3.5/5 ★ – JimboHarman's review of Mortal Kombat 1.

That ending is pure brain rot. The first two acts are actually fairly engaging, I like lots of the changes made to the characters usually reserved for moustache twirling; Baraka is far more tragic and noble, Reptile is sympathetic and Mileena is far more nuanced. Unfortunately lots of the characters you spend the first two thirds getting to know barely play a part in the climax. There’s not really a sense of setup/payoff, or characters using what they’ve learned to save the day, it’s just a bunch of boring spectacle and slapstick, watching characters you don’t have a relationship with running around like headless chickens. Even if they didn’t fumble the ending so hard, I don’t think the narrative would’ve been flawless. One issue is that this new timeline doesn’t take more risks. It’s not long before you’re back in familiar territory, Shang Tsung’s up to his normal tricks, Quan Chi is doing the same, General Shao predictably has his own agenda to take control of Outworld. I honestly think I’d have preferred to see things play out with these characters playing new roles. What if Shao genuinely just has Outworld’s best interests in mind? What if Shang Tsung just lead a normal life as a snake oil salesman? Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing inherently wrong with the way these characters are used. It’s a safe narrative but it works. I just think I’d rather see them lean into the new timeline angle a little more. I largely like the gameplay. I’ve always loved a bit of Mortal Kombat, and this is about what I expected. The Kameo system is decent although I wouldn’t say it’s a game changer. My only real issue is the roster; it’s just too damn small. I think that a rule for these new MK games is that if the character features in the story, they have to be playable. Not DLC, not a pre-order bonus, they should just be in the game. Then, there’d be more room for oddball character picks like Homelander, and Omni-Man. With Super Smash Bros’ near 80 character roster, there’s no excuse for Netherrealm’s output to consistently be so limited.