Review — Is the ‘Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath’ expansion worth buying?
Source: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Mortal Kombat 11 is the latest entry in the popular third-person fighting game series. A while back, the title garnered great reviews for its refined fighting mechanics, stunning visuals, and a surprisingly good story. It seems like developer NetherRealm Studios wanted to expand upon the narrative and recently released the Aftermath expansion.
The expansion’s story picks up right where the base game ends and focuses on side characters. While the short four-hour epilogue is enjoyable, it pales in comparison to the plot of the original. Luckily, the addition of characters like RoboCop elevates the title, but it still doesn’t feel like it’s worth the steep asking price.
Fix the timeline
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath
Pros:
- New characters
- Sharp visuals
- Maintains 60 FPS on Xbox One X
Cons:
- Convoluted plot
- Cutscenes locked to 30 FPS
- Expensive
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath new characters
Category | Spec |
---|---|
Genre | Fighting |
Developer | NetherRealm Studios |
Players | Single-player, multiplayer |
Platforms | Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4 |
Price | $40 |
Xbox Game Pass | No |
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath story constraints
Source: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Aftermath, but for me, the issue is that the story plays it safe. We’re on the verge of a new console generation, and I was hoping for a complete rework of the franchise. Maybe we’ll get that down the line, but if this current Mortal Kombat 11 timeline continues, it’s probably not going to happen for many sequels.
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath performance and visuals
Source: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Mortal Kombat 11 still runs at a smooth 60 frames per second (FPS) on the system, and I didn’t notice any performance issues during fights. However, there were some stutters when the game transitions from gameplay to cinematic. Unfortunately, cutscenes still render at 30 FPS so that change can be quite jarring at first. It would’ve been nice to have had 60 FPS cutscenes for the sake of consistency.
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath final thoughts
Source: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
I hate to say this, but I would’ve preferred additional characters instead of a story expansion because it would’ve been less expensive and kept at least the illusion of a dramatic shift for sequels. If you absolutely love Mortal Kombat 11, then pick Aftermath up, but everyone else should wait for a sale. Hopefully, NetherRealm will release more expansions down the line to improve the now-convoluted plot of Mortal Kombat 11 and the franchise as a whole. Some of the story decisions are truly puzzling, and I hope they’re rectified going forward.
HEADING
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath
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