Review – Mortal Kombat for PS Vita

Mortal Kombat for the PS Vita is one hell of a bloody game. With intensity filled fights and a million different combos to choose from, Mortal Kombat truly has it all.

To begin, Mortal Kombat performs at a vigorous and lightning fast pace. Blows are exchanged and with the blink of an eye mass carnage ensues. In the process, the player’s character will have its bones snapped in two, organs torn out and will be slaughtered in the most inconceivable of ways. It truly is a magnificent spectacle to watch Shao Khan punch a hole through another character’s chest.

To perform well in the world of Mortal Kombat, one must learn the ways of the combo. The great part about this title is that if the player is not yet comfortable with the idea of fighting in the game’s tournament mode, a training room option is provided. Within the training section there are four options to choose from: a tutorial, fatality tutorial, practice room and tag team practice. Basically Netherrealm Studios has you covered.

Another fun option within the game that the majority of fighting titles seem to exclude, is the story mode. The in-game story is a retelling of the first three titles but with a twist. As the first Mortal Kombat tournament is about to begin, Raiden receives a vague message from his future self that states that, “he must win.” From there Raiden must attempt to uncover its cryptic meaning so he can defend earth realm once more.

The story is well told and the gameplay is addictive. Honestly, the only problem I had with it is that the game still won’t let the player skip in game cut scenes. For example, if the player decides to take a break after watching a long cut scene and later decides to dive back into the story mode, the scene must be viewed again. It’s a nuisance that should have been taken care of the first time around.

Graphically, Mortal Kombat for the PS Vita is not very attractive. Characters models look bland and are not up to par when compared to late PS2 titles. Although the game is not aesthetically equal to its console counterpart, special moves still look vicious and the fatalities are immensely satisfying.

The voice acting in Mortal Kombat is great. Every character has an original voice and the announcer sounds just as good as he did in 1992. The soundtrack is forgettable but it’s still fun to listen to while in the midst of battle. Lastly, the sound effects are incredible! Every blow that I landed made me turn my head to the side, and the sound of bones being broken caused me to twitch in agony.  Overall the sound effects are a large part of what makes Mortal Kombat so special.

For the hardcore fans, the classic challenge tower is still available. Along side the old school challenge, a new tower named the bonus tower has been created specifically for the Vita. Within the bonus tower, there are 150 new rooms specifically designed for the Vita. These levels include,test your balance, test your slice and juggle this. The bonus tower is a blast and should definitely be taken into consideration when deciding which mode should be played first.

Other modes that are packaged in the game are the Krypt, Nekroplis and the online mode. The Krypt is an area where the player can spend in game cash on new moves, costumes, artwork and fatalities. Nekropolis is a space within the Kryptthat allows the player tolook at different character in-game bios and their alternate costumes. If you are looking to take your skills online, the online portion is there to sate your lust for taking over the world.

Ed Boon and his team NetherRealm studios did a magnificent job porting their number one franchise over to the Vita. Although Mortal Kombat for the Vita is not at its graphical peak, the gameplay is amazingly addictive and the sound effects are whatglue the game together.  For being such an enjoyable port with minor hindrances.

(7/10)