Mortal Kombat 1 Reviews

Mortal Kombat 1 is ranked in the 93rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8.5 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2023

Mortal Kombat 1 leans on a robust story (with solid foundations, but with a less than impeccable development) and a couple of other single player modes capable of entertaining for several hours – and even more, if NetherRealm Studios is able to properly exploit the seasonal system. The addition of kameo fighters and the focus on aerial combos leaves more room for the player's creativity compared to the previous chapter, with the assists of the secondary fighters breaking up and altering the rhythm of the matches in a positive way.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Sep 26, 2023

Mortal Kombat successfully resets the timeline with a strong campaign and fun gameplay. Not everything receives the same care and attention, as customization in multiplayer leaves a fair bit to be desired, with microtransactions aplenty. It's still a game worthy of the Mortal Kombat name however, and a great excuse to test your might by yourself or with friends.

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Guardian
Top Critic
Sep 26, 2023

Fans of the fighting game's cast of lunatics will enjoy this nostalgic reboot, but its combat fundamentals have remained largely unchanged

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Gameblog
KiKiToes
Top Critic
9 / 10
Sep 26, 2023

Mortal Kombat 1 is a pure marvel. This reboot offers a news future for the license without altering the original material, quite the contrary. It's one of the most beautiful games of these last years. Fighting has never been so exciting and exhilarating, not to mention the always so gory and skilfully staged fatalities.

Review in French | Read full review

9.3 / 10.0
Sep 28, 2023

Violence has never looked as vivid, gorgeous, and wild as it is in Mortal Kombat 1. Its fighting mechanics remain just as approachable and appealing as prior entries, with one key difference: It's the best-feeling Mortal Kombat I've played thus far. There're some minor quirks that are still being ironed out at the time of writing, but I'm excited, legitimately excited, to see what Netherrealm chooses to add to this game.

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70 / 100
Sep 29, 2023

Mortal Kombat 1 is a solid 2d fighting game offering with lovely assist-based Kameo gameplay that allows for fun competitive expression and kreativity. While it's not up to snuff to past titles like MKX and MK11 in terms of packed single-player kontent, it could have been much more paltry and barebones.

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8.4 / 10.0
Sep 27, 2023

NetherRealm Studios plays it safe. The Reboot resets the story via a multiverse approach. From a gameplay perspective MK1 brings a classic Mortal Kombat experience with no experiments. Besides the abyssmal Switch port, there aren't any major hiccups technical wise.

Review in German | Read full review

Sep 27, 2023

If, like me, you’re a Mortal Kombat fan then Mortal Kombat 1 is a no-brainer – it’s as fun as ever with a great roster and an excellent new Kameo system. However, if you’ve found yourself tiring of the MK formula over the past few games and were hoping the timeline reboot would herald a big new change, then MK1 isn’t going to change your mind. It’s a very safe release, and considering how incredibly popular the modern Mortal Kombat games are it’s understandable that Netherealm don’t want to change the formula too much lest it all end in a brutal Fatality.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2023

its gameplay is one of the best we've seen in a Mortal Kombat title, changing the rules again, with the addition of additional tools for special maneuvers in battles

Review in Greek | Read full review

70 / 100
Sep 21, 2023

There's the skeleton of a good Mortal Kombat here, but it's lacking in meat. Low on personality and half-baked in its attempt to reboot the story, it feels fated to be remembered as the least interesting of the modern MK games.

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3 / 5
Sep 21, 2023

Mortal Kombat 1 envisions an exciting future with fluid combat, a fantastic story mode, and superb visuals - but receding features, underbaked mechanics, and a dated online experience keep it in the past.

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8 / 10
Sep 13, 2023

So far, the Kameo system and smart changes to the fighting make MK1 feel fresh and exciting, the story mode is predictably great, even if Invasions seems like more of a grind than I'm willing to put myself through to unlock the best cosmetic items.

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Sep 19, 2023

Mortal Kombat 1 is a superbly presented fighting game with something to offer players of all experience and familiarity with NetherRealm's sprawling MK universe. The Kameo fighter system injects new strategic depth into combat, the rebooted timeline feeds a ridiculous story, and the suite of game modes are both varied and well made.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
8 / 10
Sep 15, 2023

The story campaign and, arguably, the fighting are the best they've ever been for Mortal Kombat, although there's currently a lack of other modes and Invasion is a disappointment.

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9 / 10.0
Sep 15, 2023

When the first Mortal Kombat debuted more than 30 years ago, the series quickly became known for its trademark blood, gore, and violence. While that is still at the forefront thanks to Mortal Kombat 1’s Fatal Blows, Brutalities, and, of course, Fatalities, the longer the series has gone on, the longer it has rightfully become just as known for its genre-leading approach to single-player content and incredibly tight fighting mechanics. In making strides in both areas, Mortal Kombat 1 moves the series forward to continue what has already been a terrific year for the genre.

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8 / 10
Sep 20, 2023

Great mechanics and a wild story make a solid first impression, but a shallow selection of modes keeps MK1 from a flawless victory.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 21, 2023

Even though Mortal Kombat 1 is no Flawless Victory, it still feels like a step forward for the franchise. The core gameplay is the best it’s ever been, which I think is the most important thing for the genre.

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8 / 10
Sep 14, 2023

Mortal Kombat 1 serves as a love letter to fans of this thirty-one-year-old franchise and as a pseudo-reboot it also has potential appeal to newcomers alike. There's still room to grow and I'm sure it will just keep getting better, but Mortal Kombat 1 is already definitely worth your time.

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90 / 100
Sep 14, 2023

Netherrealm does not risk too much with its new delivery, but it strengthens a brutal fighting game in every way, comfortable to control and very fun.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9.2 / 10.0
Sep 14, 2023

Every aspect of Mortal Kombat 1 has been polished compared to previous games, with highly refined gameplay that also adds new depth. The title has a huge amount of content that guarantees a months of fun. Before finishing, I would like to make it clear that, if there is something, above all, that has to be highlighted, it is that regardless of the fact that the title does practically everything better than well, what stands out most is that Mortal Kombat 1 is fucking fun.

Review in Spanish | Read full review