Summary
There are a lot of changes coming toMortal Kombat 1and many are keen to see how they pan out. After completing a trilogy that began with the 2011Mortal Kombat,Mortal Kombat 1has seen fit to rebootMK’s universe into a new form. Characters, stages, the overarching plot, and even technical aspects like music and gameplay have been given a different feel. New features are to be expected when a fighting game transitions between entries, but this 31-year-old franchise is truly going for a fresh experience.
To that end,Mortal Kombat 1has learned a lot of dos and don’ts from past titles. In response to complaints aboutMortal Kombat 11’s fighting feeling stiff and limited, characters have been given expanded movesets, more aerial abilities, and Kameo Fighters to supplement their battle prowess. The stage list has also been split between cleaner and brighter environments andMortal Kombat’s typical grim locales. However, whether a specific complaint has been addressed won’t be known untilMortal Kombat 1’s release, and getting it right would be novel all on its own.
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Mortal Kombat’s Achievements and Trophies Need a Do-Over
As a franchise,Mortal Kombathas been well known for plentiful content, especially compared to other AAA fighting games. Dropping its arcade support withthe 2002Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance,Mortal Kombatwas free to build out its modes on home consoles. While those efforts scaled back after 2011’sMortal Kombat, there are still many specialty arcade towers, alternative online modes, mini-games, and other surprises to find throughout each entry.
Unfortunately, with the jump to PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2011, NetherRealm Studios accidentally neglected a specific type of player. The sheer amount to do in every game causedMortal Kombat 9,Mortal Kombat X, andMortal Kombat 11to launch with 50 or more Trophies and Achievements, and an additional 13 came withMKX’s DLC. From data provided by the few players who could get all of them, fully completingMortal Kombat Xand11takes 40–60 hours, andcompletingMK9’s Trophy listcan easily take over 100 assuming it’s even possible nowadays.
Achievements Shouldn’t Be A Chore in Mortal Kombat 1
There are plenty of reasons whyMortal Kombat, of all games, takes so long to 100% complete. Many achievements expect players to try every major feature with every character, sometimes requiring leveling up player profiles or even multiple factions online. Finding secrets, completing the Krypt, andbeating the latestMKstory modeare all common time sinks, but seeing every Fatality and Brutality, not to mention going through every character’s arcade tower and completing mini-games, can take forever. The worst offender is probably the Achievements to receive a certain amount of Respect from other players in the online King of the Hill mode, which was mercifully removed inMK11.
Any completionist would breathe a sigh of relief ifMortal Kombat 1eases up on these requirements. Completing things like the story, tutorials, and arcade towers is expected, butMortal Kombat 1needs to make some cuts. Finding secrets is good, but anything out of the player’s control like receiving Respect is bad. Leveling up online should give way to how other fighting games often require one online win, and then participating in a few more.
Of course, anything that is a massive, obvious time sink like completing hundreds of Living Towers or gaining enough currency to open hundreds of Krypt chests should be restrained. NetherRealm Studios can still make a fleshed-outMortal Kombatgame without demanding too much out of any players looking to say they’ve done it all.
Mortal Kombat 1will be released on September 19 for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.
