Mortal Kombat 1
Developer NetherRealm Studios
Publisher Warner Bros Games
Format PC, PS5 (tested), Switch, Xbox Series
Release Out now
Decapitation via uppercut. Gravel-voiced ninjas reciting B-movie catchphrases. Johnny Cage striking his opponents where it really hurts. NetherRealm may be touting this as a new era for its long-running fighting series, but Mortal Kombat 1 is business as usual for the veteran studio, smoothing out the rough edges of its predecessor rather than tampering with the established formula. The result is a slick, satisfying fighting game that surpasses recent instalments, even as it fails to provide a suitable on-ramp for those seeking to discover its delights.
Some of the most notable changes come from what isn’t here. The series’ trademark finishing moves return in all their cartoonish, grisly glory, as well as the Fatal Blow system, a devastating attack available once per fight to characters with less than a third of their health remaining. However, NetherRealm has jettisoned elements such as character variations and Krushing Blows. Other areas have been streamlined: defensive and offensive meters are now unified into a single bar, segments of which can be spent to amplify special moves or banked to disrupt an opponent’s combo.