Epic fighting game has lots of blood, gore and language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Players use weapons, magical abilities, their fists, their feet, and sometimes their hats to beat other people to death, resulting in a lot of blood and gore. Characters are shown being decapitated, graphically killed, and having rotting skin or monster-like appendages. There are times when the view becomes an x-ray of their bones or organs being broken or destroyed.
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Players can earn various in-game currencies by playing, and said currencies are used to buy character skins, gear, and other items. Players can also use real money to purchase other in-game credits, which are used for exclusive character skins and gear. More characters will be available for purchase later.
Sex, Romance & Nudity
a little
Some of the female characters have low cut tops that show off some cleavage, though not nearly as much as other fighting games.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Characters include both men and women, and of various races and ethnicities including Chinese, Japanese, Czech, South African, Thai and more. Mortal Kombat is originally inspired by stories of Shaolin Monks and Chinese mythology. Many characters are
The game's controls will be familiar to people who've played previous installments or other fighting games. Newcomers will find the tutorial mode does a good job of explaining the basics. There are some complicated multi-button attacks, which make this easy to learn but tough to master. The game's single-player modes have five difficulty options: "Very Easy," "Easy," "Medium," "Hard," and "Very Hard."
Positive Messages
very little
Sometimes you must take risks, make sacrifices, and use your skills, to save others. In doing so, you may find yourself doing terrible things in the name of good.
Positive Role Models
very little
Some people in this game are trying to save Earthrealm. But they often do so through violence.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know thatMortal Kombat 1 is another violent, bloody, and gory fighting game in the series for that's not for kids, and only for adults who have strong stomachs. Using weapons, magic abilities, fists and feet, and even their hats, characters beat each other to death, resulting in a ton blood, gore, and dismemberment. Other disturbing imagery includes mummies with rotting skin and an x-ray view of players' bones and internal organs being damaged. The dialog includes swearing like "f--k," "sh-t," and "a--hole." Some of the female characters wear shirts that are low cut, though none show off as much cleavage as we've seen in other fighting games. The game has multiple types of in-game currency, some of which is earned by playing, while others can be bought with real money; both allow players to purchase character skins, gear, and other (often exclusive) items.
ALL YOU OVER PROTECTIVE PARENTS NEED TO HAVE A LOOK INTO THE REAL WORLD
Its just gore, slightly sexual dressed woman, and some light swearing. All the parents saying 16+, 17+, and 19+ are just over protective. In this generation, a toddler could handle this stuff now. I would hand a controller to a 2 year old with this game on if they weren't to helpless to figure out how to use it.
Violent game; definitely not for the faint of heart
This arcade-style fighting game is known for its digitalized realism and violence. There is a lot of blood and gore in this game and the characters' graphic injuries are shown as well. All but not limited to broken bones, torn muscles, blood, profanity, kinky costumes, etc. I would recommend this game for children 16+, however, it all depends on how well your child can handle violence & blood.
What’s It About?
Set in the aftermath of 2019's Mortal Kombat 11, MORTAL KOMBAT 1 has the fire god Liu Kang creating a new universe out of the ashes of the old one. But the end result is oddly similar to the one before it; hence why many of the familiar faces from previous games are back, and once again fighting to the death, and why Liu Kang is not happy with his work. This game isn't about the story as much as it is the intense, deep, and engaging fighting and of course, saving Earthrealm (again).
Thanks to a cool new move, this fighting game is just as bloody good as the last couple installments in this long-running series. In Mortal Kombat 1, you once again have to save Earthrealm by fighting a bunch of characters to the death. Though the "why" isn't really all that important as the "how", which comes courtesy of the new Kameo Fighters mechanic allowing you to command a fellow combatant to jump into your match, take a quick shot or two on your opponent, and then step back and wait for you to call them again. It's kind of like a special attack in other games, one that takes time to recharge, but can be very effective.
Admittedly, the Kameo Fighters mechanic is just that: a mechanic. It's not a game changer and it doesn't turn this into a tag team match. But given that the rest of the game has the same smooth and deep controls as the previous installments, Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11, as well as the same deadly characters, you know what kind of fight it's going to be. That isn't to say this is a rehash of earlier games with one new move. Instead it adds other exciting elements like fun new places to engage in fisticuffs, most notably, an ostentatious Malibu beach pad. It also has multiple ways to play, including a nicely varied story mode, and multiple options to fight friends online. All of which is why Mortal Kombat 1 is still the first name in bloody good fighting games.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the excessive violence in Mortal Kombat 1. Is this amount of violence and gore warranted or does it go too far? Are there similar games you can play without this much violence?
Families can talk about gore. This series is famous for its blood and gore, and this game has graphic (including x-ray) depictions of people being impaled, decapitated, and graphically hurt and killed. Do you think it makes the game better? Or worse?
Families can talk about being prepared. Like many fighting games, players need to use complicated moves to beat the more skill opponents, both online and in the single-player modes. What does this teach us about the importance of being prepared; of learned those advanced moves before we need them, not after?
ESRB rating:
M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
Last updated:
September 18, 2023
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