Mortal Kombat X review

(PS4, PC, XOne)

‘Finish him!’ We get our hands on the latest (and goriest) release in the legendary fight series…

Believe it or not, this is the tenth release in the Mortal Kombat franchise. Well, the X in the title is a bit of a giveaway if you know your Roman numerals, but I digress. The point is, there have been ten previous incarnations of this brutal fighting game. That adds up to a whole bucketload of gore over the years.

If you haven’t played Mortal Kombat before, you would no doubt have heard of it. This is probably more because of its notoriety than anything else, with the media in uproar when it was first released back in 1994, filling column inches how the bloodthirsty gameplay would corrupt our yoof and turn normally easy-going schoolchildren into a small army of psychopathic killers. Over twenty years later, and it is safe to say the world hasn’t ended just yet. Due to its violent nature, however, this was one of the games that heralded in the age rating system which is still used to this day. Ah Mortal Kombat, you have a lot to answer for…

So after its humble beginnings as a 16-bit bloodfest on the SEGA Mega Drive, how does the shiny new Mortal Kombat X stack up with the others in the series? How excited would you get if we told you it was the best one yet? Well it is, you know. Hands down the most playable Kombat yet, there’s a whole heap of content here to keep you coming back long after you have mastered all of the fatalities.

The majority of fighting games are designed for two players, but to its credit, the single player experience of Mortal Kombat X stands up. You have over twenty characters to play as or fight against, a story mode, five different tower modes and a customisable fighting mode where you can choose exactly what parameters you wish to play under.

As you beat your opponents, you are rewarded experience points, and unlock different backgrounds, new characters, new moves and stringer abilities. This reward system keeps you craving just one more fight and adds to the fun of playing. What’s more, the fatalities are sicker than ever. We’re talking vomit –inducing. But surely that’s what Mortal Kombat is all about?

There is also the added bonus, if you choose to purchase it, of special playable characters such as Jason from Friday 13^th and the Predator from the film franchise of the same name. To be fair, they should come as standard in the game, but as a reason to purchase the DLC it is incredibly tempting…

If you like fighting games – nay, if you like games period – go forth and grab yourself a copy of Mortal Kombat X. You’ll never realise just how much fun ripping someone in half is until you play this…

4/5

Mark Pilkington