Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks

"MK Finally makes a successful breakthrough into a different genre. Still, rent it first."

After a long period where the MK series faced a certain end at the hands of several failed releases, the series came back with a vengeance with Mortal Kombat: Deadly alliance, followed by Mortal Kombat: Deception. These two games re-invigorated the franchise, bringing it back from the brink of death. However, few of its fans can forget the good-natured but badly-executed Mortal Kombat Mythologies, as well as the utter catastrophe that was Mortal Kombat: Special Forces. Considering those errors, no one ever thought Midway would take another gamble with the series, removing it from its standard fighting game formula.

For the most part, we're lucky they did.

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks proves that Midway can get it right. It's far from a perfect game, but it's remarkable in that not only does it continue to prove that the MK series is far from dead, but also that the beat-'em-up genre is still very intact as well.

Yes, it's a beat-'em-up. As it was in the Double Dragon days of yore, you and a friend can initially select two fighters, the Shaolin Monks Liu Kang and Kung Lao, and proceed through level upon level of brain-bashing goodness. But as stated, it's far from perfect. Let's look at the game in-depth, and see what pushes it towards, as well as keeps it from being perfect, shall we?

So, it's a beat-em-up. You'll take down bad guy after bad guy and boss after boss. Sound repetitive? It is, to an extent. It would be almost unbearably monotonous were it not for the fact that destroying your enemies in this game rewards you with experience points, which can be used to purchase new skills, or improve current skills. Fire multiple projectiles instead of one, learn new combos - generally, new ways to make life painful for the opposition.

And speaking of pain, this is Mortal Kombat after all, so rest assured that you can destroy almost every single enemy in the game with a wince-inducing fatality, if you just want to get them out of the way, or have a hankering for some blood (as if you didn't have enough already).

But gore alone can not a great game make. A major factor that makes Shaolin Monks entertaining is the fact that the backgrounds are INCREDIBLY interactive. You'll find all sorts of traps and hazards in every level, all at your disposal if you have the knowledge to use them. And you'll have to. Many rooms in the game are puzzles of sorts - for example, you won't be able to progress past those spikes unless you use a stepping stone to get over them. How convenient you have enemies surrounding you...Yes, that's right. You're going to use enemies to solve puzzles. They're not just obstacles in your path - sometimes, they're the key to progressing. This little but of inventiveness is a big part of what keeps the game fresh. But don't think you can just toss enemies into grinders as a matter of course - you won't be rewarded with EXP for beating them that way, and consequentially, will take that much longer to improve your skills. Fight wisely.

The game's biggest attraction is its 'Ko-op mode.' Two players can go through the game together. It's incredibly fun, and the game is at its best when you're killing enemies with a buddy; There's something to be said for throwing an enemy back and forth, generating a 79-hit combo between the two of you. Ko-op play is strongly encouraged - this is MK, famous for incorporating secrets into its games, and some of those secrets can't be accessed unless you're with a friend.

But here we find a flaw. What happens if you're playing alone?

Sadly, for a solo player, the game loses a lot of appeal, unless you're a die-hard MK fan. Going through the game more than once with a different character is fun, sure...but when you've done all you can do alone, there's not much reason to come back, unless you really, really enjoy the atmosphere.

Further promoting the game's multiplayer-based nature, there's a 'versus' mode, wherein you and a friend can go head-to-head, one-on one, using characters you've unlocked (most of which cannot be used in the standard game). But you cannot fight the computer in this mode - at all - so if you've got no one to enjoy the carnage with, you're out of luck.

Now, why wouldn't you want to come back? Why not play it over and over again? Simple answer.

The game's short.

Not obscenely so, it'll probably take you two days to complete, on average. But it's not especially difficult either. Enemies can be dispatched with relative ease. So, if you've got the time to spare, you can power through this game in about eight hours. Eight hours is fine to spend with a friend, killing senselessly, but alone, it doesn't seem worth going through over and over again, now does it?

A major selling point for the game is that it's an expansion on what arguably is the best game in the series: Mortal Kombat II. The game's plot is intended as an extension of that time period, to give further insight into the events that took place. So you'll be revisiting the levels of MKII, all reworked with high-quality visuals. MK has always had a very mystical quality about its atmosphere, and it's no exaggeration that this game gives us our very best look into the MK world to date. The trees of the Living Forest are alive and frightening as you'd imagine them. You can see the weapons being created in the Armory. The various enemies you've seen in MK backgrounds before come to life and attack you for the first time as enemies - these are all lovely features, and this game is a dream come true for those who love the MK world's image. But for those who just want a nice beat-em-up, and don't know or care about MK's history, it's a wasted effort.

Now, the overview...

Graphics: 8/10

The game is breathtaking in its attention to detail and scenery. MKII veterans will experience a fond nostalgia as they play. A gamer can really appreciate the environment they're in - even if they're covering it in blood. An initial complaint about the characters was that they appeared blocky - but this has since been negated with greater attention to detail. MKSM has a style all its own, and the characters look great. The only complaint would be the occasional glitch. I've seen some enemies appear halfway through a walkway or a wall - but this does not happen nearly enough to truly interfere with enjoyment of the game.

Sound: 8/10

CRUNCH! POW! BIFF! SOCKO! Holy internal bleeding, Batman, this game sounds great! From the satisfying crunches that come with introducing your fist to an enemy's face, to the BGM which varies from low and terrifying to downright danceable, this game's got a damn fine soundtrack. One noticeable problem, however, is a glitch which is known to occur during a particular cutscene, which mutes it entirely.

If there's a single big complaint that could be made, it is that some of the voice acting is weak. I'm inclined to agree - just listen to Sonya - but when you compare it to the horrors of MK Deception's VAing, this stuff is gold.

Kontrol: 8/10

The combo mechanics of the game are solid, lacking any noticeable flaws. For the most part, characters are responsive, jumping, punching, and killing when you tell them to. However, when battling multiple enemies simultaneously, the player occasionally misses the mark. You have to be pretty dead-on with your aim in order to flow seamlessly from one opponent to the next. Personally, I feel this could have been handled a little better.

Gameplay: 6/10

Maim, slaughter, and mutilate your way through the game. Immerse yourself in the world of MK, and you'll love it. It's all seamless, except for this: It should be noted that a major issue that interferes with enjoyment is a game-freezing glitch that occurs quite often near the game's end - just after beating the next-to-last boss. Considering the difficulty of that particular fight, it's enough to cause serious frustration. Major points lost for that.

Story: 2/10

And here's where they dropped the ball. MKSM promised a deeper insight into the events of MKII. That implied further detail and clarification. Instead, without spoiling anything, characters die that were present during MK3-UMKT (the next game in the series, chronologically speaking). The game contradicts previously known facts about the game's story during this time. While these horrid plotholes will undoubtedly be repaired at a point in the future, at this time they're an annoyance and a source of confusion of MK fans who love the story. Look at the events portrayed in the game as one huge 'alternate timeline' scenario. That's the best way to enjoy it. Furthermore, extra characters that can be unlocked in story mode have no plotline of their own, and the cutscenes that take place still refer to the characters as Liu Kang and Kung Lao. There are some nice plot points, like revealing how Sub-Zero got his scar, but the errors grossly outweigh the positives. This is probably the game's worst point.

Replayability: 5/10

Like I said: If you don't have a buddy, and you're no big fan of the MK series, you'll be hard-pressed to come back for more. It's just too short to enjoy alone time after time.

Overall Score: 6/10

It could have been a contender. It really could have. But the strong focus on two-player gameplay, the shortness of the game, the horrid story, and the game's glitches, though few that they are, drag it down.

But all is not lost. The game's fun as all heck to play through, the atmosphere is nothing short of beautiful, and the secrets you can unlock - mostly concept art, but a few characters, backgrounds - and the original MKII itself - shine through.

It's a short but sweet gore-fest. I'd advise any hardcore MK fan to pick it up, but the casual MK fan, and standard gamer may find that it's better suited as a party game, something to rent and go nuts on with your friends over a weekend. Grab a friend, grab a controller, and hold on to your razor-sharp hats.

Enjoy, and let the Kombat kontinue...

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 09/26/05