Mortal Kombat 1 kontinues to impress | Pre-order beta impressions
After playing the pre-order beta for Mortal Kombat 1, I’m craving the full release even more now. NetherRealm’s stylish and gore-filled fighter has always been my favourite fighting game series, and despite Street Fighter 6 being a fantastic return to form for Capcom, MK will always have my heart. Mortal Kombat 11 was exceptional, and certainly one I couldn’t see being topped, but from the latest beta, Ed Boon and company seem to be on the right tracks to make the series better than it’s ever been. There’s not a ton more to see since the last beta, however, playing as Johnny Cage and Li Mei has been a lot of fun.
Before we get into the two new fighters, it’s worth mentioning how quick it is to get into an online match. The servers are heavily populated, even now, which goes to show you how many pre-orders they’ve received. I had no issues jumping into a match online, and the stability of matches are excellent. The netcode was stable throughout the various fights I had, with little to no input lag. If this is the shape of things to come, NetherRealm are already on strong footing going into the full release.
These betas are teasing us with what we can expect from the full release, and despite not having a lot of fighters to choose from, the two new additions since the last one are massively impressive. Series stalwart Johnny Cage is looking sharper than ever, both in his bravado and his move set. He’s always been one of those fighters who feels balanced, and is a great choice for beginners. However, the nuances in his combos, and the ease to extend them makes Cage a worthy fighter. His punch to the nether region is iconic, but his speed to get around and when delivering swift kicks are superb.
I was also in love with his fatality. Johnny Cage plays into that obnoxious Hollywood celebrity by face-planting enemies into the ground, then lifting their crushed and bloody skulls off the ground as their skin sticks to the ground is gloriously disgusting, and ending with an upload to social media of him posing with the dead opponent is deliciously grim. While Cage delivers with flare and arrogance, Li Mei is an elegant martial artist who uses some of the most beautiful moves effortlessly. Her bicycle kicks laced with purple light look stunning, and her reach works incredibly well.
She utilises these kinetic attacks to make her an excellent choice when delivering damage from all over the screen. While there are only six fighters available in the Mortal Kombat 1 pre-order beta, that’s still enough to see just how varied the roster is. Liu Kang, Kitana, Sub-Zero, and Kenshi are back, and while I detailed how they felt in the last beta impressions piece, it was still a joy to go back and see how they play once more. Liu Kang is by far my favourite, as I’m sure he is for everyone, but that’s down to his speed and easiness to control. MK1 will be accessible for everyone, however, there’s plenty of scope for die hard players to get stuck into a thriving online community.
The Mortal Kombat pre-order beta further cements my excitement to play the main game. The Kameo fighters continues to impress, with Frost being an amazing choice to help extend combos. Johnny Cage is a dick, but he’s got a varied moveset that helps you to ignore the flurry of bird flipping. Li Mei is a stunning fighter, and will be a great choice for players who want a fighter with great range and some wonderful looking combos. Just give me the game already, Ed! I can’t wait any longer.
