The story's six hours are big, bombastic, and ridiculous in all of the right ways.
Some key changes streamline the mechanics of MK11, resulting in a fighting system that feels more active and aggressive than its predecessors. The special meter system has been simplified, allowing for amplified maneuvers to be used at almost any time--gone is the idea of needing to hold back and save up two or three bars of a meter to perform a particular kind of technique.
I'm thoroughly enjoying playing ranked mode, shaving the rough edges off my rushdown Shao Khan and unearthing all the secrets of the Krypt along the way.
Mortal Kombat 11 is a joy to play, so it’s a bummer that outside of multiplayer, story, and “klassic” towers, much of the longer-lasting single-player content is focused on gimmicks that detract from the rock-solid core.
Mortal Kombat 11 is one of PlayStation 4’s prettiest titles, be that in-game or in cutscenes. On PlayStation 4 Pro, frame rate is solid, too – even with detailed backgrounds often filled with moving parts and characters.Mortal Kombat 11 is stuffed with content (kontent?), too. There are 25 characters included at launch, including newcomers Geras, Cetrion, and Kollector.
Mortal Kombat 11 may be the greatest looking fighting game at least in terms of graphics, while still having eye popping (literally and figuratively) aesthetics. The characters both in and out of fighting are brimming with so much personality that it’s hard to believe this game and Mortal Kombat X are from the same console generation.
Mortal Kombat 11 continues this legacy featuring an engaging story mode, tonnes of characters and some unusual new features that make a satisfactory impact. After eleven games you’d expect diminishing returns, but Scorpion and company are still immensely entertaining.
Mortal Kombat 11 looks and sounds fantastic. The best character models in the studio's history slap-fight on a range of wonderfully detailed stages (always NRS' biggest strength) including a gorgeous willow garden and a cleverly conceived boss stage. Neat voice acting brings the characters to life, though intro dialogue is pretty dreary compared to previous titles, with only mega-asshat Johnny Cage and his kid Cassie showing any real charisma. In terms of online play, I've so far found MK 11 to be as solid as any other major fighter, with only the occasional piss-poor connection interrupting strings of stable fights. I'm pleased to report that rage-quitting has also returned as a feature.
Mortal Kombat 11 feels faster, tighter, and more challenging than those previous entries, even if only by a small margin. Players, both newcomers and fans, will have a lot to love from this 27 year old franchise.
The game features photorealistic visuals with a focus on 60 frames per second gameplay.
Not only can players create custom characters in Mortal Kombat 11, they can make those custom characters fight using artificial intelligence. It’s essentially the same A.I. character system as was introduced in Injustice 2, only with slight tweaks. I love it.
We reviewed the PS4 edition of Mortal Kombat 11 in both 1080p and 4K resolutions, and the game ran at a solid 60fps through all the fights. Cutscenes in Story Mode run at 30fps, and the switch is certainly noticeable. The game looks highly detailed and gorgeous, and a lot of work has been put in on making each of these characters layered not only gear-wise, but also from the inside, considering the damage models used.
On the upside, the graphics are an absolute treat in this game. Not only do the fights look great, but the facial animations are completely on-point. This is the best Mortal Kombat has ever looked, which may be to your detriment if seeing a close-up of Baraka eating a brain makes you queasy.
The core fighting is fast-paced and as brutal as ever, with compelling new gameplay additions to push the series forward. For example, x-ray attacks from Mortal Kombat X have been replaced by Fatal Blows, which players can activate when their health bar is low. Mortal Kombat 11 players only get one Fatal Blow per match, and so deciding when to use it adds an extra wrinkle of strategy to the fights that wasn’t there before.
The game feel is now much closer to the original entries from the 90’s, focusing heavily on the neutral game, zoning with projectiles, and punishing opponents severely for whiffed inputs or unsafe combos. Combo strings are also much easier to execute, but this acts as a double-edged sword. As a result of this change, learning to play multiple characters is now much easier.
Stunning graphics and presentation.
And while you’re at it, you will realise how visually amazing this game is, assuming you do enjoy the gore. The blood is thick and red, skulls crack and bones break in the most satisfying manner, and X-Ray moves hit the spot. It’s everything Mortal Kombat is known for with even better graphics than before.
One part that Mortal Kombat 11 absolutely nails is the Story mode. It's interesting that the same week that Marvel Studios ends its lengthy storytelling experiment with Avengers: Endgame, Neatherrealm tries to do something similar with Mortal Kombat. Mortal Kombat 11 has a lengthy story mode, heavy on the cinematics.
Mortal Kombat 11 is not only one of the best looking fighters on the market, but also one of the best looking games period. The levels are filled with incredible background detail, with each one feeling alive and distinct. The characters look even better, and they’re a substantial improvement over the stiff models NetherRealm Studios has had in the past. The extra technical horsepower means that everything looks more gruesome than ever. Brains being munched on, innards being exposed, and skulls being caved in have never looked so good.
It’s a delightful new feature, one that adds more substance to Mortal Kombat 11 and its more cerebral gameplay as players now also have a regenerating meter that allows them to burn through special moves and environmental interactions.
Mortal Kombat 11 also has copious amounts of customization options for every one of its characters. This includes outfit pieces and cosmetic weapon components, along with introductions and victory screens.
First off, Mortal Kombat 11 is a major change from Mortal Kombat X in terms of the fighting itself. The running mechanic is gone and the game has been slowed down significantly. This means that the fighting is more up close and personal and relies more on the neutral game and footsies rather than being combo'd to death and having time to go to the bathroom and come back like in Mortal Kombat X if you guessed wrong on a 50-50.
Wonderfully kooky time-travel story.
Smooth mechanics that offer a slightly slower and more strategic pace.
Mortal Kombat 11 's roster is a good mix of fighters. You have your close-range and long-range characters and they all feel unique.
The thing is, this is the best story mode I have seen in a fighting game yet. The graphics are amazing. The story is compelling.
This time-travelling narrative is sharply written, offering a number of clever era-specific jokes, such as an older and wiser version of Johnny Cage having a serious chat about decency with his younger self.
The good thing about Mortal Kombat 11 is that it offers a very detailed tutorial that explains every concept of its gameplay. The easiest special moves that you can execute in the game are the Fatal Blows that just need you to press both the trigger buttons when your health is in critical stage, but most of the rest are quite easy to master. The tutorial explains the basics of fatal blows, even diving into move canceling and combo system, which is crucial to master any fighting game.
Audio work is also top-notch in Mortal Kombat 11. There are multiple announcers to choose from, tons of audio tracks (including several to unlock in the Time Towers and Krypt), and of course a fully-voiced cast. As bodies get tossed around the various levels, or ripped apart, every jab, slice, and tear sounds enjoyably repulsive.
Mortal Kombat 11 knocks the ball out of the park. Stages are extremely well designed, and the art style accompanying them is equally strong, while fighting animations are on point as well.
Mortal Kombat 11’s fatalities are gloriously gruesome and laughably improbable, even more so than in previous games. Netherrealm has somehow managed to raise the bloody bar, though there’s still a narrative disconnect between the way the characters are depicted in the story mode and the way they act when crudely dismembering their opponents.
My experience with playing online has been excellent thus far, as I’ve had little to no lag or dropped frames while playing against other players. It’s a smooth experience all-around, which is incredibly important for any modern fighting game.
With over twenty characters to learn, including three brand new ones, there’s plenty of game here to keep you going for months. But Mortal Kombat 11 doesn’t stop there, and it is what the game does next that is a cause for concern. You won’t be surprised to hear that the Krypt is back, the treasure room area where players can use the Kombat Koins that they win in battle to unlock chests.
Visually, MK11 is the best-looking game in the franchise to date. The animations have seen a huge step forward, which do wonders for making the fights more fun to play and watch. Attacks have solid weight to them, and most of the animations look excellent.
The B-movie gorefest is elevated here though, with the addition of Fatal Blows – essentially a mid-battle take on the series' familiar Fatalities, delivering massive damage to opponents but only executable when your own health is down to 30 percent. They're stylish moves, and often far more gruesome than battle-ending Fatalities themselves, but the game jumps to jarringly different mini-cutscenes for them, breaking the flow of fights. Still, it’s a useful addition for turning the tide on a brawl that isn't going in your favour.
The story of Mortal Kombat 11 does an excellent job of consolidating and explaining a lot of the convoluted lore from the more recent games, and literally merging all that together with the classic Genesis/Arcade games that even the most casual of MK fans have probably played.
The visuals and presentation, meanwhile, are top notch — easily the best in the series once again. Character models appear crisp and detailed and the stage environs look great. One of the biggest improvements from previous games involves characters' faces.
The very nature of the MK11 story will lock players in and it ties all of the characters in one place perfectly. Old school classic characters and fan favorites are all here with the additions of new ones with innovative styles and combat mechanics. Together, the entire MK11 character pool makes up for an ultimate Mortal Kombat experience, not seen since MK Trilogy.
The real draws here are that modern iterations of characters like Johhny Cage and Raiden get to interact with their past selves throughout the story, and you also get to revisit some elements and characters of the series that have been missing for a while. Better yet, the variant versions of characters actually play differently, so it’s more than just a simple skin change.
Mortal Kombat 11 excels where it matters most: fighting! The staple simplicity of its mechanics, from combos to special moves, thrive in full force.
Graphics are really looking great.
The story mode will take you about 6-8 hours to complete and has a pretty head-scratching, yet interesting, ending to it. What’s interesting is that there are some unplayable characters in story mode that you get to fight against and they just happened to have their own, fully fleshed out movesets… hinting at possible DLC characters.