Mortal Kombat 1’s new mode is Mario Party with fatalities

polygon.com:

Mortal Kombat is entering a new era. Following the events of Mortal Kombat 11’s campaign, the timeline has reset, summoning unique interpretations of classic characters, altered power dynamics, and dangerous new threats. To complement this universal reboot, NetherRealm Studios has brought new modes and systems to Mortal Kombat 1, like Kameo fighters that can support you in combat and a brand-new single-player offering in the form of Invasions mode.

Invasions blends RPG-esque progression systems with bite-size chunks of Mortal Kombat’s trademark gory goodness, and it will likely appeal to new players who want to get a foothold on the fighting experience before diving into multiplayer.

Players each choose their combatant and a Kameo to support them (though the player can swap both at any time) and appear on a top-down game board where every node tosses you into a bloody, amorphous brawl. Flying bats can turn the upper half of the arena into a hazard, and homing ice balls can frustrate your hard-fought combos. Invasions is also propped up by a lighthearted narrative spine, evoking natural comparisons to other fighting game single-player modes like The Subspace Emissary in Super Smash Bros. Brawl or, more recently, World Tour in Street Fighter 6.

As part of a hands-on demo at Gamescom, I was let loose on the gaudy Hollywood Hills mansion of MK stalwart Johnny Cage; the place is in total disarray upon my arrival. There’s a portal to another realm in the master bedroom, but I had to grab the key to the front door first, which (true to form) had been stolen by a Tarkatan warrior.

Lurching into battle as Liu Kang, I was struck by how visually nimble Mortal Kombat 1 felt compared to its predecessor. It’s quick but satisfying,