Mortal Kombat 1 Story Mode Review

So here we are folks, after rebooting the series again for the 2nd time we are here at "Mortal Kombat 1"...yes "1" as in "1" not "Mortal Kombat: New Era" or any other subtitle they could possibly think of, nope, "Mortal Kombat 1"...which I imagine will confuse many people in the future. And while we're on the topic, what the hell is up with franchises not numbering sequels after a while or not even giving them subtitles? It's like after 5 movies they can't number anything anymore. Topic for another day. So "Mortal Kombat", ya know, "Mortal Kombat" has come a LONG way in a LONG time. I remember being a young lad when I first laid eyes on "Mortal Kombat" for the Sega Genesis, learning about the Blood Code and that one time my brother and I accidentally managed to unlock Reptile, all good times, but now "Mortal Kombat" has entered into the modern era and as such I've been able to see this series evolve and take many different forms from feature-length movies to web series, to Saturday morning cartoon and each time I've wondered how far can this series go? 

Well, here we are. After reintroducing the characters and rebooting the series in 2011 with "Mortal Kombat" after "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon" the series was set to start from square one while adhering to bits and pieces of the previous continuity with a twist. 2009's "Mortal Kombat" managed to condense the storylines of "Mortal Kombats 1, 2, and 3" into a single game, and by the end of it, Liu Kang was killed and the only remaining heroes were Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and Raiden. Next was "Mortal Kombat X" which was a retelling of "Mortal Kombat 4" with a much better story and better new characters like Erron Black, D'Vorah (who although I hate is unique enough to warrant existing), Ferra/Tor who although the fan loathed I found interesting enough and (design wise) my personal favorite Kotal Kahn all poised as new characters, and among the heroes we saw Cassie Cage (whom I absolutely adore), Takeda, Jaqui Briggs (who can't stop getting redesigned, like her father) and Kung Jin, 3 new heroes with unique abilities. "Mortal Kombat X" ended with Raiden shifting to the dark side after acquiring Shinnok's amulet and sought to take a more proactive approach to defending Earth, ie, destroying threats before they became threats...which meant destroying The Nether Realm forces led by now Nether Realm ruler Liu Kang.

Then came "Mortal Kombat 11" is to say the ballsiest "Mortal Kombat" game in the series. "Mortal Kombat 11" introduced us to the wider cosmology of the "Mortal Kombat" Series by introducing us to the grand mastermind behind all of "Mortal Kombat", a Titan, a being even greater than The Elder Gods themselves (although greater than The One Being is anyone's guess) Kronika, Keeper Of Time. "Mortal Kombat 11" had the craziest storyline of all the games as it established that every single ending in "Mortal Kombat" history IS IN FACT CANON. It did this by making it clear that Kronika has been erasing and resetting the timeline CONSTANTLY when the balance between good and evil wasn't perfect. This character's introduction is literally game-breaking. Since the conception of the series it's been established that the most powerful beings in the series were in fact The Elder Gods, hence why since the series' long history we've only seen a total of 2 Elder Gods: Shinnok and Cetrion (Raiden didn't become an Elder God until "MK4"), however, Kronika is the mother of Shinnok and Cetrion thus making her the literal big bad of the entire "Mortal Kombat" series.

Kronika's plan in "Mortal Kombat 11" made no sense and in the end, saw her bested by Liu Kang and Raiden merging into one being thus transforming Liu Kang into a god and after besting Kronika and taking her place, Liu Kang became THE ONLY BEING IN EXISTENCE AND THUS THE LITERAL FIRST AND ONLY GOD IN THE SERIES! "Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath" saw a continuation of that story Shang Tsung returning and attempting to steal Kronika's crown (ie, her means of controlling The Hours Glass) for himself, and at the end of "Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath" the player is allowed to choose who the victor is, be it Shang Tsung or Liu Kang. Should you choose Liu Kang he restarts time and greets The Great Kung Lao to prepare him for the tournament, if you choose Shang Tsung is establishes his rule and gives glory to those who are cunning and bold and shun the meek. Since the outcome is decided by the player neither outcome can be considered canon...right...right? WRONG! And with all of that outta the way, let's get to the review proper.

Honestly, I was not too thrilled about "Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath" rebooting the series again (HERE) to say the least I was disappointed BUT and that's a HUGE BUT, I had NO clue what was coming afterward but was curious and I ripped Liu Kang a new one for allowing characters like Shao Kahn to exists if they were to exist in his new timeline. From the start of "Mortal Kombat 1" all of the issues I had with "Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath" were immediately addressed. Liu Kang established the realms, began life, and then left his post as Keeper Of Time in fear that it'd drive him mad like Kronika, thus being a god who merely watches his creation and doesn't interfere. While not stated outright it can be assumed that Liu Kang established the gods and Elder Gods and thus made himself a lowly demi-god of Fire and Protector of Earth Realm, all the while keeping tabs on things with Geras as his inside man to watch over The Hour Glass. This is where we begin "Mortal Kombat 1" and to this I say "Well played." It's not everyday that I can say that every issue I had with a previous work is not only addressed but explained almost immediately. With those concerns addressed I was ready to jump into the story. The story itself I had gripes and concerns but we'll get to those and what lies ahead.

First, as a restart of everything, I have a few observations, namely Johnny Cage is nothing without Sonya Blade, as to why she was absent from this series, who knows? Sonya Blade worked as a grounding force for Johnny and after 2011's "Mortal Kombat" Johnny became a lot more grounded, hell, by "Mortal Kombat X" Johnny Cage was such a seasoned veteran by then that he was leading his own squad of new recruits and by "MK11" when Johnny came face to face with his past self was so appalled by himself that he had to quite literally kick his own ass. Johnny Cage had the most character development out of everyone in the "Mortal Kombat" series aside from Hanzo Hasashi (who actually got to ride off into the sunset as he isn't present in this game). So The Johnny Cage we find here is regular Johnny Cage, the same wise-crackin', bravado he's always had since day one and while I enjoy his banter with Kenshi, it'd be nice to see Sonya trade some barbs with him.

This made me laugh, not gonna lie.

I'm sad that the Kombat kids didn't make it into the game, I was confused about the absence of Takeda in "MK11" as with him being the son of Kenshi he was set to be a fan-favorite (no doubt why they're making him a DLC character). That aside I understand their absence. Raiden is now taking over as the series Liu Kang (more or less that is) and I like the dynamic between Raiden and Kung Lao. While Liu Kang and Kung Lao were rivals, Raiden and Kung Lao seem more like brothers thus their relationship seems more genuine, if that makes any sense. Tarkatan being a disease rather than a race of people is interesting as well. It has long since been speculated that Tarkatans were the native species of Outworld, so much so was this speculation that before his canonical unmasking Shao Kahn was meant to be something of an evolved Tarkatan (but I digress). The tournament at large, mortal kombat is a showcase of Earth's might. Outworld (and we'll get to that in a bit) has a contingent of more aggressive beings who would like to conquer Earth Realm and the tournament quells them by showcasing that Earth Realmers can in fact kick their ass, thin excuse but I'll allow it.

A better explanation could have been something akin to the Olympics where fighters from across the realms showcase their best fighters with other forces attempting to place actual stakes on the outcomes, but I digress. This "Mortal Kombat" game was different and yet similar in very weird ways, this new continuity saw new dynamics in the characters namely Sindel. Sindel is a character we've only heard about but have never actually seen. Yes, she was present in 2011's "MK" and "MK11" but what I mean is we've never got to see Sindel prior to the brainwashing (previous continuity) and complete retconning of her character (look directly at you "Mortal Kombat 11") so seeing Sindel as a benevolent leader and mother was nice. Seeing Outworld outside of the influence of Shao Kahn was surreal, to say the least, but really cool. And since we're on the topic, let's address Outworld.

Beauty and poise, that's royalty.

Outworld was called Outworld from the start BUT Outworld became Outworld due to the merging of different realms into it's world. I liken this to two planets merging thus expanding the size of the planet, however in "Mortal Kombat's" terms this doesn't just mean Earth the planet but Earth Realm as in its literal entire universe gets integrated into Outworld's universe. Let me explain. Outworld has its own universe and solar system complete with planets and so on, Earth has the same and thus when the realms merge Earth's solar system gets integrated into Outworld. Mind-blowing, yes, but that's the scope of what we're talking about when we talk about a merger, and essentially Earth realm would be absorbed by Outworld (ie, the dominant realm would get to reject what it chooses, same as a corporate merger). All of that being said, it's said that Quan Chi is Edenian...and this was an eyebrow-raiser because Sindel and her family are Edenians. Shao Kahn conquered the realm of Edenia ages ago and integrated it into Outworld and thus Edenia is essentially lost. There is no mention of Edenia outside of this thus leading me to believe that Edenia now is a place within Outworld and not a separate realm OR Edenia was somehow absorbed by Outworld...again... I'm guessing it's a place in Outworld because Sindel doesn't seem interested in absorbing realms like Shao Kahn.

Same deal with Zaterra being conquered by Outworld, I'm assuming it's now just a place within Outworld. The only separate realms mentioned outside of Earth Realm and The Nether Realm (which has every reason to remain separate) are Vaeternus and The Order Realm (no mention of The Chaos Realm...yet...we'll get to that). So calling it Outworld instead of Edenia is just...well...hrm...strange? I'm supposed to be reviewing the story, moving right along. So as the story progressed there were glaring issues I had, most notably Liu Kang setting up an incursion on Outworld without Sindel's knowledge, there are several ways Liu Kang could have gone about doing that while keeping Sindel in the loop, so that was a server oversight on his part. All of that aside, as the story progressed I was wondering who was going to be revealed to be the big bad of it all? The mystery was that someone in the guise of Kronika came to Shang Tsung (now a snake oil salesman) and Quan Chi (a lowly mine worker) and restored them to their original selves, not only that but was managing to stay off of Liu Kang's radar and was somehow able to pull items from previous timelines that shouldn't exist. What being would have this kind of power?

Reptile's actually quite handsome.

Shang Tsung introduced the being he and Quan Chi refer to as their "Benefactor" as "Damashi" and immediately my jaw dropped. "Damashi" was the alias used by The Dragon King Onaga to trick Shujinko into releasing him. Now, follow me real quick, because here's my speculation, it's been established in previous continuity that Onaga was the original king of Outworld. Onaga was killed by Shao Kahn via poisoning, but Onaga was wise and crafty not to mention the dude had enough magic to walk through an attack from Raiden (an Elder God at the time), Quan Chi and Shang Tsung's magic combined. Is it outside of the realm of possibility that Onaga found a way to cheat death by sealing his soul away elsewhere? And considering Kronika's power is powered by souls wouldn't the soul of someone capable of staving off the attack of Elder God be MORE than a suitable power source for her crown?

What I'm saying is during the scuffle between Kronika and Liu Kang, that brief moment when the Hour Glass broke, Onaga's soul escaped and once Liu Kang established everything and reduced himself to a demi-god, Onaga would possess someone, get reacclimated with his magic and recreate artifacts from the previous timeline, namely Shinnok's amulet. And since Onaga remembers the previous timeline he'd have a working knowledge of the kamidogus and everything else. Thus he could've been the mastermind working in the shadows to now not only take Outworld but everything and become a Titan, and if they gave him a sleek new human form as they did Reptile, that'd be even better, BUT NO! "Damashi" turns out to be Titan Shang Tsung, this is both genius and frustrating. It's genius because as I've said before in the opening:

"Since the outcome is decided by the player neither outcome can be considered canon...right...right?"

Back from the dead and twice as smug.

YES, BOTH ENDINGS ARE CANON, EVERYTHING IS CANON! Titan Shang Tsung explains that during their battle the timeline fractured thus creating multiple timelines in which every combatant was the victor thus revealing every combatant to be a Titan somewhere in the timeline...this means once again EVERY SINGLE MORTAL KOMBAT ENDING IS 100% CANON and not all at the same time. Mind-blowing x1million. However, the frustrating part is the fact that it's Shang Tsung, and since "Mortal Kombat 11" the producers are hellbent on making Shang Tsung the big bad of "Mortal Kombat" and for me at least, he's never been "That Guy". Shao Kahn was "That Guy". I've always seen Shang Tsung as an underboss as opposed to Shao Kahn. In "Mortal Kombat" Shang Tsung was set up to be the main villain due to his control of his island and being the envoy of Outworld to Earth Realm. He was an old man, reminiscent of martial arts masters from Kung-Fu movies who despite being old had tricks up their sleeves and were literally major badasses. But Shang Tsung wasn't the end-all-be-all and when "Mortal Kombat II" came out we were introduced to Shao Kahn, the REAL Big Bad of "Mortal Kombat".

And since we're on the topic, Shoa Kahn is a character that over the years become nothing more than a footnote in his own franchise. The producers essentially turned Shao Kahn into a hammer-swinging brainless brute when that wasn't his characterization at all. Sure Shao Kahn was always larger than all the characters and his armor and appearance scream conquest BUT Shao Kahn is more akin to Bane, someone who is not only physically dangerous but mentally dangerous as well. For all of Shang Tsung's craftiness and scheming, for all of Quan Chi's magical acumen, Shao Kahn dwarfs them all. So powerful was he in fact that it took the combined efforts of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi to fight him (and it was revealed later that they merely fought a doom-bot of him, while the real Shoa Kahn was in a healing coma). While Shoa Kahn has ALWAYS been shown as being a brute, the other characters knew they wouldn't be able to step up to him directly. In 2011's "Mortal Kombat" Shoa Kahn casually killed Shang Tsung and gave his soul to Sindel thus showing that Shao Kahn had mastered that technique.

This made me laugh too, Shao Kahn looks so refined for someone so gruesome.

In 2011's "Mortal Kombat" the only combatants left atop Argus's pyramid were Shao Kahn and Raiden, objectively two of the strongest characters who occupy the mortal plain, and Shao Kahn WON. Shao Kahn has always been depicted as a Thanos/Darkseid-level villain, a guy who could throw a punch but would rather have someone else do it because they honestly have nothing to prove by doing so. Shao Kahn can be direct and scheme with the best of them and lately, in "Mortal Kombat 11" Shoa Kahn is just a brute, bested by Shang Tsung's schemes without seeing through it or having a back-up plan. I can say I don't care for this depiction of Shao Kahn. The only person who could step up to Shao Kahn without batting an eye is Shinnok. 

Long story short Shang Tsung had become a Titan just as Liu Kang did and thus sought to invade Liu Kang's timeline and destroy it from the inside out. Alt-Shang Tsung theorizes that there must be other timelines where Liu Kang can gather Titan allies as well and he does. While searching for other Titans Liu Kang manages to stumble upon his Kitana from the 2011 "Mortal Kombat". The conclusion ends with the most bonkers "Mortal Kombat" sequence I've EVER seen complete with alternate versions of characters such as a female Scorpion, Janet Cage, a Zaterran Sindel, a Shoa Kahn with Sub-Zero powers, a Sonya Blade with Kano's faceplate and much, much more. Liu Kang manages to defeat Titan Shang Tsung and erase him and his timeline from existence. The stinger at the end reveals that amongst the battle of Timelines was Havik (I'm assuming he's a Titan) who, awed by the chaotic battle that just transpired promises that next time the battle won't stop.

Exactly who wanted you back?

So what did I think? Overall 8/10. I LOVED that the "Test Your Might" segments were integrated into the game, that was a unique moment, I loved the character interactions and despite the retcons, I enjoyed this new timeline. I also liked the nods and references to the previous games, the quotes, and the events they were present and noticeable without the wink and the nudge. The battle at Shang Tsung's stronghold mirroring the battle in "MK: Armageddon" was bonkers but enjoyable. Ultimately, my main critique is that Shang Tsung is once again responsible and that Havik...Havik of all people is getting set up to be the next big bad of "Mortal Kombat" and I'm hitting the snooze on that one. Not that I won't check it out (Lord knows I will) BUT I don't find Havik interesting at all as his only motivation is "Chaos, yay!". I adored Syzoth a.k.a Reptile, a character near and dear to me since "Mortal Kombat". I like that they acknowledged Reptile's human form whilst likewise maintaining his lizard form as well. Ashrah was an interesting inclusion but not entirely unwelcome. Darrius, despite being in the game had NO dialogue and that made me laugh, Darrius is about as interesting as a cardboard box. I hated how Reiko didn't get a formal character introduction during the build-up, it'd have made sense to introduce him with Shao Kahn, and considering Reiko is a bad guy he didn't get much shine...then again, neither did Rain.

I'm a little shocked Shujinko didn't appear in the story mode as a lot of the cameo and DLC characters appeared in the story, that was awesome. I'm miffed that Shang Tsung was The Big Bad but the way they integrated it into the story was genius so I can't stay mad at it. "Mortal Kombat" has come a LONG way since it began and who knew this is where it'd be. So the current status quo is now we're aware of there being multiple timelines, multiple versions of these characters, and multiple Titans. Mileena rules Outworld now with Tanya as her lover (because of course she does...) Jerrod is now back within the body of Ermac, and I must say it's pretty awesome to actually MEET Jerrod for a change. Kuai Liang is forming the Shirai'Ryu with Smoke, Earth Realm's defenders are now Johnny Cage, Kung Lao, Kenshi, and Raiden. Reptile and Ashrah live on Earth now...maybe, maybe not, but Johnny did invite Ashrah to stay with him. So that is where we're leaving things. Who knows how Havik will mix things up but it'd be nice to see the other characters from the latter games appear. I'll be watching the "Mortal Kombat" series like I always do. I won't say how I feel about the next installment just yet, I have a feeling I might be surprised. Catch you kool kats later!