Mortal Kombat XL (PC) Review

PC fans rejoice for your broken Mortal Kombat X port has been given a fresh coat of blood. After a mountain of negative criticism of the original release in April '15 the developer NeatherRealm had decided to abandon the problematic PC release and focus on maintaining their console release and community. Fast forward a year and a half later and NetherRealm Studios has delivered Mortal Kombat XL. No, XL is not a new version of the game but just a completely retooled version of the original. Meaning for most it is now at least playable and dare I say enjoyable - though the damage may have already been done and the majority of the player base has probably moved on.

For those that already had Mortal Kombat X you essentially get a massive patch to address a plethora of issues, most importantly online gameplay and severe framerate issues. To try and smooth things over the developers threw in some additional content, access to a new environment, stage fatalities, and a medieval skin pack. For some gamers this is enough to give the game another shot though for others the ship has sailed. Rubbing salt in the wound if you want any of the additional characters and skins you will need to fork up some serious cash. After such a long hiatus I am surprised previous owners weren't shown more love. I say make it rain DLC for all the pain and suffering.

Anyone that may have skipped out on Mortal Kombat X should definitely consider XL. The game is fast-paced, graphically amazing, and comes with all DLC. The story mode is a quick thrill ride while the real focus is all about online matchmaking and collecting koins to unlock more content in the krypt. The only problem for newcomers is that they will more than likely have to deal with a huge learning curve when playing online due to the existing player base having a year and a half skill advantage. This can be slightly overwhelming and drive some people away. However I am a firm believer that playing against better people will ultimately make you better.

Overall I applaud NeatherRealm for not taking the easy way out and making a strong effort to salvage the game on PC. Early adopters may not even blink an eye at coming back for round 2 but for anyone just coming in they will have one of the best fighting games out there and a ton of unlockable content to look forward to.

Editor's Note: You can find our full review of Mortal Kombat X, here

Final Rating: 82%