Mortal Kombat has returned. Great news for fighting game pros and casual gamers the twelfth installment of the Mortal Kombat franchise is titled Mortal Kombat 1. Why? IKYMI, MK11 ended with Liu Kang (who is now a demigod) resetting the entire MK universe in an attempt to make sure evil people never became powerful. You can probably guess how that worked out. The single-player campaign is a hybrid between a reboot and a sequel — some characters learn about their past timelines, and others don’t, doomed to repeat history.

Scorpion, Raiden, Kitana, and Johnny Cage are back, and will be duking it out in a brand new timeline, blissfully unaware of the vast multiverse in which they fought. The familiar host of players find themselves enlisted in the Mortal Kombat Tournament, which is how the original arcade games began. Long cutscenes make for an enjoyable watch (creators of the Mortal Kombat movie sequel should take note— but you didn’t hear that from us) and seamlessly phase into a classic player v computer best-out-of-three joust.

MK1 brings the franchise’s lore to the forefront — there is plenty of nostalgia, callbacks, and references to entertain both seasoned players and new fans. We learn new information about old characters, like how Kenshi lost his eyesight, and the truth Mileena keeps hidden behind her veil. The gameplay mechanics have always been and will continue to be pretty much the same, revolving around combos, special moves, and most importantly, fatalities. An added feature is Kameo Fighters, the ability to pick a character who you can tag in when needed, an exciting addition to the staples of classic gameplay.

⌛ Hours of gameplay: 28.5 hours

? Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S ? Price: USD 69.99 for the base game, USD 109.99 for the Premium Edition on Switch

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