Mortal Kombat X

Mortal Kombat X may seem like just another installment in this long running franchise, but it did something to me that games that I was already excited for rarely do, and this is surprise me. Coming from somebody without a very profound past in fighting games, Mortal Kombat X proved to me that a fighting game can be much deeper than just its fighting. From its story campaign to its rich variation in game modes, this isn’t just a good fighting game; it’s a great game in general. After the tutorial of course, the first thing you’re probably going to do in Mortal Kombat X is dive into its story. This has to be what surprised me the most about this game, by far. I never expected to be so entranced with what had to have been some of the most beautiful, perfectly crafted action cut scenes I’ve ever seen in a video game. While many other games simply use cut scenes to move the plot along or to change the pace of a game, the cut scenes in Mortal Kombat X are something to really stand in awe over. I didn’t really even care what was going on in the story, it was just fascinating to watch these cinema level scenes unfold as characters from the story engaged in satisfying, brutal combat. Now, other than looking at these beautiful cut scenes, during the duration of Mortal Kombat X’s story you’re going to be either fighting a regular fighting match against another character or you will be tasked with performing quick time events. Although this isn’t a large amount of diversity in the story, most of the time, but definitely not always, this doesn’t hold the game back. Yes, there were times when I wanted something more to do while playing the story, but overall the lack of gameplay diversity doesn’t hold the game back enough to really impact your experience in any major way. Playing as a different fighter in each of the game’s 12 chapters in different environments against different enemies is enough to keep you from feeling like the game is stagnant. Overall, the story is surprisingly interesting, its length is perfect for what it is, and it is always captivating, making it, in my opinion, Mortal Kombat X’s strongest mode. Besides the story, there are still plenty of other things to do in Mortal Kombat X, although some of those things may be much more worth your while than the others. The things worth your while? Go try completing some of the towers! You can work your way through traditional towers, moving your way through matches against various opponents until you reach the top and beat the final one. There are other types of towers to try though, like the Test Your Might tower, which has you rapidly mashing a button to make your character break an item. It’s pretty fun and challenging to run through this tower the first time, but once you’ve done it once it loses its intrigue and there’s no point in doing it again. If you ever end up getting tired of any of these towers, the game does offer Living Towers, which change hourly, daily, or weekly, offering new opponents and challenges with every change. All the different towers (except perhaps the Test Your Might tower) offer great challenges and are one of the best ways the game offers hours and hours of possible replay value. If you aren’t interested in towers, then you can still just take part in classic Mortal Kombat 1 v 1 fights, either against the computer, online, or through locally. Mortal Kombat X retains the franchise’s unique ability to be the perfect game to challenge your friends to or entertain guests with. Online battles function in much the same way as local or computer battles do, although there are more game modes exclusive to online that you could try. Some of these online modes offer somewhat of a different way to experience the game, but really they all just offer different circumstances in which the players fight under and none of them really stand out as something special. As great as some of these game modes might have been, there were others that just don’t come close to standing in comparison. I remember the first time I tried the Krypt, where I quickly found myself both confused and bored, where I then quickly exited the mode knowing in just a few minutes that I wasn’t missing out on anything important at all. Another example of a confusing idea that just doesn’t seem fully fleshed out is the factions system. Upon starting the game I was asked to choose a faction to fight for, but to this day I really don’t know what I’ve gained from doing so. These are just a couple of the flaws you would have to overlook in Mortal Kombat X, and although seemingly thoughtless and dry, they don’t negatively impact the experience majorly in any way at all. Putting aside all the different ways to play the game, let’s get to the actual gameplay itself. Here, Mortal Kombat X innovates in many much appreciated ways such as the addition of three variations to every playable fighter, and thankfully never loses sight of the things that have made Mortal Kombat games so great and accessible over the years. Mortal Kombat X is just as artistically and fantastically brutal as ever, possibly even more brutal than ever, which is very much appreciated. If blood and guts offend or sicken you in any way, then maybe you won’t be able to really appreciate this aspect of the game, but for everybody else, I dare you to watch a character’s X-ray sequence or fatality and not stand in awe at its violent yet wonderful execution. The game brutality, combined with sound fighting mechanics that go as deep as you want them to go, make every fight in this game exciting and like no other. Mortal Kombat X may not bring completely new ideas to every aspect of the franchise, but it definitely isn’t just some reiteration of the same ideas. This game does exactly what you would want in a fighting game, and most importantly; it’s just fun. It’s just fun to watch as your fighters dance around the game’s beautifully crafted stages jumping, punching, and kicking in the most imaginative of ways. Mortal Kombat X’s surprisingly great story and wonderfully gory action and fighting make it a top notch game. Again, not just a great fighting game, but a great game by any standards, and a game that deserves a place in anyone’s game library.