The arrival ofMortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reignshas brought an impressive lineup of guest characters and fan favorite returns, but its anticipated depth on the narrative side hasn’t necessarily materialized. Instead of building on the weaker elements of the conclusion to the base game’s story,Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns' plot has unfolded in a notably unfocused manner which prioritized aspects like this rebooted timeline’s multiverse over coherently progressing the franchise’s writing.
While it’s not exactly predictable that such a large project has received mixed reception, the general pressure surroundingMK1’s status in the NetherRealm Studios catalog has already set the stage for the DLC. Following an ambitiousfour-year development cycle forMortal Kombat 1after a successful trilogy, the story of NRS' first outing in Liu Kang’s new universe only felt like the beginning of a more substantial era. Rather than filling in the gaps of that previous effort, however, it seems thatKhaos Reignshas only followed its example with its own missteps.
Khaos Reigns' Weak Narrative and the Questionable MK1 Ending That Preceded It
Mortal Kombat 1’s Ending Already Felt Incomplete
Although it was teased to be a major shake-up of the known series mythos and the character relationships within, thestory changes ofMortal Kombat 1culminated in a somewhat middling, open-ended finale that saw several key figures move closer to their original status quo rather than a fresh scenario. Despite all that has led up to it,MK1essentially boils down to Shang Tsung returning once again to unleash a bunch of alternate timeline versions of fighters, a plot element which has become something of a tired trope in this series after multiple reboots with different iterations on it.
Khaos Reigns Leans Too Heavily into the Multiverse
Titan Havik rises up as thelatestMortal Kombatantagonistto honor his mid-credits scene teaser appearance, but his role has also amounted to that of another villain associated with a thwarted plan and tapping into different timelines. In a game which originally seemed more focused on clearing the slate for more personal character development, one of the main draws is once again a set of elseworld takes on fighters whose roles inKhaos Reigns' story don’t result in genuine consequences among the primary cast.
The Shortcomings of Khaos Reigns Are a Symptom of a Greater Issue with NetherRealm’s Recent Storytelling
Mortal Kombat 1 Cast an Unfortunate Shadow on Its Own Future Content
The critical discourse surroundingMK1’s Invasion mode and sometimes controversial monetization has only served to further emphasize the flaws of its story as time has passed since release, and this established an air of pessimism around any potential DLC. Unfortunately, by continuing patterns like the repetitive structure of character-based chapters, which guarantee canonical victories regardless of narrative logic, the expansion has lived up to these doubts with a relatively shallow plot. It might have been teased as a deeper exploration into the rebooted timeline and the lasting impact ofMortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns' Havik’s scheming, but it plays out in a manner which feels formulaic next to the events of the base game.
Khaos Reigns Highlights the Need for a Narrative Overhaul
Despite allegedly being a major reboot,Mortal Kombat 1has relied on franchise tropes instead of actually finding a fresh angle for a well-crafted story. It might have been groundbreaking during the days ofMK vs. DC, but the concept of chapters which lock the player into one character at a time is now dated after more than a decade. WithEd Boon teasingMortal Kombat’s Konquest Mode returningnow having potential, it’s clear thatKhaos Reignscould have benefited from a completely different direction to deliver its narrative in a more captivating fashion.
Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns
WHERE TO PLAY
Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reignsexpands Liu Kang’s New Era with a new story campaign and an all-new cinematic experience. Discover how Liu Kang rallies his champions and puts faith in his enemies as he battles the ruthless Titan Havik, who threatens to plunge the realms into khaos. If they fail, the New Era will be reduced to anarchy.DISCOVER NEW ORIGINSMortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reignsfeatures reimagined stories and gameplay for Klassic Kombatants Noob Saibot, Cyrax, and Sektor, while also welcoming new faces to the Mortal Kombat universe—Ghostface, T-1000, and Conan the Barbarian.ANIMALITIESAnimalities return as a free content update for all Mortal Kombat 1 owners. Morph into your favorite kombatant’s spirit animal to annihilate your defeated opponent.NEW KONTENT, MORE VALUEThe best value for Mortal Kombat 1 is now available! Jumpstart your journey with the Kollection Edition. Includes access to the Base Game, Kombat Pack, Story Expansion, and Kombat Pack 2 (Guest fighters release date TBA)* KOMBAT PACK 2 NOT AVAILABLE SEPARATELY
