upload photosPAX 2014: MORTAL KOMBAT X’S GROSS FATALITIES WILL MAKE YOU SQUIRM
I don’t consider myself the squeamish type, yet I couldn’t help but wince as I saw fatalities in Mortal Kombat X. The version we play at PAX is setup to showcase deadly finishing moves easily. I admit Fatalities have been my favorite part of prior MK games. They always delivered a funny dose of shock value with a trail of silliness tacked on at the same time. But this time was different. This time was gross.
When IGN editor Daemon Hatfield let the first one rip, I expected to laugh. I didn’t. In fact, for the first time ever I wondered if the developers went too far. I watched one of the new characters named Kotal Khan carve a deep cut across the chest of a bloodied Cassidy Cage’s with a blade. He then rips out her heart and holds up his new trophy before popping the juicy, still-beating muscle. The blood flows into Khan’s grotesque open mouth and drips down his lips. The visual fidelity carefully renders every second of this vicious moment.
X-rays attacks, the bone-crushing combo chains from the previous MK, return and reach similarly violent levels. I watched characters get stabbed or have their eyes gouged out. Back when the cast of MK looked like caricatures from a bad martial arts film, I was totally OK with the over-the-top gore. As the characters and graphics get more detailed and the camera zooms in closer to the action, I can’t help but feel uncomfortable. The cartoon-like vibe is replaced by something that just doesn’t feel funny to me any more.
Have I grown into an old man? Maybe. But even if I was a grossed out, I’ll admit I had fun sparring with Daemon and learning about the other unique features this installment brings to the table. Similar to Injustice: Gods Among Us, characters can throw special items at enemies or use the background as a means to escape poor positioning in the fight. Now, if you’re trapped in the corner, you have another way to dig yourself out and figure out a new offensive strategy.
The detailed character models are complemented by stages that look amazing, and each one is filled with vibrant shades of texture and animated action. One of my fights with Daemon took place on a dock during a storm. The waves convincingly rocked back and forth creating a moody atmosphere for a 1-on-1 fight.
Mortal Kombat 10 still has some of the best-looking fighting arenas in the business, but the characters also have more variation than I’ve seen in this series before, too. Each has three unique fighting styles to choose from, with specific benefits applied to each style. As, Scorpion I choose between Hellfire, Ninjitsu, and Inferno and got to experiment and try different methods of attack.
Part of me really wants to love Mortal Kombat X, and there seems to be a lot here that I admire as a fan of the series. I just don’t know if I can stomach the violence this time around. The reckless brutality demonstrated by the developers has limits, but it’s hard to notice when there’s so unrelenting attention to detail. The new MK has atmosphere, character variety, and cool new mechanics. And we still don’t know a majority of who’s on the roster. So if you can stomach the detail in this crass world, there’s a pretty good fighting game waiting to be played.
Jose Otero is an Associate Editor at IGN and host of Nintendo Voice Chat. You can follow him on Twitter.
