14 DAY TRIAL // Mortal Kombat X launched yesterday across PC, PS4, and Xbox One platforms, and barring some technical issues on the PC, fans are quite thrilled with the new fighting experience developed by NetherRealm and published by Warner Bros..
We've already praised it in our official Mortal Kombat X review on Xbox One, highlighting both its respect for the classic recipe of the series and its desire to add new mechanics and features on top of them, in order to keep things fresh.
Mortal Kombat deserved an innovative experience
Without a doubt, many fighting game fans, no matter if they love Mortal Kombat or other franchises like Street Fighter, Dead or Alive, Tekken, or Killer Instinct, can remember when they first played Mortal Kombat and performed, or at least watched, an intense Fatality move.
Unfortunately, while the series had quite a pedigree, things weren't going too well in the 2000s, due to the bankruptcy of initial publisher Midway, and then the rather lackluster Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. This title had a pretty solid premise of throwing against each other Mortal Kombat fighters and characters, both good and evil, from the DC Comics universe. However, due to the emphasis on less violence, many long-time fans felt disappointed and sales tanked.
Fortunately, with the Mortal Kombat reboot in 2009, NetherRealm managed to get back to basics and deliver a solid and quite violent fighting game. Sure, it had a few problems and didn't exactly bring new elements to the table, but at least it was a competent experience.
Mortal Kombat X nails the balance between old and new
After taking a hiatus from the series while bringing forth Injustice: Gods Among Us, NetherRealm is finally back to its roots with Mortal Kombat X. The studio could have easily pandered to fans by delivering a more or less prettier version of the 2009 iteration, which takes advantage of the PS4 or Xbox One power, but the studio opted to add quite a few new things on top of the Mortal Kombat recipe.
First up, there are plenty of old features and characters. From fan favorites like Sub-Zero and Scorpion to Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Raiden, or Jax, and the famous Challenge Towers that provide lots of content to go through, Mortal Kombat X has many elements with which to delight longtime fans.
However, there are all sorts of new elements on top of this solid base that really elevate Mortal Kombat X. First up, of course, there are the new characters. From Cassie Cage to Erron Black, D'Vorah, Ferra/Torr, Jacqui Briggs, Kung Jin, Kotal Kahn, or Takeda, there are quite a lot of fresh faces. Sure, some feature elements from their family, like Cassie, who brings together mechanics from both Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage, but many offer genuinely fresh moves and should delight those looking for a change of pace.
Of course, another major addition is the variation system that brings three different versions for each character. These provide a wealth of options for those who want to stick to one character but switch things up. Throw in the varied moves that include normal, special, and finishing ones, and you'll have to invest a lot of time into Mortal Kombat X to master everything.
There's also a whopping amount of added content besides the story, from the living towers to the Faction War system or the overhauled Krypt, so you won't get bored with the game anything soon.
Overall, Mortal Kombat X is a textbook example when it comes to making a sequel. Keep the base system and the trademark mechanics, but throw in new elements, new content, and even if things might not work 100%, old players will enjoy the fresh additions while newcomers will have reasons to try it out.
