Mortal Kombat Experience on Mobile

There are two primary approaches to delivering a fighting game experience to mobile devices. The first one is porting the original version or building its copy — with an on-screen control system instead of traditional controllers. The other approach is taking this IP into a totally different environment and making a not-really fighting game on this basis.

An example of the first approach is Brawlhalla or ports of the older The King of Fighters games. This has some significant downsides, as you cannot have the same level of control with tapping the screen.

Skullgirls has its mobile version too, and it’s an RPG, which doesn’t really try to copy the main game but rather delivers an extension to the other genre.

What does Mortal Kombat do in this area? What type of MK game do we have on mobile devices?

The current excitement around the release of Mortal Kombat 1 certainly brings more attention to this series. While the newest mobile game, Mortal Kombat: Onslaught, is right around the corner, many players can’t wait for it and enjoy the previous version, Mortal Kombat Mobile. It was released as a companion of MKX (yep, it’s an old one). But the experience of playing it is fun even now.

Let's take a look at various aspects of Mortal Kombat Mobile, but with a special focus on the actual fighting process.

* Update — Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is out now.

Super Modern-Dynamic Combos

Do you remember our discussion about simplified inputs in fighting games to make them more accessible to the general audience?

Well, just forget that controversy, as the Modern and even Dynamic control systems in Street Fighter 6 are literally nothing in comparison to the MK Mobile level.

Here, we have taps on the screen that activate some attacks (no-no, not punches or kicks, you don’t control that; just attacks). Three quick taps make your character perform a combo. Swipe after that — and you will get a more destructive move.

You can also block, and the process of fighting turns into holding two fingers on the screen for blocking and waiting for a proper moment to activate your tap combo.

It’s pretty exciting, though, as you need to observe your opponent attentively and try to predict what they are going to do. But progression in this art is super limited in comparison to learning up-high mixups and even tricks with movements across the stages.

Mortal Kombat Mobile characters have extra Special Moves too. You earn a meter for attacking and blocking — to fill up the gauge and tap it. Quick taps and swipes determine the power of this attack.

That’s basically it.

Some fighters have two attacks instead of one. Unlocking them and boosting their abilities feels like the main purpose of this game, not fighting.

Gotta get ‘em all!

This is probably a very mobile game experience. You grind in the fights to get resources for upgrading abilities of your characters. And you play (or pay) to get even more characters into your Kollection and resources to upgrade them.

Mortal Kombat Mobile has lots of character cards. They are divided into rarity levels, and the whole point is to get as many super-strong Gold/Diamond cards as possible.

Various cards of improvements can be attached to the characters, enhancing their stats. To get those improvements, you should… again, grind fighting matches in various modes.

The beginner fights are happening mainly in the single-player Battle Mode. It’s kind of an adventure, with CPU opponents to defeat and towers to destroy.

Similar tasks can be found in various time-limited challenges, which promise all sorts of rewards, including some really cool character cards.

Multiplayer fight has a dedicated mode. The game does a good job of matching players of relatively the same level (even if there is no way to check whether this is a bot or not).

The playing process is enjoyable and even addictive (in a good way). But it’s not about fighting.

Yes, you participate in fights a lot (which may feel somewhat repetitive). But the main purpose is to get more characters and more upgrades — and to fight more for getting more characters and more upgrades.

The payments are not limited… 

Like most mobile games, this Mortal Kombat is free-to-play and sells resources. 

You surely get koins for purchasing some characters. But various packages cost Souls, and you can purchase them for real-world money.

The whole system of various resources is pretty complicated. But the core is:

• You need to grind a lot for a chance to get something cool in the game;
• You pay and get a thing… but that’s not guaranteed, as those packs have the random drop feature.

Lots of stuff can be bought for real-world money, but the investment will be unreasonably huge if you decide to get everything for cash. This way of expanding your Kollection is supportive, to bring more options into your fights and grinding (for example, when you really want that super-strong Scorpion).

A Fun Side Experience

Mortal Kombat Mobile nicely combines those two approaches I mentioned at the beginning of this article. Yes, it brings us fighting matches — but in a very simplified, adapted way. And also, it has a deep system of creating a collection of characters and improving their abilities.

Playing MK Mobile can be an excellent experience. However primitive the fighting mechanics are, they look and sound authentically. The process of expanding your Kollection is simply interesting, especially for those who know and love the characters.

Still, the game is kind of meant to be a companion to the main title. It has elements (character appearances) from MK11 and even the MK1 roster. It gives you the feeling of being involved in this violent but fascinating world even when you are far away from your console/PC.

In this context, as an addition to the main Mortal Kombat, the mobile experience is priceless and worthy of your attention. But be careful with money investment — especially now, when Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is launching so soon.

Will the upcoming MK mobile game be better? Stay tuned to DashFight to get info on this game, discover the opinion of our editing team, and probably to join the conversation with other people from the FGC.