The Highly Anticipated Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is Finally Here!

It is undeniable that Mortal Kombat left a huge mark on the history of fighting video games. While Street Fighter managed to popularize the genre in the early 90s, Mortal Kombat remains special in its own way. For instance, the game is best known for its brutality and gruesome combat which later became its trademark. From its original game released in 1992, Mortal Kombat soon became a hugely successful game franchise, expanding to multiple sequels, reboots, and spin-offs. Much like Street Fighter, the game also gave birth to some iconic characters, including Sub-Zero, Johnny Cage, Scorpion, Kitana, Sheeva, and Lui Kang to name a few.

It is interesting to note that the majority of the Mortal Kombat titles are exclusively released for higher gaming consoles. NetherRealm Studios, however, released Mortal Kombat Mobile for smartphones in 2015 to bring its Mortal Kombat X to the mobile market. The game was optimized for mobile devices and was able to capture the iconic gruesome battle without compromising its quality. Eight years later, the studio is bringing up a new title to be added to its growing roster. Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is a mobile-exclusive free-to-play game that will bring players to the universe we are all familiar with.

However, this game comes with a big twist. For instance, Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is not a fighting game. Therefore, you may not be able to put those combo attacks in handy to win the battle. Generally, the game is more likely to be considered as MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena). Here, you take control of your own squad of heroes and engage in fast-paced group battles. Knowing that this is a free-to-play version, the game is also utilizing its gacha system, allowing players to unlock characters of different rarities via summoning (you can purchase premium currency to get more chances of unlocking rare characters).

Mortal Kombat: Onslaught Gameplay

The mechanics of the game are generally simple and manageable. Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is heavily optimized for mobile devices, utilizing tap-based controls to execute all actions. It is also important to note that the event of the game took place between the timeline of Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11. You begin with Scorpion as your base hero. You will be accompanied by other randomly generated heroes as you progress.

Onslaught is quest-based. You must complete the main story campaign to progress. Each story is divided into multiple chapters, and each is composed of multiple levels to explore. Each level comes with 3 objectives (one of which requires you to win the battle). As the combat begins, you will be prompted straight to the battlefield. This takes you to the Pre-Fight stage where you are given the option to customize your squad, arrange their formation, or modify each character before hitting the “Fight” button.

Whether you like it or not, Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is one of those MOBA games that takes advantage of the auto-combat system. It means that once the battle commences, there will be no option for the players to manipulate the squad’s action. Each character will move on his own. The character cards, however, will be displayed to indicate if a hero can execute his or her special skill. By tapping their cards, the hero will activate the skill to inflict higher damage on enemies. Other than that, there is really nothing much to do but wait for the result.

The challenge, however, will come to the squad itself. It is important to upgrade the characters to unleash their full potential and maximize your chances of survival. Take note that the rate of difficulty will drastically increase as you progress, and it requires you to improve your team in order to cope with the challenges. If you failed to complete all the sub objectives, you can still revisit previous levels, giving this game a decent replay value and longevity.

Stunning Cinematics

Appearance-wise, Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is an absolute visual delight! While the game failed to present the battle in its signature gruesome fashion, the game treats you with surprisingly remarkable console-grade graphics and animation even though it is optimized for mobile devices. What really makes the game a standout are the cutscenes. The story mode features multiple high-definition cutscenes to highlight the plot and make the gaming experience even more engaging.

Collect More Characters and Form the Best Squad

The gacha system of Mortal Kombat: Onslaught plays a large role. By summoning new heroes, you can start building the best team. Take note that each hero will vary in terms of their skills, elements, and rarity. Five-star heroes, for instance, are considered rare and they tend to possess better attributes than other heroes. While you can collect as many characters as you want, you can only deploy a limited number of heroes on the battlefield. This is exactly where the challenge comes in. You must figure out which hero suits best to win the battle. Creating a balance is the key to maximizing your survival.

In addition to strategic squad building, you can also boost your team’s efficiency by upgrading each hero. You can also equip them with gear and other weapons to increase their attributes and make them more effective in battle.

Multiplayer Campaigns and Other Modes

Interestingly, aside from the main story campaign, Onslaught also features some PvP elements through its Arena and Chasm modes. There are also other stories that are referred to in this game as Khronicles that you can explore. These are special stories that highlight different characters from the franchise that take you to an entirely different adventure. You can also take advantage of the game’s generous reward system, from Daily Login bonuses to quest rewards and achievements.

Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is truly a different Mortal Kombat game. It features an entirely new approach, giving gamers a new way to embrace the franchise in a very different fashion. While the gameplay made a big shift, the game managed to capture the essence of Mortal Kombat. It brought us all into the same universe and treated us with console-grade graphics, leveraging the overall gaming experience.