Mortal Kombat XL – Review
Follow Genre: Fighting
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4
Tested on: Xbox One

Mortal Kombat XL – Review

Site Score
9.0
Good: All characters are bundled in one edition, classic and iconic characters
Bad: Basic content such as storyline, game modes, animations has been untouched
User Score
8.0
(1 votes)
Click to vote
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Rating: 8.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Mortal Kombat is well-known for its gruesome and violent gameplay but the video game franchise has had a rocky past in its long lifespan. While many still see it as a classic, the reboots tell us that the game is evolving. Mortal Kombat X showed us just how well a fighter game can evolve with improved mechanics while remaining true to the classic Mortal Kombat combination of blood and gore. Mortal Kombat XL is in this case the base content of Mortal Kombat X with all its DLC’s and skin packs.

mortal kombat xl

Story

The evil sorcerer Shinnok, whom had invaded Earth from the Outworld, has been defeated twenty-odd years ago by earthlings alongside of Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Raiden and many others. A new generation of warriors are working together to keep the non-aggression pacts between Earth and Outworld intact but peace never lasts very long. Mileena, who was dethroned by Total Khan, has somehow gained control over the amulet in which Shinnok is locked up and is seeking to regain her power as supreme ruler of the Outworld, starting with the invasion of Earth.

As Mortal Kombat XL is the entire collection of Mortal Kombat X and all its DLC’s and skin packs, the storyline has remained unchanged. A few new chapters in the storyline or even a couple of new views on certain events would have been a pretty amazing addition to the XL edition but alas. Nonetheless the overall plot remains great for new players.

Graphics

If you’ve known Mortal Kombat since its early start, you’ll be surprised by its stunning modern visuals. The characters are rendered with a keen eye on detail, allowing a smooth animation that can keep up with the fast-paced action. The new versions of Sub-Zero and Scorpion are simply amazing to see and while they are classic characters, they don’t feel outdated against the newly introduced characters.

Mortal-Kombat-XL-scr02

Brutal moves have always been the standard for the Mortal Kombat franchise and the addition of X-ray-like cinematic animations in the style of Sniper Elite 3 fits perfectly when the player is performing special moves or fatalities. In fact, it makes the game more gruesome than before if that were even possible. After lengthy gaming sessions, you’ll start to notice a trend in the X-ray-like animations however and that is that they are always identical. We already thought so in Mortal Kombat X and its a tad sad to see this unchanged.

Sound

The sound design hasn’t changed either with the release of Mortal Kombat XL although there was not much to add here. The voice acting was already superb and fitting from start to finish while the sound design in terms of ambiance sounds and special effects is a perfect mood setter. We highly doubt they could have outdone themselves here.

Gameplay

Mortal Kombat XL offers the same experience as Mortal Kombat X when it comes down to gameplay experience. The classic characters keep their classic fatalities, while both the classic and new characters also come with a range of new and interesting combinations and fatalities. Eight characters that were previously available in the form of Kombat Packs 1 and 2 are now available from the very start of the game. Including these characters are four iconic horror protagonists: Alien, Predator, Jason Voorhees and Leatherface. What is interesting with these characters is that their iconic weapons have been turned into lethal combo’s. For example, Alien’s tail is very important for combo’s while Jason’s bloody blade can be a brutal headslicer. Triborg, Bo’ Rai Cho, Tremor, Goro and Tonya are also available.

Mortal-Kombat-XL-Alien

Like any typical modern fighter game, Mortal Kombat XL offers a plethora of combinations which can be quite tricky to master. Luckily the game offers a tutorial in which you can train the basic combos and special moves as well as counters and many other commands.

Each character offers three different fighting styles with each their own kind of fatality or play style. These fighting styles can be picked before starting a fight and can completely change the gameplay experience thus there’s tons of styles to test before you can settle on a few you might like.

The story mode and the towers have remained unchanged but so has the multiplayer mode. Another feature from Mortal Kombat X that has not been touched in Mortal Kombat XL is the Krypt where you can spend your hard-earned ‘Koins’ and reward yourself with goodies such as skin, fatalities and artwork. However, Mortal Kombat XL already has all the skins that were released for Mortal Kombat X so you may not find that many more skins in the Krypt.

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Conclusion

Mortal Kombat XL is the full Mortal Kombat X edition, including all of its DLC’s, skin packs and character packs. The basic content has remained unchanged thus we can conclude that the XL edition is not suitable for veteran players of Mortal Kombat X. However it’s a great edition for new players who have yet to dive into the gruesome world of blood and gore that is Mortal Kombat.

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Mortal Kombat XL - Review, 8.0 out of 10 based on 1 rating
Drydwen


Hi! I'm Jess and I’m a writer, dreamer and gamer at heart since the early ages. I primarily game on PC but occasionally also on PS4 and Xbox One. I have a tiny obsession for World of Warcraft and caterpillars but you may also claim I have a devoted passion for the gaming industry in general. If you want to hit me up, find me on twitter!

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