Mortal Kombat XL

So, I played MK X last year, on its release, and was thrilled with the experience Neverrealm had created. But today I’m looking at the beastly XL edition which features new fighters from Kombo packs 1 and 2, additional stages, costumes, fatalities and so much more. However, I ask the question of whether this is worth getting for those who’ve already played the game.

I had mixed feelings on the previous MK instalment, feeling its story was too overly long, lacking in variation and it certainly didn’t welcome newcomers with ease. These problems have been addressed with various tweaks and improvements taking effect on this new instalment. We get a better constructed story mode that’s more engaging and focused like any big budget film. As well as the story, you get the Challenge Towers, the Kyrpt where loot can be obtained, and a new dynamic online feature, Faction Wars.

Recapping from the previous review, the well-constructed story is a journey that takes players through various roles as events unfold. Most players will finish the game within 10 hours while the more skilled fighter might easily finish it in 6 or 7. It’s shorter than the previous MK, but more focused while also not forcing random difficulty spikes, which MK 9 did when faced with multiple combatants in a single round. However, I wish there were more dynamic elements such as performing fatalities more often in the campaign or offering differing routes in the story to create some solid replay value for the story mode.

What MK X did, and still does, is allow easy integration for new players and with even more characters you’ll have greater choice to find your favourites. What is also a massive plus in regards to easy integration is the various styles of every character, each with their own combos, specials and chained attacks. Due to a vast selection of characters, you’ll have plenty of choice and ease to find that right character. There are now 36 in total, including special appearances from previous instalments such as Bo’ Rai Cho, Tremor, Tanya and Triborg.

We are also graced with some film favourites such as Leather Face, Jason, Predator and Alien. All of them look fantastic and boast distinct fighting styles and fatalities that stay true to their characters. These are neat additions but I would have personally liked to have seen some more classic MK characters such as Frost, who even makes a cameo appearance in the story mode. But Jason is a great, easy character to use due to his agile nature and simple combo structures that newcomers will enjoy playing with. Whereas Leather Face felt slightly difficult when manoeuvring and his short ranged combos were not as effective as those of Alien or Predator. Other characters such as Bo’ Rai Cho and Tremor provide some fantastic heavy attacks, while Triborg and Tanya are most accustomed to players who are more masterful at linking combos. Overall, there is a good mix whether you’re a pro or a newbie to the series.

My personal favourite, and the one character that freaked me out as a kid, Goro makes a glorious return. He is an absolute beast of a fighter and well worth picking up XL just to have him on the roster.

Other contents in the XL edition are new costumes, allowing for a little more customisation. These are a mixed bag, mostly good with the Kold War pack, looking excellent in detail and the MK3 costumes give a wonderful sense of nostalgia. While others feel just very lazy, such as the random Brazilian themed outfits and the inferred skins which just seem a little pointless. I understand they are meant to be themed around certain new characters but they really aren’t needed altogether.

The one aspect that keeps players coming back, and a huge factor in replay value, is the more dynamic elements such as the Challenge Towers and Faction War. Faction War is a service where players choose a side and over the course of the week can complete tasks in single player or compete for Faction points, which will grant players bonuses on rewards upon the success of the Faction. This was the only let down for the whole experience as it feels pretty shallow and lacking any engaging or dynamic elements. Since the original release, I can’t see any changes or additions to Factions Wars to make it any more interesting.

The Challenge Towers are more of a worthy game mode that adds extra replay value to the experience. There are various Towers which offer a multitude of tests and tasks to complete including, Test your Might, Luck, and the Klassic Survival Mode, which all change daily, weekly and even hourly. This delivers new gameplay opportunities for players to enjoy and keeps things fresh and new every time you load up the game, along with the awesome Krypt mode where players can buy additional cosmetics and extras. The one point to emphasise is that some of the XL content is locked behind in-game pay walls. Annoying to say the least, but a majority of items locked are additional costumes.

Mortal Kombat XL is still an engaging and memorable experience that’s worth checking out for any fighting fan or not. I’m never a big fighting fan and found games like Killer Instinct and Street Fighter too aggressive to get into. But MK has found the balance and allows newcomers to enjoy in the bloodshed. Even with the minor faults, this is still a great game to check out and now with even more content. If you haven’t picked it up already, I highly recommend this Klassic entry to the series (ha, see what I did there?).

+ Some great additions to the roster of characters
+ Spectacular gore and fighting mechanics
+ New extras are a great way to get back in MK

- Faction Wars is still simplistic and dull
- Some content is locked behind in game pay walls
- A couple of new characters are disappointing

A review copy of Mortal Kombat XL was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review