The focus of fighting games has always been online, but for some years the developers have finally decided to also give great importance to the single player experience. One of the first developers to have embraced this philosophy was NetherRealm with Mortal Kombat 9, a reboot of the saga that brought about a revolution in the way of telling stories in fighting games. With Mortal Kombat 1 we are facing a further reboot, even if it is a natural consequence after the events of the last chapter that “reset” the narrative universe of the game. The story mode was one of the main themes of my test during gamescom 2023, where we were given the opportunity to play the first chapter starring Kung Lao.
Being a reboot, NetherRealm has taken the opportunity to show us historical characters in totally new guises, in fact in this new world Kung Lao is a simple farmer who cultivates the land together with Raiden, another character we used to see in the role of god of thunder , certainly not a farmhand. The two seem to lead a rather quiet and peaceful life, even if Kung Lao longs for something more adventurous. Despite the work, the two boys take martial arts lessons from Madame Bo, an elderly lady who also owns the village inn. Kung Lao’s wish is granted when Madame Bo is attacked by Smoke, Scorpion and Sub-Zero, three assassins from the Lin Kuei clan, which in this world is a kind of mafia that demands payment in exchange for “protection”. Naturally Kung Lao and Raiden don’t stand idly by as the place is destroyed and the elderly owner mistreated, and they challenge the three criminals to combat.
As per tradition, we go from cinematic cutscenes to gameplay without interruption with the camera moving to the side, and finally we get into the heart of the action. The gameplay takes up the basis of the last chapter, and having spent dozens of hours with it, I am immediately at home both with the commands and with the execution of the first combos. The detailed pause menu clearly explains all the possible combinations and timing with which to press the keys, but what immediately catches the eye is the novelty of the Kameos. In fact, it is no coincidence that Raiden is also present in the chapter dedicated to Kung Lao, in fact his role in this part of the story is to play the Kameo, or rather a support character who can be called into the field with the left back provided he have the gauge full. By holding down or even using a directional arrow, our ally can perform different types of attacks, or save us from an enemy combo in a sort of “Combo-breaker” similar to those made famous by Killer Instinct. However, the timing with which to call the partner must be calculated well, in fact these are not unblockable special moves, but on the contrary they can be interrupted with normal attacks, thus wasting the opportunity. If exploited well, however, they allow not only to do more damage, but also to extend combos allowing the execution of normally impossible moves, for example keeping the opponent in flight and helpless at the end of a move and then continuing to hit him with other attacks .
Unfortunately these are mechanics that require a lot of practice, and in the short time available I naturally didn’t have the opportunity to delve into them much, but on a couple of occasions a little luck but I noticed some interesting potential that I can’t wait to give it a try once you get your hands on the full version. Also very interesting is the fact that depending on the Kameo, some animations of the holds, special moves and even the Fatalities also change, which as always represent the maximum of brutality and violence against the unfortunate enemy. However, the story mode did not present great revolutions, also because it didn’t need it much. The formula has remained unchanged with the classic films with a very cinematic cut alternating with gameplay where we will have to use different fighters based on what is required by the plot, but we will have to wait for the release to evaluate if this will be interesting and well written. From what little I’ve been able to see, however, there is a lot of curiosity since it is a reboot, and I can’t wait to find out how NetherRealm has reimagined its historical characters. Already the story of Kung Lao and Raiden seems very different from what we were used to, not to mention a video with Shang-Tsung that will leave fans of the character quite surprised, but I want to leave you the surprise of finding out why.
The second part of the demonstration was instead dedicated to the new Invasion mode, a sort of “board game” in which we will have to move around a map divided into paths with pre-established boxes. The setting was that of Johnny Cage’s mammoth villa, and each box corresponded to a battle or an event, but the peculiarity was the presence of modifiers that made the battles different from the usual. Some modifiers simply affected the stats, while others created various effects such as demons appearing that cyclically threw fireballs on the battlefield, or tornadoes that threw the fighters they hit. The developers have also specified how this mode is an excellent way to bring new players closer through a series of boxes that act as real tutorials, for example explaining in detail and graphically showing through indicators and colors how to understand when to attack to interrupt a opponent combo during a parry.
It’s a more interactive way for novices to learn the basics of fighting games, especially those “hidden” mechanics that often make the difference between a casual player and an expert one. Also because during the test, however, the difficulty was higher than expected, and on a couple of occasions I found myself in front of the Game Over screen despite having some experience, so learning as many mechanics as possible is essential if you want to get to the end of the path. Just as fundamental are the upgrades and talismans that unlock exclusive special attacks for this mode, allowing for example to throw fireballs even to characters who normally wouldn’t be able to use them. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to fully test these modifiers since when I finally arrived at the Shop and the Forge the time available ran out, so it will be an element to analyze in detail in the review phase. From what I’ve seen, however, the Invasion mode doesn’t seem particularly revolutionary, but it is still a pleasant addition that will flesh out the already wide single player offer. However, the declarations of the developers at the end of the test were interesting, when they revealed to us that the Invasion will be updated divided into “seasons” for 6 weeks, and scenarios, objectives, modifiers and rewards will be changed cyclically, thus offering an incentive to come back to play even when completed.
Finally, speaking of the technical aspect considering how close the release is, it is legitimate to assume that it was a practically definitive build, and I can only confirm how graphically Mortal Kombat 1 is a feast for the eyes. The models appeared clean and full of details, as well as the scenarios which also react in real time to what happens during the battle, such as stools and tables that shattered if the enemy was dropped near them during the fight between Kung Lao and Sub-Zero in Madame Bo’s inn. Needless to specify, then, how the internal organs are rendered with great care, especially during special moves or Fatalities. Even the frame-rate showed no particular signs of slowing down, even when there were more characters on the screen through the Kameos or many particle effects due to the special moves.
All that remains is to wait a few more weeks for the arrival of the full game, but Mortal Kombat 1 promises to be an unmissable appointment for both fans of the series and of fighting games in general.