Mortal Kombat 1 (2023)

I'm sure you can help them sort it out, Dunban. ― Fiora, Xenoblade Chronicles

This article is about the 2023 reboot. You may be looking for the original 1992 Arcade game, or the 2011 reboot with the same names.

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Mortal Kombat 1
It's in our blood...
Genre(s): Fighting Rating(s): ESRB: M PEGI: 18 ACB: MA 15+ Platform(s): Microsoft Windows Nintendo Switch PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X/S Release Date: September 19, 2023 Engine: Unreal Engine 4 Developer(s): NetherRealm Studios Publisher(s): Warner Bros. Games Country: United States Poland Series: Mortal Kombat Predecessor: Mortal Kombat 11

Mortal Kombat 1 is a fighting game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games on September 19, 2023 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. It is the 12th main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise, and is the franchise's second reboot after 2011's Mortal Kombat.

Why It's In Our Blood

1. The idea of a second reboot of Mortal Kombat that takes place in a different timeline created by Liu Kang himself is pretty interesting. This idea is in fact carried from Liu's Mortal Kombat 11's Aftermath expansion. While Mortal Kombat 9 also served as the series' reboot, the timeline was altered mainly in the hands of Raiden, while Mortal Kombat 1's timeline is new and made by Liu Kang.
2. Fun and addictive gameplay; combos are really fun to pull off, the controls are solid, and once again a good way of capturing the charm that the Arcade games had.
3. Impressive graphics for a 2023 game. You can definitely tell that NetherRealm Studios will keep the good graphics for the franchise's realistic approach, which has been especially contributed by Mortal Kombat 9.
4. 35 characters to choose from (22 at launch), including the franchise's iconic Scorpion and Sub-Zero, as well as the franchise's fan favourites such as Kenshi and Mileena. The Kombat Packs also add new characters to make sure the roster is larger and allow players to play as new characters, especially if said character is their favourite in the franchise and they were so excited to see them return.
5. The Kameo Fighters is a really great new detail that looks like as if NetherRealm Studios was playing a bit of Marvel vs. Capcom. Some of the Kameo Fighters include Cyrax, Jax, Sareena or Shujinko. As Sub-Zero is also a Kameo Fighter, it can be possible to add a really nice gimmick where Scorpion's fire can be mixed with Sub-Zero's ice.
6. The game frequently runs at 60 FPS, which is really good given that the game's engine was changed to Unreal Engine 4 after 11's Unreal Engine 3 engine. The framerate never drops during main gameplay when you're moving around and using normal attacks.
7. Incredible voice acting as usual. Each voice actor does a really great job voicing the character they voice without any oddities.
8. Awesome soundtrack, as expected from a Mortal Kombat game. It is generaly intense and dark and fits each moment and atmosphere very well.
9. The fatalities for the main roster once again look amazing, and truly do a good job making it look as realistic as possible. One of the biggest examples is Liu Kang's fatality where he summons two dragons that grab the opponent, followed by him smashing the opponent's head. It truly shows how much of a badass Liu can definitely be, especially in this game.
10. A really great sense of humour, which is especially notable in one of the cutscenes where Johnny Cage opens a door and is greeted by Liu Kang, Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Before he can even finish his dialogue (which also includes the F bomb), Liu kindly greets him.
11. Lots of hilarious and great pre-fight dialogues that pretty much show that the voice actors truly had a lot of fun providing the voice for the characters. Johnny Cage unsurprisingly takes the spot here, as he has a lot of hilarious pre-fight dialogues against characters like Liu Kang, Noob Saibot, Baraka, Sindel or Havik.

Bad Qualities

1. The title can be confusing, as a lot of people will refer the first arcade game as "Mortal Kombat 1", rather than this game.
2. The Nintendo Switch version is really horrible, as it suffers from downgraded graphics and various bugs not present in the other versions. While it did get several patches that improved it by a decent amount, it still remains as the least viable way of playing the game.
3. The single-player mode constantly requires internet connection otherwise it won't be playable. This can be really frustrating if you get so far and then you'll be fired into the main menu after an error message appears.
4. The cult and fan favourite Krypt was removed from the game. While the Invasion is not a bad replacement, it is still quite inferior to the Krypt.
5. Somewhat fewer content: Most of the finishers were removed, and each character only has one type of regular fatality and brutality. Stage fatalities, babalities and friendships were also removed for unknown reasons.
6. The Kameo Fighters' fatalities are somewhat weak in comparison to the main roster's.
7. While the game does run at smooth 60 FPS, performing special moves and fatalities for some reason causes the framerate to fall to 30 FPS. And it's not just on the PS5 or the Xbox versions, this issue is also present in the PC version, which requires a mod to fix this issue.

Reception

Mortal Kombat 1 received positive reviews for the PC, PS5 and Xbox versions, with praise towards its visual fidelity, roster, and new mechanics, but criticism for its microtransactions. The game received a 82/100 score for the PC, 83/100 for the PS5, and 84/100 for the Xbox versions, respectively.. The game was a commercial success, with more than 4 million copies sold by August 2024.

On the other hand, however, the Nintendo Switch version received a negative reception for its technical issues, graphics, and long loading times. Nintendo Life for example gave the Switch version a 4/10.

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Trivia

• Shang Tsung was originally available as a pre-order bonus. In the final game, he has to be purchased.

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