Mortal Kombat 1 Khaos Reigns DLC Review (PS5) – Around this time last year, I had the pleasure of reviewing the latest entry in the legendary fighting franchise, Mortal Kombat 1.
Simultaneously both a reboot and a sequel, Mortal Kombat 1 began largely anew, while retelling and re-imagining some of its most iconic story beats and lore.
Flash forward a year, and Netherrealm Studios have dropped their first story expansion for MK1, and for the most part it feels like déjà vu.
Mortal Kombat 1 Khaos Reigns DLC Review (PS5) – Fun But Forgettable
Khaos Kontinues
Before getting into the Khaos Reigns expansion itself, I want to preface the critique by mentioning that what I originally enjoyed about the Kameo system, as it is known, has largely waned with time. What started out as something fresh, does feel somewhat frustrating a year later.
There are still aspects of it I enjoy, don’t get me wrong, such as how it directly feeds into mix-ups, which is pretty neat. However I do feel Mortal Kombat is at its best when it is 1 vs 1. Including this additional variable does create more visual clutter and jarring hit detection, which as mentioned, unfortunately I’ve just grown weary of.
Combined with some egregious micro-transaction implementation, the game has gone down a touch in my estimation. However, beyond that; I still love to play Mortal Kombat 1. The characters and its world are always a blast, and the fact it never takes itself overly seriously continues to make for a good time.
Sublime audio and stunning visuals continue to impress with Khaos Reigns. Every time I return to Mortal Kombat 1 I feel its weightiness, its impactful hits and I am instantly reminded why it is, and continues to be my favorite fighting game franchise on the market.
Havik The Konqueror
At the forefront of this expansion is 3 new combatants; Cyrax, Sektor, and Noob Saibot. The antagonist being Khaos Havik, who is essentially MK’s Kang The Conqueror. His motivations are essentially exactly what it says on the tin, to bring about chaos and anarchy by taking control of all time via Geras and his unique abilities. Geras really needs to look into finding a new job.
While the DLC is really well animated, acted, and choreographed, the story is lackluster. It feels too similar to the story of the main campaign and ultimately redundant. It’s passable fun, filled with jokes that don’t always land, and references that feel overly forced.
I do really enjoy how they weave certain cornerstones of their lore, and their characters origins into this new, rebooted world. You know how certain things play out with knowledge of the franchise, but you don’t necessarily know how it’s going to get there. I enjoyed that in the main campaign and continue to really enjoy it here.
Khaos Havik is certainly a cool, grotesque character to head up the antagonist role, but I do feel they could have utilized him better. Seeing him detach his own head in the action packed cinematics, to use as a weapon in battle is a lot of fun. I don’t know how anyone couldn’t enjoy that.
Redesigns And Animalities
Heading up the DLC are characters Sektor and Cyrax, but not as we know them. No longer are they predator-esque androids, but women in exosuits. I don’t hate the redesigns by any means, but I do miss the more traditional versions of these characters. There’s something quite Marvel Comics about it.
Another character is introduced midway through the campaign, and due to concerns of spoilers, I won’t go into too much, but what I will say is that I really love this version of the character, and all of the animations and abilities they are capable of.
Animalities make their return which are always a lot of fun. Any long-term fan of the series is sure to get as much of a kick out of these as I did. I typically go through the roster of characters trying to experience them all, and I’d recommend doing just that, as they’re a blast.
Overall, Mortal Kombat Khaos Reigns feels somewhat derivative, and certainly not as strong as the main campaign, but there is more than enough here for fans of the franchise to enjoy. It is hard to recommend at the price tag it comes at, as the campaign falls a little short of the mark.
Mortal Kombat 1 Khaos Reigns is available now on PS5.
Review code kindly provided by publisher.