without ever being overwhelming. You can get through most fights by learning just a handful of combos, even on the higher difficulty levels, though the option to button mash your way to victory is still both satisfying and a little concerning. Aftermath also ups the gore and violence factor considerably, so expect to see some unsettling (but admittedly awesome) new deaths and fatalities as you battle through the expansion's five new story chapters.



The new characters are certainly welcomed to Mortal Kombat 11's expanding roster. Fujin's balance of long and close ranged attacks are perfect for juggling fights in your favour. He commands strong wind attacks, and can quickly decimate opponents with perfectly timed strings of his excellent combos. Sheeva's brute fighting style is easy to learn, yet difficult to master, but her placement in the story feels natural and adds some unexpected emotional heft to the events. RoboCop (who doesn't play a part in the story) can feel a tad bit tanky, but he's lovingly crafted to resemble the movies' iconic portrayal of the character - quips and all. Unfortunately, I can't talk much about some surprises in the story relating to certain returning characters, but they live up to expectations and then some, especially for die-hard fans of the series' lore.

[Shang Tsung] brings an irresistible air of scheming villainy and charm to the game that's hard to shake.

On that note, Aftermath feels refreshingly nostalgic if we go back to the early days of Mortal Kombat. There are plenty of Easter eggs and throwbacks to previous titles, especially little nods to the 90s live-action films (if you know where to look). The biggest new addition to the expanded story is Shang Tsung himself, amazingly mo-capped by the live-action film's actor, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. He brings an irresistible air of scheming villainy and charm to the game that's hard to shake.



One hilarious newly introduced feature (or returning, more like it) is Friendships. Taking the place of fatalities, Friendships see each character partake in some comedy skit that accentuates some of their more ridiculous traits. My personal favourites were Spawn, Raiden, and especially Scorpion, but I'll leave that up to you to discover and have fun with. Luckily, you don't have to purchase Aftermath to gain access to Friendships as they've been added to the base game free of charge.

...the story takes several creative liberties in toying with the outcome of already established events...

Taken as a whole, there's not much to really pick apart that hasn't already been covered from the base game. As previously mentioned, the story takes several creative liberties in toying with the outcome of already established events - but if anything, it just reminded me that it's a Mortal Kombat game, and we've seen this kind of historical rewrite done before, and with less subtlety in the past. Aftermath doesn't bring anything new to the table in terms of exciting revelations, but it does pose some fascinating conundrums about where the story could possibly go in the next game.



Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath is a worthy companion piece to the original, even if it does repeat some of its mistakes. Where the expansion hooks you is in its character interactions (some actually quite touching, albeit predictably irrational) and brutal combat that has made this one of the staple fighting game franchises of all time. With a host of new add-ons, fighters, and story chapters, there's a compelling amount of content here, though not quite as much for its currently high asking price. Fans of the series will certainly be pleased with what Aftermath has to offer, though, and there's just the right amount of fun to be had with doing the time warp. Again.