I originally reviewed Mortal Kombat X on its release and was immediately impressed with just what it delivered for fans of the series and for giving the series a full on refresh. It followed on from the advances in Mortal Kombat 9 and benefitted from Injustice: Gods Among Us. It went on to win numerous ‘Fighting Game Of the Year’ awards for 2015. This week saw the GOTY ‘Mortal Kombat XL’ released and just under a year from the original launch, does it still pack a gruesome punch?
Mortal Kombat XL features the main game with its full cinematic story mode, the Towers and online modes but also includes all the DLC content that includes both Kombat Character packs, costume packs and classic Fatality packs. That gives Mortal Kombat XL a roster of 33 playable characters who along with the traditional roster also includes iconic film characters Jason Vorhees, Alien, Predator, Leatherface new to the game Triborg and Bo’Rai. That is really an astonishing number of fighters to get to grips with.
For those not familiar with Mortal Kombat X I will go through its modes starting with the Story Mode. The story is set twenty years after the climatic events of MK 9. And introduces the next generation of MK fighters Cassie Cage, Jacqui Briggs, Kung Jin and Takeda who must step up to defend Earth Realm from the threat that still exists in the form of the fallen Elder God Shinnock and Quan Chi. Made up of twelve chapters with each one giving the player the chance to control of a character in the story and uses fights in-between story driven cut-scenes. Even playing this again still makes me feel it is a superb way to get to know the new fighters in this game whilst enjoying a well told story. What I liked was the little details such as testing that the player is paying attention with some scenes having Quick Time Events such as pressing a button at the right time to interact with the scene. The story mode is worth playing through as it will unlock new character outfits and fighting areas as well as earning Kombat coins, XP for both your profile and your chosen Faction. It takes around four hours to complete and is as fun offline mode to enjoy.
Another great single player mode saw the return of the iconic Towers n the game is first fired up, it will ask the player to choose a Faction. Faction War is a new element to the series and as you player MKX, you will earn both XP for yourself but also points for your Faction, just by playing the game. Factions compete for glory and should you come across another player who is part of another Faction, it triggers a faction battle where bonus points can be won for your Faction by victory. Your Faction will set you daily challenges to complete as well in-game objectives in order to build points. You can even call upon a Faction Fatality which gives an extra brutal finish which is especially fun if you are fighting a player from a rival faction.
The single player side to MKX sees the return of the iconic Towers mode which was enhanced to include Living Towers which feature three online Towers; Premier (weekly Tower), Daily Tower and Hourly Tower. Each are made up of modifiers that can help or hinder either character in a Tower match. The challenge is to get the highest score possible and beat the towers. I found the Hourly Tower great fun as it refreshes with new modifiers and challenges every hour, so always giving the player something new to do, with the traditional and Living Towers the player can choose one that best suits them and is a great way to practice with a character before taking them online to challenge other players competitively.
What I found to be the most impactful change from MK9 to the Mortal Kombat series brought in with MKX are the new character Variations. Each fighter has three variations to choose from, with each one giving the player a different move set or bonus to use in combat such as boosting their special abilities for attack or defence. Depending on which variation you pick can change the combos and special moves of that fighter which ultimately determines your playing style. It adds a new level of depth to Mortal Kombat fighting system and with MKXL having 33 characters, it will take some time to work through the roster to learn how the variations can help your chosen character but also learning those of other characters to know how to counter them.
MKX is still a satisfying fighting game which has only been enhanced with the wealth of new content now included in this version. The Fatalities and Brutalities are still gruesome but glorious when pulled off. I love the visceral X-Ray moves which can be used to deal huge damage once your ‘revenge’ bar has filled up from moves executed and damage taken. I will say if you are coming to the game for the first time that the online player vs player mode can be daunting as you will meet more advanced players especially in casual but it having such a great amount of offline modes to practice with and an outstanding training and practice element that you never feel out of touch if willing to learn.
Mortal Kombat X was a game changer for the series when it first released but gave a swift kick up the backside to fighting games on new gen consoles. Something that is a vast contrast to how Street Fighter V released, with such an abundance of game modes and now every bit of DLC included just makes this such good value for money if you are looking to pick up for first time. If you already own the base game you can upgrade to XL for £19.99. There really is no better time to pick up Mortal Kombat X and this GOTY version really is the definitive edition to have.
