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Mortal Kombat 1 has become the second game in the series to receive a story expansion a year after its release. After the huge success of MK11: Aftermath, Khaos Reigns is here to repeat this with Mortal Kombat 1, and maybe make this system a tradition for the future MK games. Titan Havik has risen from another timeline to spark “chaos” in Lord Liu Kang’s new era, with the spotlight shining on the shadows of Noob Saibot and other new characters Sektor and Cyrax.
However, the story of the Khaos Reigns DLC hits the same rock as the main narrative did in Mortal Kombat 1. The plot is huge, and the characters set up a big ending, all to disappoint on the grand finale. The characterization of the newcomers is good, and the voice acting is awesome, but the execution of the narrative is the one on the argument table.
Little Paint On The Grand Canvas
When MK11 ended and Fire God Liu Kang started a new timeline, everything was set to bring in an origin story of the greatest warriors in Mortal Kombat. We’re talking about the Great Kung Lao, and maybe even Shao Kahn’s father. But what we received was an altered reality in which Raiden is replaced by Liu Kang, and Mortal Kombat tournaments are conquered by the good guys.
Now, that’s no problem here. The changing of sides and alternation of the realm’s powers are the unique touches that most fans would love to see. However, just when the story was getting super interesting with Damashi and Dragon King’s army in Mortal Kombat 1, the multiverse happened to rush things all the way to Armageddon, and Khaos Reigns shares the same fate.
The story has some sense of duality with Liu Kang’s timeline and the multiversal business that we’ve been dealing with for 8 Seasons now. While there are many story potentials like Shang Tsung’s return, Lin Kuei’s cyber initiative program, and even General Shao’s rebellion, Titan Havik shows up and everyone stops what they were doing.
Speaking of which, the introduction of Havik as the new big baddie gave me a super mixed perception of the character. Havik proves to be a dominant force when the reign begins, but he’s slowly nerfed along the way even though he gains the power of 6 Komidogu, which wastes the huge potential of these classic Mortal Kombat artifacts.
On the other hand, the alternation of Cyrax and Sektor is very well painted in the story, if only the multiverse wasn’t there and we could learn more about their pasts. The vision of seeing more of Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s brutal rivalry and how Sektor and Cyrax settle their differences is nothing but a simple knockout fight rather than a deep origin story.
No Price Is Paid Despite The Multiverse Havok
One hour into the story, you’ll realize that the plot armor around the main characters is so thick that they are not even scratched by Titan Havik and his minions. Sacrifices and brutal deaths of valuable characters have been one of the core elements of Mortal Kombat‘s storytelling ever since I can remember. Liu Kang’s death in cold blood by the Deadly Alliance, Kung Lao’s neck snap right in the center of Shao Kahn’s coliseum, and Bi-Han’s ultimate fatality down in the depths of hell are some noble examples. And we see none of that here in Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns. No, we’re not talking about the death of some random characters from another timeline that we met for 15 minutes here.
Perhaps the only impact on a character that worked really well until the second half of the 3 hours long expansion story was Bi-Han’s transition into Noob Saibot. Beyond that, no ultimate price is paid, and the heroes are having fun entering a realm filled with terror and chaos.
The Mortal Kombat Ending Issue
After Titan Shang Tsung’s defeat, Havik’s words of “anarchy” and “there will be blood” haunted me for a year. In Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns I finally met the Titan, and he’s got a plan to begin with. But what happens next? A mortal filled with chaos magic deals with the business.
Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns ending disapproves of all Havik’s promises and his vision of anarchy in a matter of minutes. Remember how Shinnok and Kronika used to have many stages of kombat before defeat? And the fact that how powerful they were in gameplay? Yap, not getting that with Havik fused with his 6 Infinity Stones.
Honestly, I adore the cinematic cutscenes and how much effort is put into creating these with amazingly done voice acting. But the story just isn’t there. The shift of focus from the main narrative to the multiverse is probably the main issue, incorporated with rushed scenarios.
Despite The Fun Gameplay, The Multiverse Is Here To Stay
The Khaos Reigns expansion has addressed the lack of game modes in Mortal Kombat 1, adding the Towers of Time to claim exclusive rewards for free. Players are allowed to complete 9 different towers that are timely updated and refreshed. Alongside the casual towers, there are unique additions like the Legacy tower for claiming previous Invasions seasons’ character skins, and Trial towers for playing the new characters for free in a limited number of fights.
Speaking of which, playing as Sektor, Cyrax, and Noob Saibot is the major fun of the Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns expansion. While Sektor comes out as meta with long-range grab capability and quick teleportation technique, Cyrax’s moves are much easier to master even though they’re not as efficient as the Armored Grandmaster. Noob Saibot, on the other hand, is very easy to grasp, and very tough to deal with as an opponent. He embraces Khaos with his Shadow, offering a grab that is actually a combo starter and we’re seeing the return of unfamous Ghostball to his moveset, sabotaging the enemy at will.
With fresh characters and a new game mode, all kombatants have also received new Brutality and finisher moves including the return of Animality all the way from UMK3. This finisher is free and unlocked for every character in MK1, turning your fighter into a related animal that rips your opponent apart.
Conclusion
Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns is less than half of the game’s main story, and it doesn’t feature anything pivotal to the narrative except for the fact that we no longer have any Sub-Zeros in the main timeline. Despite the beautifully done cutscenes and right-on-top voice acting, Havik’s role is nothing more than an Invasions villain with no crucial impact on the main MK1 universe. Meanwhile, the shift of focus from the main timeline’s story and the interruption of multiversal threats has left both sides half-baked, even though there’s a lot of potential for a solid classic Mortal Kombat tale on one single timeline.
Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns simply unfolds an untold story of an Invasions Season, featuring a mediocre villain and three new characters that are actually fun in both the gameplay and their backstories. The overall scenario is rushed, and the multiverse's intervention of the main timeline leaves no breathing room for either of them.
The Good
- The new characters' gameplay is fun and unique.
- The voice acting for the characters is top-notch.
- Towers of Time and Animality add more fun to the gameplay.
The Bad
- A mediocre villain for a big scenario.
- Rushed story.
- Super thick plot armor for the main timeline's characters.
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Good
