Mortal Kombat 1 Review: New Flesh on Old Bones

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Fighting games are not my forte, but I'm always enthralled by their ability to suck you in with an easy-to-learn yet hard-to-master formula. It's a trait that NetherRealm Studios has embraced by including over-the-top violence and flashy animations, so scrubs like me can jump in and have a jolly good time ripping spines with jellified innards clinging to them. From its arcade origins over 30 years ago, Mortal Kombat has evolved drastically, veering into the 3D era and differentiating itself from competitors like Street Fighter and Tekken by slowly sculpting the larger lore. So, it's not surprising to see a lot of confused faces when their 12th and latest entry is titled ‘Mortal Kombat 1,' a nomenclature decision that can easily clash with the 2021 live-action movie, the original 1992 game, and its 2011 reboot. Yep, this marks the second soft rejig for the franchise, but sadly, NetherRealm's latest fighting playground does little to explore new avenues.

Mortal Kombat 1 opens with a voiceover of Liu Kang explaining how his ascension into godhood helped him forge a new timeline, where familiar characters' histories are rewritten to align with his vision of peace. He achieved this using Kronika's Hourglass in Mortal Kombat 11, making this a continuation of that bygone arc, whose events are often referred to in the brisk eight-hour campaign. Historic rivals Scorpion and Sub-Zero are brothers now; villainous sorcerer Shang Tsung is a worthless nobody peddling quack cures; and Mileena is no longer a mutant clone of the fan-wielding Kitana. Instead, they're biological twin sisters of royalty, with the former getting infected with the Tarkatan virus, resulting in razor-sharp teeth and superhuman agility. It's a subtle change in