Mortal Kombat 1 was a mostly effective reboot of the franchise, updating each character’s origin story while dipping its toes into the current trend of multiverse-infused storytelling. Its new expansion, Khaos Reigns, is more of the same which may not be enough to keep fans of the original entertained.
The expansion follows from the conclusion of the base game, with Titan Havik taking center stage as the main villain. While he sports an imposing look, he’s unfortunately a colossal downgrade from Shang Tsung. While MK1’s dialogue and character interactions are as derivative as they come, Havik gets the worst treatment of them all. What does he want? World domination. Why does he want that? Just because. That’s not enough material to sustain an entire expansion, and the supporting elements just barely make the story work.
Khaos Reigns introduces new variants of existing Mortal Kombat characters, starting with Cryrax and Sektor. With an impressive introductory sequence, and a good setup for the rest of the story that centers around the feud between Sub-Zero and Scorpion. That setup lasts just for the opening chapter, as the story puts the focus on Havik and his Netherrealm minions fighting against Liu Kang’s academy to get his hands on the Kamidogu relics. Don’t worry, that’s just a generic MacGuffin thrown into the mix to string together the game’s many set pieces.
One of the main problems with the original game was its uneven pace, and that carries over here. We’re given control of specific characters for entire chapters, each dishing us more backstory and supplemental motivations for them to fight against Havik, but the story seldom gives them enough time to breathe between fights. The same goes for major story beats.
How am I supposed to care about Emperor Rain and Empress Tanya’s relationship, and how it’s affected by Rain’s eventual sacrifice when the story moves on from the traumatic event after two encounters? Sub-Zero’s transformation into Noob Saibot should have felt more dramatic, but at least he gets his moment to shine in the expansion’s final act.
One of the coolest parts of MK1’s base story was the indiscriminate use of multiversal variants of its roster in the third act. Khaos Reigns gives us more of those, but not enough. Lt. Johnny Cage is a fun addition, and so is Titan Kenshi Takahashi, but we never play as them in a fight. There are so many cool moments in the story that hint at a level of narrative nuance that just vanishes the moment a new fight begins.
Khaos Reigns also brings back Animalities: new fatalities that see our heroes transform into animals. The new feature is available to all owners for free, so you don’t even need to buy the story expansion. Kombat Pack 2 adds new fighters to the mix, including (anti-)heroes from popular franchises who are fun to watch and play in the Invasions and versus modes. I can’t wait to see Ghostface wreck shop as he takes down Conan the Barbarian, and I would’ve liked to see these external franchise characters make a kameo in the expansion’s story.
MK1 Khaos Reigns Technical Performance
Khaos Reigns continues to build off the technical foundation of MK1, so there’s nothing new on offer here. Sure, some of the new stages look breathtaking, but the Khaos realm is visually muddy compared to the colorful stages we saw in the base game. As far as performance goes, I never noticed any major dips below its 60fps target. The transitions from 60fps in combat to 30fps during cutscenes remain jarring though.
MK1 Khaos Reigns Score & Verdict
If you just want an excuse to dip back into Mortal Kombat, Khaos Reigns will get the job done. You get an average story and some cool new characters, so it’s pretty balanced out. NetherRealm Studios indulges itself in more multiversal mayhem, and that can be both a good and bad thing, depending on your preference.
Score: 6/10
Version tested: PS5
Mortal Kombat 1 is available on PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S.
This review first appeared on Men’s Journal on October 4, 2024, and was produced in partnership with GLHF. The story has been republished on The Screen Zone to preserve it, as the original web page is no longer active.
