Having had a permanent presence on the App Store and Google Play charts for years, especially in Asian markets, the gacha subgenre seems inevitably destined to become intertwined with the most popular video game franchises; and the Mortal Kombat series, fresh from the success of the new chapter that has just arrived on PC and console, could not be an exception.
So here we are dealing with the Mortal Kombat: Onslaught Review, a game for iPhone, iPad and Android devices capable of boasting an original story set in the universe created by NetherRealm Studios and a large cast of characters, but at the same time based on a formula that, due to its excessive automatisms and its invasive freedom of motion. The to-play model remains, to say the least, controversial.
History: from the past with fury
The story of Mortal Kombat: Onslaught It tells how the powerful Shinnok tried to defeat the other ancient gods to achieve absolute power, but was defeated by Raiden and confined to the Netherrealm, a kingdom of which, however, he managed to become emperor thanks to the sorcerer's intervention. Quan Chi.
Eager to regain his divine powers, he orders his ally to send an emissary to recover the artifacts within which men have imprisoned their energy, an emissary who in this case is Scorpion: he is the first character that we will have the opportunity to manage in the long Onslaught campaign, but he will soon be joined by several companions.
If you know the NetherRealm Studios series, you will have understood that the plot of the new mobile game produced by Warner Bros. is only partially new, given that the conditions are exactly the same as those seen in the story mode of Mortal Kombat 4, a long time ago. . in 1997.
The development of events changes, but in purely qualitative terms we are certainly not dealing with brilliant writing, to the point that The exchanges between the various protagonists often seem banal..
Mortal Kombat: Onslaught Gameplay: The Flawed Formula
If the story and the intermediate sequences represent in the case of Mortal Kombat: Onslaught an effective resource to attract downloads from the numerous fans of the saga, In terms of gameplay, the game unfortunately shows its limits in just a few minutes., implementing a formula designed specifically to control progression in free titles.
Once we have created our team of characters, initially simple "shadows" which, however, we can almost immediately replace with some known Kombutantes, we will face battles divided into several rounds against groups of increasingly stronger enemies and more. resistant. The problem is that all our actions will be automatic, with the only exception of special abilities.
Therefore we will have to be a passive witness to what happens on the screen, without being able, for example, to concentrate attacks on specific objectives or implement strategies that go beyond the typical maneuvers of each character, which are loaded over time and which can also be directed or left to the automatisms of the system.
The result is a pleasant experience, but very limited, subject as mentioned to mechanisms that are intertwined with the flexibility of the free-to-play model to stop us with a game over when opponents prove too strong, send us back to the initial screen to collect any pending rewards, strengthen the team and try again.
However, the loop is neither infinite nor virtuous: At some point you will inevitably hit a paywall and there are two options, that is, replay already completed missions in an attempt to collect credits and useful resources for upgrades or dip into your wallet to buy a package that will allow us to overcome the current obstacle... until next time.
This is literally the price to pay when the player's abilities are almost completely neutralized, but it is true that Mortal Kombat: Onslaught it takes a few hours to get to that situation and meanwhile unlock alternative content such as competitive Arena multiplayer, Tower Boss mode and Chasm.
Technical realization: too hot to handle
In its intermediate sequences, Mortal Kombat: Onslaught He's certainly capable of putting on a show. and proposes the polygonal models of the last episodes of the main series, providing them with a rich and convincing set of animations that also enrich the action of the game, when the two teams face each other on the screen.
The problem at the moment is represented by the weight of the graphics, without any adjustment that could lighten the system and weigh less on battery: on the iPhone 14 Pro we noticed it the tendency of the device to overheat and discharge too quickly, when simply being able to halve the frame rate could have solved the problem.
The effort is also perceived in the simple navigation between the menus, which is never agile and reactive but rather suffers from latency that is sometimes unbearable: and say that we tested the game in what was the best Apple phone until a month ago, so we have no idea how Onslaught runs on mid- or low-range terminals.
Finally, with regard to sound compartment, there is a clear lack of personality: the incipit is good, but then the audio loses consistency, the dialogue is completely silent (and poorly staged, it must be said) and the music seems too generic to really contribute to the implication.
Conclusions
Tested version iPhone digital delivery app store, Google Play Price Free Holygamerz.com 6.0 Readers (4) 6.1 your voteMortal Kombat: Onslaught tries to exploit the popularity of NetherRealm Studios' fighting game and its numerous characters by imprisoning them in the structure of an overly traditional gacha, with its automatic combat and the consequent possibility of artificially controlling progression, pushing us to a certain aim to perform. exhausting efforts or indulge in microtransactions to advance more quickly within a campaign that, however, is repeated without sharp details.
PRO
- Good amount of content and characters.
- Technically it certainly has its reasons.
- It's good to bring it up from time to time.
AGAINST
- Very limited and repetitive game.
- The formula lends itself too much to monetization
- It heats up, slows down and consumes battery
