Parents' Guide to

Mortal Kombat

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Bloodiest, goriest game since the series began.

Game PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2011
Mortal Kombat Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Mortal Kombat Game: Screenshot #1
  • Mortal Kombat Game: Screenshot #2
  • Mortal Kombat Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 19 parent reviews

Personpersondangan
Personpersondangan Adult
January 27, 2020
age 9+

Mortal Kombat is not that bad

I can tell you I’ve been playing MK when I was 5 and not ONCE did I think I should do that AND ON TOP OF THAT I heard the swearing and it’s not as bad as the female costumes but the costumes covered more skin in MKX and 11 but there is no sex, drugs or smoking.So parents should buy MK for kids who know the difference between fantasy and reality.
Jay_kool1026
Jay_kool1026 Parent of 10-year-old
December 2, 2018
age 12+

Even though theres lots of blood and bone snapping, theres still no drugs, drinking, smoking, or sex

even though theres lots of blood and bone snapping and language, theres still no use of drugs or sexual content.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 19 parent reviews

What’s It About?

MORTAL KOMBAT is the latest in the best-selling and controversial fighting game series. Much like its predecessors, you're tasked with choosing a fighter from a roster, who has his or her own unique abilities, and then pitting your fighter against other fighters in an arena. By punching, kicking, blocking, chaining combo moves, and using weapons (guns, swords) and special powers (such as fire and lightning), you try to defeat your opponent before he can do the same to you. Once your rival fighter is on his or her last legs, you can perform a brutal \"fatality\" move to finish him or her off in a gory, over-the-top fashion. The new game marks a return to its gory roots (a loose remake of the first three games), including more of a 2D look (though characters and environments are rendered in 3D), four-player tag-team, and a deep story mode that takes players back to the events of the original Mortal Kombat in an attempt to alter the events of the past.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (19):
Kids say (77):

If you're a fan of this 19 year-old franchise, then no doubt you'll like everything NetherRealm Studios has added to this great-looking, smoothly-animated, and multi-moded fighting game. Familiar players have returned, such as Scorpion, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Kung Lao, Kitana, and Raiden, as well as new fighters (including Kratos from God of War on the PlayStation 3 version). Along with a lengthy story mode, there are also quick battles, tag-team options (the first for a Mortal Kombat game), online games (such as the "King of the Hill" spectator mode), co-op arcade mode (for two players on the same television), and a Challenge Tower which has the player perform 300 different challenges -- such as mastering various characters, trying out gory fatalities, fighting under different conditions, and so on (this mode itself lasts 8 to 10 hours). Fatalities will make you cringe more than ever, including the new X-ray moves to see the insides of someone you're smashing, slashing, impaling, or blasting away to end the duel. While the game is intense entertainment for mature players, there's still some questionable balancing between fighters. Overall, though, it's an exciting but gory fighting game that has a ton of gameplay -- for those over 17 years of age.

Online interaction: One of the modes allows players to play against each other over the Internet (both versions of the game), including a King of the Hill mode. In this "party" mode, you can be a spectator, represented by an avatar and joined by others, while watching the fight between two human opponents. You can also choose to praise or trash-talk the fighters with preselected actions tied to buttons (throw tomatoes, laugh at them, say "wow" or chant for a fatality). Players who are fighting can also talk via a headset microphone so players could hear profanity.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why Mortal Kombat seemed to be going a little less violent -- such as the "Teen" rated Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe game from 2008 -- only to deliver an even bloodier and gorier sequel in 2011? Is it carnage that gives Mortal Kombat fans the thrill or is it the fighting mechanic, multiple modes, and familiar characters, each with various moves?

  • Could NetherRealm Studios deliver as fun a game without all the extreme violence and gore?

Game Details

  • Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
  • Available online?: Available online
  • Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
  • Release date: April 19, 2011
  • Genre: Fighting
  • ESRB rating: M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
  • Last updated: August 30, 2016

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