120) Mortal Kombat 1 (2023)

Originally conceived as a ninja-themed project by a then new employee, John Tobias, the initial pitch was shot down by his boss, Ed Boon. Approached to make a game for the upcoming film Universal Soldier, Tobias imagined a fighting game featuring a digitized version of Jean-Claude Van Damme. Intending to make a game that was more "a lot more hard edge, a little bit more serious, and a little bit more like Enter the Dragon and Bloodsport" than the more cartoonish fighting games of the time. Tobias and Boon decided to continue pursuing the project even after the licensing deal fell through, and the first character created, Johnny Cage, was intended as a spoof of Van Damme.

In the years since conception, Mortal Kombat has gone on to become a massive media franchise, with movies, animated series, card games, comic books, and more. Known for its high levels of graphic violence and buckets of blood, the series and the controversies surrounding it helped lead to the formation of the ESRB in America, leaving an undeniable impact on the medium. Though the original games are laughably tame and cartoonish today, the series has fully embraced its identity and leaned into the over the top gore, making it a trademark of the franchise.

Mortal Kombat 1 is, confusingly, the twelfth(?) game in the series. It takes its name from the fact that it serves as a hard reboot of the franchise. More confusingly, it's the second reboot of the timeline, because fighting games aren't permitted to have non-convoluted plots. Our story takes place after the events of Mortal Kombat 11, which, in this new timeline, sees series veteran Liu Kang having ascended to godhood, having created this new reality in a way that he thinks is best.

We're introduced to several characters in rapid succession, which is a theme the story will keep going forward. The cast is a mix of familiar faces in unfamiliar roles, with Scorpion and Sub-Zero being defenders of Earthrealm, Raiden being a humble farmer, and Kenshi having full use of his eyes. While the primary events of the series seem to still be happening, with a fighting tournament between realms still taking place, things seem far more peaceful and friendly. That is, until an unknown force begins to manipulate things.

Slowly, things begin to unravel, with certain, seemingly unavoidable eventualities occurring. The story follows our intrepid Earthrealmers as they seek to find the cause of the manipulation, making new friends, allies, and enemies along the way. We eventually learn the mastermind behind the events is none other than Shang Tsung, but not the one from this new reality. Instead, we learn that, following the events of Mortal Kombat 11, it wasn't just Liu Kang who became master of a new timeline, but everyone, in their own universe, won and created a new timeline. Turns out, multiverse theory is a bitch.

Moving outside of the main story, which, while fun and entertaining, is hardly to primary draw in any fighting game. The real draw is the fighting system, which I admit I may not be the best to judge it on a highly technical, competitive level, but as an admitted novice in the genre, I can provide my outsider opinion. The game features a rather robust cast, expanded further with DLC, and I'm happy to say that while certain core basics remain consistent, each character is unique enough to warrant inclusion. Even the pallete swap ninjas the series was originally conceived with are presented as being vastly diffferent. Some of the characters have a higher skill ceiling or lower skill floor, but all can be enjoyed by players of any skill level, and it's not hard to find a favorite.

Another facet of the combat system, new to MK1, is the introduction of the Kameo system. After selecting a fighter, players can select a Kameo fighter to join them. These include characters that haven't been in the series for some time, as well as classic versions of some of the otherwise included characters. Kameo fighters, varying in how technical they are, offer different types of assistance in battle while never fully being playable or acting as a second character. You can use them to set up or extend combos, interupt an opponent, or even set or act as hazards. It's a fun way to include more obscure characters, though some of the Kameo's are more useful than others.

Outside of just fighting and the story, there are traditional Towers which act as the old arcade mode, and Invasions, a seasonal rotation mode that plays out like a board game, offering various themed challenges and cosmetic prizes. There are a ton of cosmetic options to unlock, the majority of which you can do by simply playing the game and collecting the in game currency. You do have the option to pay real money, but as they're simply cosmetic, it doesn't come off as quite so scummy.

Continuing the tradition of having fun and seemingly random DLC characters, MK1 includes a mix of old faces for Mortal Kombat fans as well as some rather inspired pulls from outside media. This includes the likes of Conan the Barbarian, Homelander, Omni-Man, Ghostface, and the T-1000 to name a few. When possible, they even got the actors to reprise their roles, which even allows for a few fun Easter Eggs, such as special dialogue between Peacemaker and the T-1000. These characters all bring something new and fun to the table, and are incredibly cool inclusions.

As someone who is, admittedly, not very good at fighting games, I still found myself having an absolute blast. The combat is fun, engaging, and rewarding, and it was satisfying finding a character that simply clicked with me and learning their ins and outs. The visuals and sound design are, by and large, amazing. The music is top notch, and almost all of the voice acting, with one notable exception, knocks it out of the park. The story is convoluted, but even as someone who doesn't follow the series, I was still able to follow it without much issue. While the story mode is a bit longer than it needs to be, it's hard to argue once you reach the final segment. I won't spoil it, but it's simply amazing. Mortal Kombat 1, while not the first game in the series nor the first reboot, nonetheless stands as a pretty good entry point to the franchise for new players. If, like me, you've merely observed the series from the sidelines, this might just be the best entry to final take the dive.