Mortal Kombat 1: PS5 Review

Developed by NetherRealm Studios
Published by Warner Bros Games
Platform: PS5

A twelfth installment of a fighting franchise should reinvent the game to continue to pull in new members and satiate old fans as well.

Mortal Kombat 1 does little of that, but it does deliver a game that looks incredible and plays brilliantly for its genre.

When a godlike character called Liu Kang reshapes the Mortal Kombat universe, it doesn't quite go to plan. So Kang heads to Earth to recruit fighters like Johnny Cage, Kung Lao and Raiden to help restore order.

The story in Mortal Kombat is as flimsy as they'd come and that's to be expected in a series that's not really about subtlety. More than anything though Mortal Kombat 1's story concentrates on its insanity and settles in, doubling down on the characters, their relationships and the chance to pair up favourite characters or pit them against each other.

However, when it comes to the fighting, the game excels.

It looks stunning, with backgrounds from the cut scenes and movie sequences within the game coming vividly to life rather than just being a static part of proceedings. Crisply cut sequences segue into impressive fight scenes that are a relative joy to play - even if parts feel like you're just mashing buttons in the heat of the moment.

A lot of Mortal Kombat 1 still relies on muscle memory and there are many button sequences to remember to instil the beatdowns you need on your enemy.

With a multiplayer mode, a story that plays to its strengths and the introduction of a new roster of partner characters called Kameo fighters, the game's expansion and acceptance of its more absurd edges makes a great deal of sense as a new proposition.

Full of possibilities and plenty of slickly produced fighting makes Mortal Kombat 1 an absolute knockout in the fighter game genre.