Mortal Kombat 1 Early Reviews: What do the Players Think?

Mortal Kombat 1 is now out in early access, and though the game's official release is pending until September 19, there's no better time than right now for you to learn everything there is to learn about MK1 ahead of making your purchase! Remember: 2Game's special offer is still active and will remain in place for a while, meaning you could save up to 21% off and get free bonus games on top of that! To learn more about our exclusive deal, use the link featured via the banner below.

For Mortal Kombat super-fans, this is a no-brainer. Of course you'd want to jump into the latest and greatest version of the game as soon as possible! What about those of us who are on the fence, though? Maybe the game just isn't a good fit for you or, perhaps, isn't even an upgrade to MK11? If you've got these concerns, we've got just the cure: reviews.

That's right - the earliest Mortal Kombat 1 reviews are already in, and you can get the full scoop on the game from the players themselves in this article. Over the next couple of sections, we'll go over key reviews, highlight what the reviewers thought about it, and give you a great idea of whether it's a good choice for you, too.

Early Mortal Kombat 1 Reviews: Here's What The Game Is Like!

As we're jumping into this whole schtick rather early, it should be pointed out that relatively few reviews are available at this time. With the majority of players enjoying MK1 on PlayStation at this time, that's the only platform to receive an official Metacritic page so far! Still, we do have more than enough information to go on, and the good news is that there's already much to share.

At the time of writing this - September 15 - Mortal Kombat 1 is rated at 86/100 based on just over a dozen critic reviews! Naturally, the score is bound to coalesce into a more permanent shape as more reviews come out, but this is a solid showpiece of what else is to come.

"The best Mortal Kombat to date." - VGC

To kick things off on a high note, VideoGamesChronicle's Chris Scullion had much to share about Mortal Kombat 1. Describing the game as "an excellent retkon," Scullion compared Netherrealm's latest flagship to Capcom's success with Street Fighter 6. Much as SF6 is the finest the franchise has, arguably, ever been, so too does MK1 reach similar heights in its own niche. Curiously enough, the story is a particularly notable part of this game!

"It’s one of the best Story modes we’ve played in a Mortal Kombat game," said Scullion. "As a result [of Netherrealm's reboot], long-time fans of the series, especially those who may have dropped out over the years as they felt themselves losing track of the progressively more complicated storyline, will love how this game resets everything and focuses mainly on the original trilogy."

VGC noted that the game's Invasions feature is bound to keep solo players engaged with MK1 for a very long time: a tabletop-like board game where players are sent on a mad romp against a randomized set of fighters and situations every time. Very exciting indeed!

"Rejoice, Mortal Kombat fans. The golden age is upon us." - Bloody Disgusting

Bloody Disguisting's Reyna Cervantes had similarly high praise about Netherrealm's efforts. "From the ambitious Story mode, to the new addition of Kameos to the combat. From the relegating of the gear system to be cosmetic only, to the all-new RPG Invasions mode. Mortal Kombat 1 feels like a return to form for the series while pushing it in new meaningful directions," she said.

"Let’s be real," she started bravely, "Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11 were bogged down by unsatisfying mechanics that distracted from the core combat." No longer is this the case, though. MK1 does away with anything and everything that could take away from the game's kore fighting loop, and what it delivers is deeply sensible and satisfying from top to bottom.

"As a long time fan, I felt as if I was discovering a whole new world of Mortal Kombat," Cervantes said.

"Every bit as deep as it is wide." - Well Played

Well Played's Ash Wayling did not mince any words, it's worth highlighting. "My approach to Mortal Kombat 1 was one of trepidation," he admitted. "We already rebooted once, what is there left to re-tell? To reboot? TO REHASH? It feels like only yesterday we were playing Mortal Kombat 9, with its very own reboot tale."

Yet, it doesn't seem to have taken long for Wayling to fall completely in love with what Netherrealm's got on offer. "The game is a dream to play, finally finding that exceptional balance between gameplay speed, input sensitivity and lethality." He, too, points out just how good Invasions are, giving players reasons to keep coming back to the legendary franchise over and over again, topping even the predecessor's widely acclaimed Krypt in many ways.

"Visually, the graphical fidelity is absurdly amazing. Sure the focus of the game is brutality and gore – but that doesn’t mean that all the attention has been focused on shattering spines and the like," he added. "It’s almost a shame that MK1 takes place on a 2D plane, the gorgeous spaces we are fighting in almost makes me wish the game was arena based." In other words - Netherrealm's outdone itself this time on all fronts!

Mortal Kombat Strikes Out Anew

Looping back to the start of the article - it is still rather early to say whether we've got a total slam dunk on our hands here, but so far, it's good news all around. It seems that Netherrealm's attempt to well and truly re-spin the whole franchise with a new universe has paid off. We've got a great narrative that isn't beholden to MK's oldest tropes and a phenomenal combat system for the game to coast on.

The usual assortment of awesome Kombat modes is here from the get-go, with Invasions being the obvious cherry on top for solo fans of the franchise. Mortal Kombat has been well and truly reborn this time around, and the future seems bright. Bright, like freshly spilled blood!

If all this talk of kombat got you intrigued, remember that you can get Mortal Kombat 1 at 21% off only at 2Game! Just use the coupon code 'FATALITY' during checkout, and save big bucks!