The Best Story Modes In The Mortal Kombat Franchise

The story of Mortal Kombat 1 continues on September 24, 2024, with the Khaos Reigns expansion, beginning Year Two of the game's life cycle. The story has become a large part of Mortal Kombat mythology, from the backstories of many characters to the twists and turns said stories take to the lore featured across mystical realms.

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By  Musaab

While fighting is always going to be the main selling point in any Mortal Kombat game, some come for the epic storylines and characters. Some stories have become iconic, rivaling some of the best movie universes, while the community has rightfully forgotten some.

10 Mortal Kombat: Special Forces

Behind The Scenes Issues Resulted In A Dull Spin-Off

• Developer: Midway
• System: PlayStation 1
• Release Date: June 29, 2000
• Genre: Action-Adventure

Due to budget cuts and developers leaving the project, including the series' co-creator John Tobias, Mortal Kombat: Special Forces was reduced to a lackluster spin-off which most fans disown. The story was also affected, as it was originally going to focus on Jax Briggs and Sonya Blade on their own adventure in Earthrealm, but Sonya was cut entirely from the game.

The final product of Mortal Kombat: Special Forces is a bare-bones beat-em-up and the story is equally lacking. It boils down to Jax taking down criminals one by one until he defeats the entire Black Dragon gang, and the story ends. If the game overall was fun to play, it would be excusable, but it is considered one of the worst Mortal Kombat games ever made.

9 Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero

A Side-Scroller That Was Ambitious But Disappointing

Using FMV cutscenes, Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero was technically the first game in the series to have an actual narrative, focused on Sub-Zero. Sadly, it is almost one of the more maligned games due to its poorly executed controls and infuriating difficulty that often forces players to cheat for unlimited lives to progress.

As for the story itself, it is clear that the developers at Midway at the time were ambitious and put a lot of effort into their work. The full-motion video cutscenes featured lore and new characters that became commonplace in future games such as Quan Chi. However, less than stellar voice acting, green screen, and script combined with vexing gameplay hold back Mortal Kombat Mythologies.

8 Mortal Kombat: Armageddon

The Storyline Suffered From A Forgettable Protagonist

Despite Mortal Kombat: Armageddon being intended to be the Avengers: Endgame of Mortal Kombat games, featuring every playable character in the franchise up to that point, the story did not focus on any of them. Instead, the main protagonist of Armageddon is Taven, an original character who interacts with multiple Mortal Kombat characters as he traverses the realms.

There is fun to be had, from exploring different locations to fighting hordes of enemies, but the Armageddon story mode known as Konquest is often criticized. Taven is considered a dull protagonist and the story has little-to-no surprises for the player other than certain iconic characters appearing for only one chapter.

7 Mortal Kombat: Deception

Unique Tales Of Shujinko Are Held Back By Questionable Voice Acting

Technically, Mortal Kombat: Deception is the first mainline game to feature a fully fleshed-out story mode. It also focuses on an original character named Shujinko. Unlike Taven, Shujinko's story is better woven into the fabric of the Mortal Kombat universe, since he spends his life working with and being trained by famous characters.

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By  David Heath

Deception also featured semi-open worlds with a day and night cycle, where certain side missions can be obtained or completed at certain times of the day. Not only did it make the realms more engaging to explore, but it was vital to unlock skins and characters. Sadly, even for a PS2-era game, the voice acting is some of the worst in the Mortal Kombat franchise.

6 Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe

A Silly Crossover That Walked So Future Games Could Run

Despite gameplay that is far from the best in the franchise, Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe established multiple aspects that would become mainstays in future games. For example, chapters focusing on certain characters began with this eighth game and have been the standard ever since, and it was the game that led to the Injustice games by DC.

With all that said, the story, which is split into two campaigns: one with Mortal Kombat characters and the other with DC characters, is ambitious yet undercooked at the same time. Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe suffers from rapid tonal shifts that don't always clash well, and the crossover is unintentionally silly, but sometimes that leads to enjoyable cheesy moments.

5 Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks

Tells An Interesting Story Set Before And During The Second Game

It was a bold move to swap from a traditional fighting game to a hack-and-slash clone of God Of War, but it allowed Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks to experiment with something different. It was the first spin-off to be well-received and has gone on to be a beloved entry in the franchise, not just because of its gameplay, but also its story.

With one or two players able to control Liu Kang and Kung Lao , Shaolin Monks takes place between the first two games and then tells the story of Mortal Kombat II from the perspective of the titular character. Cheesy line delivery aside, the story was mostly effective in fleshing out bridging the two games.

4 Mortal Kombat X

The Next Generation Of Mortal Kombat Heroes And Villains

After Mortal Kombat 9 altered the timeline forever, Mortal Kombat X had free rein to go in any direction, and it did just that, jumping ahead twenty years. This allowed for the inclusion of multiple new characters, like Cassie Cage, Takeda Takahashi, Kotal Kahn, and D'Vorah, with many legacy characters still around.

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The mix of new and old characters allowed Mortal Kombat X to shine, as character allegiances were constantly in flux. It made the individual subplots for each chapter thrilling to experience, with constant twists and turns. However, the main plot about the return of Lord Shinnok as the main villain is the least impressive part of what is considered a top-tier Mortal Kombat game.

3 Mortal Kombat (2011)

Rebooted The Games And Saved The Franchise With Its Story

The first game made under Netherrealm Studios went in a direction that was necessary after fans were less than thrilled with Armageddon. Thanks to time travel, Mortal Kombat, AKA Mortal Kombat 9 went back to the beginning of the timeline and retold the story of the first three Mortal Kombat games, with new twists and turns to create an altered timeline.

Mortal Kombat 9 is a prime example of less is more, with a smaller roster filled with iconic characters, a simpler story, and a return to classic 2D fighting after the previous games tried 3D movement. It was the first time the Mortal Kombat story mode felt like an interactive movie, with the chapters focusing on different characters. It was praised for developing characters and immersing the player in the universe.

2 Mortal Kombat 1

Liu Kang's New Era Is Off To A Strong Start

With Liu Kang being the new Keeper Of Time in Mortal Kombat 1, he restarts everything back to the very dawn of time, allowing him to craft an entirely new lore and timeline. There is a healthy balance of what fans loved, including Johnny Cage being the show-stealing comic relief and the mysticism of Outworld and Earth combined with plenty of new.

While Mortal Kombat 1 does have its critics, the story is mostly praised for taking bold steps, whether it is Scorpion and Sub-Zero being brothers or bringing undeveloped characters into the spotlight. Mortal Kombat 1 also taps into the overused trope of including a multiverse concept, but it's executed better than other franchises, with effective twists and turns that homage over thirty years of Mortal Kombat games and even the movies.

1 Mortal Kombat 11

The Grand Finale That Brought About The End Of An Era

Combined with its Aftermath expansion, Mortal Kombat 11 goes even further with time travel to have the past and future collide. This results in more traditional characters, new characters, and altered legacy characters meeting and fighting, sometimes with or against each other, for a spectacular finale of the trilogy.

As Mortal Kombat 9 and Mortal Kombat X did, the eleventh entry continues to add new lore and characters. Along with some fun nostalgia bait, including the return of Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa as Shang Tsung, Mortal Kombat 11 was the culmination of two timelines that resulted in a massive climax that mixes action, drama, fantasy, sci-fi, and many other genres.

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