Mortal Kombat is one of those game series that almost everyone is at least moderately aware of. It's infamous for being pretty much the reason that the ESRB exists today due to it's violent and gory combat. Love it or hate it, it's also always been a critically acclaimed brawler that knows how to not take itself too seriously.
That all said, fans of the series pretty much know what to expect when it comes to Netherealm Studio's 10th instalment to the series, Mortal Kombat X. At launch, players can select from 24 characters, including 8 brand new entries to the roster. That's already a hefty selection, but each then has three 'Stances', variations of the character that radically alter how the character plays; for example, one of Kitana's stances focusses on her fan-blades, another on teleportation and other trickery, and the third gives her Jade's bo-staff and accompanying moves. Each stance changes the character sufficiently to create an entire new playstyle, so that starting roster actually feels like 72 characters, with more on the way via - yep, you guessed it - paid DLC (including guest appearances from Jason Vorhees and Predator).
However, going through Mortal Kombat X's impressive story mode – which is well written, gripping and wonderfully voice-acted – reveals several characters who clearly have full movesets and animations, but aren't playable in-game yet. This suggests that these characters will be available later and reeks of someone walking through the studio randomly cutting things out purposefully to sell them separately later.
Sadly, MKX also suffers under the rule of Warner Bros, who have immediately launched the game offering paid for 'Quick Fatalities' (Spend money to be able to replace the 4-5 button Fatality inputs with 2 button ones) which are single use. That a publisher should have the gall to charge for such things is upsetting enough, but to charge repeatedly just stinks of money grabbing. There's also an option to pay to unlock everything in the Krypt too, in case you're the kind of person who wants everything from the start without having to work for any of it. If I sound judgemental here, it's because I am.
Neither of these DLC issues needed to exist, and they spoil the enjoyment of what would otherwise be an astonishing game, and I can't help but really feel sorry for Netherealm Studios who have clearly worked hard to produce a well-balanced and enjoyable fighter only to have their Publisher try to turn it into a DLC Milking Cash Cow.
Don't misunderstand me, beneath Warner Bros' unsettling greed, Mortal Kombat X has a wide variety of modes. The aforementioned story mode is long and engaging, mixing the games' combat with quick time event movies, feels heftily inspired by Game of Thrones. There are some surprising deaths, plenty of brutality and a twisting story of betrayal and growth. It's enthralling, even if it did have me, on several occasions, yelling at the screen in frustration of a turn of events.
The classic 'Arcade Mode' exists in Towers, where players climb and compete in a variety of difficulties against randomly drawn opponents, and there are numerous tower variants that add a selection of random effects to the fights – which include everything from a sickening tilting camera that punishes whichever character has the high ground, to a rain of heads that stun characters, to Hyper Kombat, which has players moving at four times the usual gamespeed, and with sped up voices to match.
Putting the game into 'Test Your Luck' and setting the amount of random effects to 7 offers a level of brawler craziness otherwise only found in Super Smash Bros.
The stages look beautiful and are more than just backgrounds. Players can grab their opponents and ram their heads into pillars; they can stamp on bowls of embers to launch the contents at their opponent; they can leap from carts or rocky outcrops to spring to safety or leap into combat; they can even pick up Shaolin Monks or old ladies and throw them at the opposition. It speeds up the game and adds a new cinematic layer that makes matches even more fun to observe. Combine this with the level of personality that characters ooze (the prematch banter is exceptional, often amusing; characters even interact on the character selection screen and deliver dialogue mid-match too) and the game is as cinematic as the series has ever been.
The game also encourages players to join Factions, based on five of the game world's groups, in order to compete online. Everything players do gains points for their Faction, and at the end of each week, the ruling Faction wins, granting Faction Fatalities and other bonuses to contributing players. Occasionally, an Invasion starts, and players can immediately jump into one of several modes in order to gain massive bonuses for their Faction. It's an interesting mechanic that keeps players on their toes and gives them a reason to perfect their skills and keep playing.
Finally, rather than just earning Koins and spending them on a UI, Mortal Kombat X contains a sub-game for the purposes of unlocking extra content. If players wish to spend their hard-earned Koins (blissfully not available as paid for DLC... yet...) they must venture into the Krypt, a first person exploration game where players navigate a graveyard, spider caverns, even the Netherealm itself, in order to find tombs to open to unlock new content. The environment is naturally as creepy as one would imagine, with several jump scares in the form of creatures and monsters attacking suddenly. There's no penalty for messing up these quick time events, but success grants extra Koins to spend. It's an interesting way of replacing a 'Shop' menu screen, and I personally found it quite enjoyable.
Of course, I feel it's also important (given my recent article on the matter) to discuss the violence of the game. Mortal Kombat X is not for the faint of heart. The Fatalities are full-on in-your-face High Definition violence and gore the likes of some of Holywood's darkest horror films, with X-Rays and Brutalities offering even more grimace-inducing moments. That all said, that's the whole point about Mortal Kombat as a series. Soul Calibur is about the weapons, Dead or Alive is about the eye candy, and Mortal Kombat is about gore and brutality. If you can't handle that, stick with DoA or wait for Ultra Street Fighter IV.