Mortal Kombat 9 Demo Impressions

Finally Mortal Kombat fans get a glimpse of what’s in store next month when the long-awaited game is released.  The demo for the Mortal Kombat reboot has officially hit Sony’s Online Store for PS3.  But there’s a catch; you can only get it if you’re a Playstation Plus subscriber and it will only be available for a week. 

The MK demo shows a near-perfect refurbishment of the Mortal Kombats of nearly 20 years ago.  3D is out, as MK returns to its 2D roots.  The art style is three-dimensional, but the fighting takes place on a 2D plane. 

The art style is nothing short of brilliant and fits perfectly with the overall MK style.  The amount of detail that is displayed for each character and stage background is among the best of 2D fighters. 

The demo features four playable characters:  Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Melina and Johnny Cage.  Characters sustain real-time damage in battle, which is an awesome addition to the series.  Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s robes may be in tatters after a fight to the death.  Melina’s mask could get ripped up, exposing her jagged chompers.  The damage is strictly aesthetic and doesn’t affect their fighting ability, and it’s better this way. 

The blood still pours, oh my does the blood pour.  The blood effects are fantastic as it paints the ground and sticks to the fighters skin.  But MK doesn’t stop with blood, as it takes the classic violence of the series to the next level with X-ray moves. 

Like Street Fighter has ultra and super combos, Mortal Kombat now has X-ray moves.  Each fighter has a meter that fills as he or she sustains damage.  When the meter fills, the fighter can unleash a brutal X-ray move that zooms in and shows the opponent’s bones actually break.  The move shows the point of impact, internal organs, muscle tissue and of course the newly shattered bones.  The X-ray moves do large amounts of damage, but the broken bones don’t actually hinder the fighter‘s abilities. 

All the graphical pizzazz in the world can’t save a fighter if the fighting mechanics aren’t there.  Fortunately, they are.  MK has a typical four-button layout, with two buttons for punching and two for kicking.  There’s also a separate button for blocking and another that enhances special moves at the cost of a portion of the X-ray meter. 

Each character has a list of combos to mix up the fight.  These combos can be broken of a breaker is performed correctly.