Mortal Kombat 11

NetherRealm Studios · Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Mortal Kombat 11 is NetherRealm Studios' 2019 fighting game and the direct predecessor to Mortal Kombat 1. Its story is built around Kronika, a keeper of time who tries to rewrite history, which means younger and older versions of the same fighters meet each other. It is gory, theatrical and rated M. What makes MK11 different MK11 slowed the pace of the series down compared with MK X and focused on footsies and spacing. It also introduced custom variations, where you swap special moves in and out to build your own version of a character. The single-player side has a long cinematic story, the Towers of Time challenges and the Krypt, a third-person exploration mode where you unlock costumes and extras. Why it is still on cafe consoles Many players own MK11 from years of discounted sales, so it is familiar. The Aftermath expansion and later packs added more characters, and the complete editions bundle everything, so the roster is large. For casual local fights it remains a crowd-pleaser. Best setup A PS5 or PS4 with two controllers. The PC and Xbox versions play the same. The Switch version works but runs at a lower resolution. Beginner advice Start with Scorpion, Sub-Zero or Liu Kang; their special moves are easy to input and useful in most situations. Use the Krushing Blow notes in the move list: certain moves become extra-damaging cinematic hits if you meet a condition, such as landing an uppercut as a counter. And do not ignore Fatal Blows. Once your health drops below 30 percent, you get one big comeback attack per match. Typical session Each round takes about a minute, and a best-of-three set is around three to five minutes with intros. For a group of three or four rotating winner-stays-on, an hour is enough to get a proper rivalry going. MK11 or MK1? MK1 has the newer Kameo system and fresh visuals. MK11 has a slightly more grounded feel and a huge set of costumes and fighters if the cafe owns a complete edition. If both are available, try a few rounds of each and see which feels better in your hands.