Review for Mortal Kombat 11. Game for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Google Stadia, the video game was released on 23/04/2019
Version for PlayStation 5 from 17/11/2020
Version for Xbox Series X from 17/11/2020
Version for Google Stadia from 19/11/2019
2019 was definitely a year full of excellent titles, and among these Mortal Kombat 11 has entered as one of the best fighting games of recent years. Already in its original version the latest creation of NetherRealm Studios proved to be rich in content, characters and objectives to be achieved, but as usual now the team led by Ed Boon continued to support the title and work on new additional content. After churning out the first Kombat Pack, Aftermath was released about a year after its release: a real expansion that did not just include new characters, but that added a new chapter of the story.
As new content was added to the game, we finally arrived in the fateful new-gen with the release of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. NetherRealm therefore decided to package a complete edition of all its work, smoothly ferrying us into the new generation. Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate contains, in addition to the base game, its Aftermath expansion, Kombat Packs 1 and 2 (released very recently) and all the various updates released since its release.
In addition to the huge amount of content available, this version like has the great convenience of being cross-gen. This means that anyone who buys Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One will have access free to update for the corresponding new-gen consoles when they want to make the generational leap; a definitely convenient feature that will avoid having to buy the game again or having to wait to buy the new consoles. The bad news is that it won't be possible to “move” some data such as story progress, Kombat Kard stats and custom character customizations; everything else instead will be carried in its new version, including time crystals, items in the inventory and all the various rewards obtained in the game.
From a graphical point of view, the improvements for new-gen are visible but not stratospheric. Not for a matter of poor work, but simply because the original version of Mortal Kombat 11 already sported a very high quality that excellently squeezed the arrival consoles, quality that certainly could not be pumped that much. On the new consoles the Ultimate version can count on one better definition and visual cleanliness, favored by a perfected ecosystem of lighting and special effects, which look great on the screen thanks to the dynamic 4K resolution. The whole remains fluid with a solid frame rate at 60 fps. The loading times are also significantly faster, both between ordinary fights and in the Kripta.
The most obvious addition of Ultimate compared to the offer seen so far is certainly the Kombat Pack 2 which contains three new characters that join the Mortal Kombat 11 roster, making it reach the top of 37 fighters.
Mileena back in the ring thanks to persistent community requests directed at NetherRealm, who ultimately decided to bring her back to life after being killed by D'Vorah in Mortal Kombat X. Kitana's hybrid half-sister returns with all of her classic moves and approach which rewards players capable of taking risks in combat. He is a character who has very quick but limited range combos. To balance this range, he has particularly unpredictable and annoying techniques such as the low rolling attack and the teleported kick from above to undermine opponents who rely on projectiles in a careless way.
The second face known by lovers of the saga is Rain, which we had seen in Mortal Kombat X as Mileena's ally, but only as an NPC opponent. The Edenian semi-god is, similar to Fujin, a fighter certainly difficult to master but who could give great satisfaction especially to those players who want to control the fight from the medium distance. Several of his water-based attacks have a wide range, even a variant of it makes him very dominant of the airspace, and among his peculiar techniques there are several particularly useful to punish the most unwary opponents.
The last fighter of the triptych is the third special guest to arrive in Mortal Kombat 11 from action cinema: we are talking about Rambo (voiced by Silvester Stallone for the occasion), which NetherRealm has endowed with a surprisingly eclectic nature, probably following the criticism of Terminator and Robocop. The Vietnam veteran has very strong medium strings and many resources to control space, with very different variations between them. Among these is one focused on grappling, which makes it menacingly pressing with its combos that close with deadly holds and a somersault to close distances. Diametrically opposite is its variant dedicated to zoning which has a ground mine, a machine gun and a pendulum trap to counteract the approach of the opponent.
A last very important novelty introduced in Ultimate is the possibility of using the custom variants of the characters even in online battles. Until now this possibility had been excluded by NetherRealm to avoid situations of imbalance, but in the end it was decided to "unlock" it.
This choice could be considered positive for those who felt limited by the standard variants, but it could actually be insidious for the balance and variety of the competitive sector. The risk is that among the most experienced players, optimal builds of the characters spread to the detriment of the plurality of situations that the variants offered, and that thus inevitably lose a good part of their sense.
Ultimately Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate enriches what was originally a decidedly valid fighting game, and it does so with a quantity of certainly remarkable content. Despite some concerns about the competitive side, its inter-generational fluidity and the pleasant technical improvements for the new platforms certainly make it very attractive. If you are among those who have not yet purchased the previous versions, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate is the perfect opportunity to make up for it.
► Mortal Kombat 11 is a fighting game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Google Stadia, the video game was released on 23/04/2019
Version for PlayStation 5 from 17/11/2020
Version for Xbox Series X from 17/11/2020
Version for Google Stadia from 19/11/2019
