A new onslaught

Mortal Kombat, as a franchise, is never afraid to try something new. Sometimes it’s with varied results, but it can never be said that NetherRealm is scared of doing something different with its moneymaker. MK Onslaught, the newest mobile game in the franchise, does interesting things with the lore with slightly above-average outcomes.

MK Onslaught is a mobile version of MK11, if you will. It shares a lot of the story elements and concepts found there such as multiverse MK and variants of known, established characters. But despite all of the sharing, there are new elements. Shinnok, not his mother Kronika, is at the forefront of the mayhem this time. He and his longtime running buddy Quan Chi are using the much-coveted Amulet to manipulate things in favor of Shinnok so that he might take over Earthrealm. Basically, it’s the story of Mortal Kombat 4 and MK11 but without Kronika present.

Graphically, it shares assets and cinematics with MK11 as well, so you might as well be playing a smaller scale version of that game. And because it’s based on the look of MK11, it’s a nice-looking game. On my iPhone 14 Pro Max, everything pops vividly, and the graphics are crisp and clean. It’s nice to look at, even when the characters are in battle and much smaller.

Battle is also fun to look at and play. Sometimes the graphics are so small that it’s hard to decipher what’s going on with a lot of characters onscreen, but it’s still pretty. Battle is also not hard to wrap your head around once you get into the thick of things. Onslaught separates all characters into classes and types, much like Pokemon Red & Blue. Drilling down further, the types – Mind, Spirit and Body – are defined in a rock-paper-scissors mechanic that is utilized across the game’s many modes.

One of the things I really like about this mechanic is that it’s logical. For instance, Mind beats Body while Spirit beats Mind and Body beats Spirit. Understanding that relationship triangle is important to doing well and advancing in the game, which gives the game depth and nuance. Additional nuance comes in the form of the gear system, which centers on acquiring equipment to level up and improve characters. It’s not super complicated to understand but it will take a while to get used to and learn to keep in mind while playing, which adds to the longevity of the game. And this game will be around for a while. Given that it was released right after Mortal Kombat One, and characters and variations are being added from that game constantly, it’s safe to say Onslaught is sticking around for a while.

Given that MK as a franchise has been around for a minute, you’re bound to notice some things about the aesthetics. The soundtrack is standard MK, and that’s mostly because it features a lot of tunes from various points in the series. Most casual fans aren’t going to notice or care that most of the tracks in the game are readily found in the console games, but it’s nice to recognize a track from a past game; it ties the experience together and frames Onslaught as truly being part of the Mortal Kombat experience.

Now, one of the things I dislike about Onslaught is the tendency to let RNG run rampant. My roster is nice now, but in the beginning, it was rough because I wasn’t getting truly decent characters outside of the aberration. However, the game generously compensates you for playing regularly, and it kind of makes up for the RNG because it’s enough reward to be useful immediately. The compensation for my RNG troubles is one of the things that sets Onslaught apart from its sibling in MK Mobile and one of the reasons why I prefer playing it over Mobile these days. It could use some balancing in the character availability and roster collection aspects of the game, but it’s by no means a dealbreaker.

MK Onslaught has depth and nuance for a mobile game, and with the franchise name and legacy attached, it’s a good distraction. There’s plenty to do and see here, and while it could have a tenuous connection to the series, it leans into the name and comes away victorious and almost flawlessly executed.

Score: 4 out 5