JULY 2020 PCWorld 77be perfectly satisfied. Aftermath merely puts
a flourish on it.
And most importantly, it brings this reboot
trilogy full circle. It started with Shang Tsung.
It ends with Shang Tsung. The villain ever
since Mortal Kombat debuted in 1992, here
the player is left to wonder about Shang
Tsung’s motivations. He’s helpful, but to what
end? That’s for you and Raiden to find out.
Like last year I’m loathe to spoil the
specifics. The twists aren’t even “twists” per
se, but it’s immensely entertaining to watch
Aftermath play out. NetherRealm has
perfected this style, the three-hour cinematic
punctuated here and there with moments
where you actually play a fighting game.
Aftermath is one of the best action movies I’ve
watched in 2020, and a solid fighting game
as well.
I haven’t talked as much about that aspect
because, well, if you’re reading a review of a
Mortal Kombat 11 expansion you
undoubtedly know whether you’re up for that
sort of fighting game. I’m enjoying Fujin
though, if you’re curious. I’m also looking
forward to playing more with RoboCop.BOTTOM LINE
Really I’m just here to talk about Aftermath’s
story though. The cost of admission is steep,
but damn it, NetherRealm earned every
penny in my opinion. That won’t hold true for
everyone, and you’ll have to make that call
yourself. Forty bucks for three hours is a lot,
especially if you have zero interest in the
Towers or the Krypt or any of the other
peripheral Mortal Kombat 11 modes.
There is no padding though. No spinning
the tires. Maybe that’s what I like. There’s an
economy of storytelling in Mortal Kombat 11:
Aftermath, a sense of pacing, that you almost
never get from video games because they’re
too worried
about taking
up 100 hours
of your time
with busy work.
Aftermath
starts with the
pedal to the
floor and ends
with the pedal
through the
floor. It’s one
hell of a ride.