I'll just preface this review by saying I'm not a fighting game expert. The last one I fully committed to was Mortal Kombat 9 all those years ago, although I have dabbled in Street Fighter and Guilty Gear over the years. I enjoy them, but I don't have friends who play fighting games, nor do I come to them early, so there is usually no one online. So if my review is lacking in certain mechanical aspects, that is the reason.
I've heard that this game is a bit of a red-headed stepchild of the reboot series (at least, pre-Motal Kombat 1), and I can absolutely see why. There are several aspects that I think are a bit flaccid compared to MK 9, even if the core fighting is fantastic.
For one, the story isn't as good as what I remember from the previous release, but that did have the benefit of using the OG games as a source. This was the first to have a wholly unique story. The basic premise is as follows: Shinnock, an evil Elder God, had his lifeforce sucked into an amulet. Twenty-five years later, this amulet was stolen by Kano and given to Milenna for an attempted coup d’état against Kotal Khan in the Outworld. The story spirals out from there, with the ramifications of these events, along with the aftermath of MK9, deeply influencing the plot. To fully grasp everyone’s motivations, familiarity with the previous game’s context is essential. There are a couple of structural things that left me a bit cold. There are a lot of flashbacks that muddy the narrative; some parts seem rushed, and the ending is flaccid. I had fun, don't get me wrong, but it was rather underwhelming.
I have that feeling about a few other parts of the game, to be honest. The graphics, for instance, show their age a lot more than you'd think for a game that is only nine years old. Mortal Kombat X exhibits a common visual trend known as ‘Unreal Engine Syndrome,’ characterised by a muted, brown-dominated colour palette. It makes the game not really 'pop.' The facial animations of the human characters in the cutscenes are firmly in the uncanny valley, which stems from the more'realistic' (as a game involving ninjas, gods, and an insect lady can be) style it has. Additionally, the transitions from cutscene to gameplay are rather jarring these days, as the quality of the CGI doesn't match the resolution of the graphics. The concept retained from MK9 is commendable, and I’m pleased it was preserved. However, by today’s standards, it no longer stands out as particularly remarkable. It is rather unfair of me to criticise the graphics of such an old game, but it just solidifies my opinion that stylized graphics age a lot better than any attempts at realism.
I don't want to keep criticising the game because there is a lot to like. I love the characters, for one. Almost all of them are instantly iconic and have never looked better. A personal favourite is Jax; his arms look so sick, and his character matures a lot (I guess having your arms ripped off and then being killed does that to you). A lot of the new characters are really good, with Kotal Kharn and D'vora being real highlights; they're unique even when compared to the zany roster. I do think the more human characters, the Kombat Kids and Johnny Cage, are a bit more subdued and generic in comparison to the very best. The unlockable skins do help in that regard. The backgrounds are equally as good, although the Unreal Engine issue does dull them somewhat. The visceral impact of executing a fatality in Mortal Kombat X is so profound that it often leaves me in awe. This franchise has always pushed the boundaries of intensity, and this installment significantly raises the stakes. In terms of style, MKX is a monumental advancement over its predecessor; it portrays female characters with more realism and less objectification, a change that deserves recognition.
The gameplay is incredible, to put it mildly. It builds upon MK9 in all the right ways by increasing the speed and adding some bits and pieces to give each match some more tactical depth. For instance, you can cancel out of a throw and instead push the person away, which gives a great opportunity to unleash some hell. The tutorial excels at providing a comprehensive introduction to various moves, ranging from juggles to combos. However, it does omit minitue, which I presume is best mastered through extensive gameplay. The story mode really helps teach you bits and pieces about several characters, giving you four fights with each character, but it leaves a go-half or more completely untouched. Sure, I saw Reptile being played by the computer against me, but I never touched him until I decided to use him in an exhibition match. I feel like the previous game was a bit better in that regard, which is unfortunate. I am dreadful at the game, resorting to button-mashing a lot rather than stringing combos, but I still had a lot of fun.
I wish I had played this game when it came out. There is a lot of stuff in MKX, but it relies on friends and a vibrant online community to really make the most of the game. Yes, the towers, basically in arcade mode, are there, but they don't replace the real thing, and I didn't want to grind out points and coins by repeatedly playing them. So there is a lot of stuff I haven't unlocked in Krypt, but there is only so much music and concept art one can stomach. Despite these misgivings, playing MKX is gallons of fun; it is just missing that je ne sais quoi that stops it from being a really great game.
I've heard that this game is a bit of a red-headed stepchild of the reboot series (at least, pre-Motal Kombat 1), and I can absolutely see why. There are several aspects that I think are a bit flaccid compared to MK 9, even if the core fighting is fantastic.
For one, the story isn't as good as what I remember from the previous release, but that did have the benefit of using the OG games as a source. This was the first to have a wholly unique story. The basic premise is as follows: Shinnock, an evil Elder God, had his lifeforce sucked into an amulet. Twenty-five years later, this amulet was stolen by Kano and given to Milenna for an attempted coup d’état against Kotal Khan in the Outworld. The story spirals out from there, with the ramifications of these events, along with the aftermath of MK9, deeply influencing the plot. To fully grasp everyone’s motivations, familiarity with the previous game’s context is essential. There are a couple of structural things that left me a bit cold. There are a lot of flashbacks that muddy the narrative; some parts seem rushed, and the ending is flaccid. I had fun, don't get me wrong, but it was rather underwhelming.
I have that feeling about a few other parts of the game, to be honest. The graphics, for instance, show their age a lot more than you'd think for a game that is only nine years old. Mortal Kombat X exhibits a common visual trend known as ‘Unreal Engine Syndrome,’ characterised by a muted, brown-dominated colour palette. It makes the game not really 'pop.' The facial animations of the human characters in the cutscenes are firmly in the uncanny valley, which stems from the more'realistic' (as a game involving ninjas, gods, and an insect lady can be) style it has. Additionally, the transitions from cutscene to gameplay are rather jarring these days, as the quality of the CGI doesn't match the resolution of the graphics. The concept retained from MK9 is commendable, and I’m pleased it was preserved. However, by today’s standards, it no longer stands out as particularly remarkable. It is rather unfair of me to criticise the graphics of such an old game, but it just solidifies my opinion that stylized graphics age a lot better than any attempts at realism.
I don't want to keep criticising the game because there is a lot to like. I love the characters, for one. Almost all of them are instantly iconic and have never looked better. A personal favourite is Jax; his arms look so sick, and his character matures a lot (I guess having your arms ripped off and then being killed does that to you). A lot of the new characters are really good, with Kotal Kharn and D'vora being real highlights; they're unique even when compared to the zany roster. I do think the more human characters, the Kombat Kids and Johnny Cage, are a bit more subdued and generic in comparison to the very best. The unlockable skins do help in that regard. The backgrounds are equally as good, although the Unreal Engine issue does dull them somewhat. The visceral impact of executing a fatality in Mortal Kombat X is so profound that it often leaves me in awe. This franchise has always pushed the boundaries of intensity, and this installment significantly raises the stakes. In terms of style, MKX is a monumental advancement over its predecessor; it portrays female characters with more realism and less objectification, a change that deserves recognition.
The gameplay is incredible, to put it mildly. It builds upon MK9 in all the right ways by increasing the speed and adding some bits and pieces to give each match some more tactical depth. For instance, you can cancel out of a throw and instead push the person away, which gives a great opportunity to unleash some hell. The tutorial excels at providing a comprehensive introduction to various moves, ranging from juggles to combos. However, it does omit minitue, which I presume is best mastered through extensive gameplay. The story mode really helps teach you bits and pieces about several characters, giving you four fights with each character, but it leaves a go-half or more completely untouched. Sure, I saw Reptile being played by the computer against me, but I never touched him until I decided to use him in an exhibition match. I feel like the previous game was a bit better in that regard, which is unfortunate. I am dreadful at the game, resorting to button-mashing a lot rather than stringing combos, but I still had a lot of fun.
I wish I had played this game when it came out. There is a lot of stuff in MKX, but it relies on friends and a vibrant online community to really make the most of the game. Yes, the towers, basically in arcade mode, are there, but they don't replace the real thing, and I didn't want to grind out points and coins by repeatedly playing them. So there is a lot of stuff I haven't unlocked in Krypt, but there is only so much music and concept art one can stomach. Despite these misgivings, playing MKX is gallons of fun; it is just missing that je ne sais quoi that stops it from being a really great game.