Campaign:
Mortal Kombat 9 features a truly extensive and immersive campaign. The story is broken up into multiple chapters, each focusing on a different character as players experience the events through their eyes. The narrative centers around Raiden, the divine protector of Earthrealm, who sends a message to his past self in a desperate attempt to change the course of history after facing defeat at the hands of Shao Kahn.
What follows is a rich retelling of the Mortal Kombat saga, featuring many of the franchise’s most iconic characters. The writing is solid, and the character arcs give emotional weight to the brutal action. Though the campaign is quite linear and the cinematics can get a bit repetitive, the overall experience is compelling and well-executed.
Rating: 4 out of 5
The gameplay in Mortal Kombat 9 is a huge step forward for the franchise. The fighting mechanics are tight, responsive, and offer an incredible level of depth. Players utilize light, medium, and heavy attacks, along with special abilities, to chain together combos in fast-paced, one-on-one matches. Each character has a unique style, and the ability to interact with the environment adds more layers of strategy. The introduction of the “super meter” is a game-changer—giving players enhanced specials, combo breakers, and devastating X-ray moves when fully charged.
The Challenge Tower offers 300 unique challenges that range from hilarious to insanely difficult, all rewarding players with in-game currency. This currency can be used in the Krypt to unlock a ton of extras including costumes, Fatalities, concept art, and more. Online multiplayer is also impressive, with tag team fights, a strong ranking system, and the excellent “King of the Hill” mode where players spectate and vote on fights while waiting their turn. The DLC is the cherry on top, with solid additions like Skarlet, Rain, Kenshi, and even horror icon Freddy Krueger.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Visually, this is the best-looking Mortal Kombat at the time of its release. The characters are detailed and well-animated, combining nods to their classic looks with modern updates. Stages are dynamic, detailed, and often contain background characters or effects like weather that bring the world to life. The Fatalities are especially gruesome, showcasing the brutal tone Mortal Kombat is known for. While most of the cinematics look great, there are occasional moments where character models appear off, with stiff facial expressions or awkward animations.
The sound design and score are excellent. The music perfectly fits the tone of the game—dark, energetic, and atmospheric during battles. Voice acting is spot-on, with great performances that elevate the story, particularly for characters like Raiden and Johnny Cage. The sound effects for punches, slashes, and bone-breaking X-ray moves add weight and brutality to every hit.
Rating: 4 out of 5
In the end, Mortal Kombat 9 is a triumphant return to form and easily one of the best entries in the series. The campaign is rich and story-driven, the combat system is deep and satisfying, and the amount of content is staggering. While the campaign’s linearity and repeated cinematics are minor issues, they don’t take away from what is otherwise a masterclass in fighting game design. With fantastic visuals, a killer soundtrack, addictive gameplay, and loads of unlockables, Mortal Kombat 9 earns a flawless victory, earning 4 out of 5
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