Mortal Kombat: Mystification

I decided to wait on commenting on the latest game in the long-running "Mortal Kombat" franchise, titled "Mortal Kombat: Deception," because I first wanted to see how things would pan out after it was beaten. Turns out, there's a whole lot of game, and a whole lot of frustration in there.

I won't bother with the plot, since there isn't much in the first place, and a lot of characters are missing. (The only recognizable characters in the beginning of the game are Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Mileena, and Baraka.) Other than that, you're stuck with these four familiars, plus a few characters that made their debut in "Deadly Alliance" and some brand-new characters.

This latest "MK" entry offers a whole lot of game, including "Puzzle Kombat," "Chess Kombat," and "Konquest," where you assume the role of "Shujinko" and you must complete a quest (not unlike what we've seen in dozens of martial arts movies before) and this section of "Deception" makes up about 1/4 of the bulk of the game.

It is here in "Konquest" that you pretty much learn about the whole "Mortal Kombat" universe and you train, learn special moves, and earn "kombat koins" to open up unlockables in the "krypt" (everything that's usually spelled with a "c" is spelled with a "k" in the "Mortal Kombat" universe).

"Deception" is undoubtedly fun, but unfortunately it's also quite maddening and frustrating. The biggest flaw the game suffers from is the maddening combo system. It takes the manual dexterity of someone with the quickest hand-eye coordination to complete some of the combo training tasks the game throws at you.

It's insanely frustrating, especially for a fan like myself who grew up playing "Mortal Kombat." But if you're not up for the B.S. that's offered in the maddening "Konquest," you can of course duke-it-out with the CPU or your friends in old-fashioned "Arcade" mode. But even here you're limited because you'd need to have beaten the game to get all the really cool characters.

It took me about two weeks to complete "Mortal Kombat: Deception" and I can honestly say that I took a DEEP breath of relief when it was done, especially after I made it through the impossible combo training sessions, ridiculous fights (ever tried fighting Scorpion while he delivers blows that cause 3x more damage than they normally do AND he heals at the same time, or tried fighting Sindel while bleeding to death at 50% health?), and a somewhat weak "reward" for completing the core of the Konquest mode.

Despite its ridiculousness, it's still a thorough and engaging entry into one of the most successful fighting franchises ever released.

However, the tag line is not B.S.; it will "Konsume" you!

7/10

In this case nostalgia is good. Old MK characters return and stage fatalities return. Konquest in this game is an RPG like adventure with the main character named Shujinko. Konquest does have some terrible voice acting in spots, but not everyone is bad. Midway has got the right idea with Konquest. It just needs to be fleshed out more. Shujinko's controls are slightly stiff when it comes to moving.

Most of the stories are good when you beat arcade mode. There is a couple that disappoint.

There is also a new addition to the MK series. Which is Hara Kiris. Its suicide basically. Most of the Hara Kiri's range from cool to bland.

All the characters have their own voices. Which is great and adds more depth to the game in my opinion.

The fighting feels more updated and not so clunky like in Deadly Alliance. There are multi-tiered levels now. There are two fatalities instead of one like in Deadly Alliance. Overall a major improvement over Deadly Alliance.

Mortal Kombat: Deception is a standout entry in the series, not only for its engaging gameplay, diverse roster, and detailed Konquest mode, but also for introducing Kira, the first playable female member of the Black Dragon. Though she may not be a major character in the grand scheme of the Mortal Kombat universe, Kira's debut holds a special place for fans who appreciate the deeper Black Dragon lore. She becomes the first recruit of Kabal's reformed Black Dragon, and her role, although minor, adds a new dynamic to the story.

What sets Kira apart in Deception is how her character endings from Kira, Kabal, and Kobra seamlessly fit together, creating one of the most coherent and satisfying arcs in the game. Despite these endings not being canon, they add depth to the story that's often missing in other Mortal Kombat titles, especially for Black Dragon fans. The Kabal-led storyline gives a refreshing take on the criminal underworld, making it one of the most well-crafted storylines for the Black Dragon faction in any Mortal Kombat game.

However, not all fans embraced Kira's arrival. Many criticized her for filling the void left by absent favorites like Kano and Sonya, as she adopts movesets reminiscent of both characters. Some saw this as a lazy design choice, though the concept behind her fighting style was actually an intriguing one. Despite the lackluster execution, the idea of blending elements from two iconic characters into one could have been a unique way to introduce Kira as a hybrid fighter.

In the larger context of Mortal Kombat: Deception, Kira's presence gives fans of the Black Dragon something new to appreciate. Her addition as the first playable female Black Dragon member, despite being preceded by Tasia in an NPC role, is a notable achievement. Deception not only serves as her introduction but also lays the foundation for future Black Dragon stories, making it a memorable entry in the Mortal Kombat series.

Rated M for Strong Bloody Violence.

The Mortal Kombat series has generated a lot of controversy.It was one of the first video games to show lots of blood.The first game and some of its sequels were censored on certain consoles such as SNES.I used to like the Tekken series better.But Mortal Kombat definitely wastes that fighting series! Sure Tekken may have better graphics but who needs graphics when you have tons of cool combos,characters and a lot of blood.There are many modes in this game such as Chess Combat which is like Chess only instead of jumping over characters you fight them to take their place on the square.There is also Puzzle Combat.Then there is konquest mode where you learn new fighting moves while doing little missions for people on the street.Mortal Kombat Deception is an excellent fighting game and it is worth buying!

10/10

This game completely kicks ass. The Konquest mode is fun, but too easy. The arcade mode (should be arkade,lol) is insanely hard but still fun, chess is a real blast (especially when a trap is tripped), puzzle kombat is fun, the characters are mostly fun but if midway is reading this separate Noob Saibot and Smoke please. The fatalities and suicides aka Hara Kiris, are sometimes cool and sometimes bland but always bloody. Stage fatalities, now activated at any time are awesome. the new characters are incredibly powerful, especially a demoness on the way to purification, Ashrah. Throw in background weapons and multitiered stages, and you have a kickass game.