Mortal Kombat 11 released in 2019 to acclaim and great sales, and fans enjoyed what came after with the release of Kombat Pack 1. But most were not excepting the game to received an expansion in the form of Mortal Kombat 11 Aftermath, an add on that brings an additional story mode and 3 more characters. But is this expansion worth getting? Or should it be left alone?
The expansion brings a new set of characters in the form of Sheeva, Fujin, and guest character Robocop, in addition to the story. To go over the characters briefly, Fujin is perhaps one of the most well rounded characters introduced to the game so far, and is a perfect case of easy to learn but difficult to master. His wind attacks will take some time to adjust to, but he is capable of a lot once you familiarize yourself with what he is capable of. Sheeva plays very similarly to Goro in Mortal Kombat X, and is perfect for players who want an experience like the older game. Her grapple and juggle mechanics will remind many people of Mortal Kombat X’s gameplay mechanics, and her variations and custom moves help give the players what they have been missing.
Lastly, there is Robocop, the future of law enforcement. Robocop is voiced by original actor Peter Weller, and is a wonderful tribute to the franchise. You can use a variety of moves that reference Robocop’s appearances, such as the cobra assault canon, his shield and baton, as well as his jetpack. There was a lot of work put into making Robocop work, and you can even customize his appearance to give him a resemblance to the classic Mortal Kombat cyber Ninjas. All the new characters have excellent fatalities as well, and all fit the characters perfectly.
Another addition from Aftermath, and one that is free to all users of the base game, is the addition of new stages and stage fatalities, as well as the long awaited return of friendships. Friendships are a great addition and you will want to see all of them a few times, as they are hilarious and well thought out. The new stages include two returning classics in the form of The Dead Pool and the Soul Chamber from Mortal Kombat II and 3 respectively. There are also two new stages, one of which is set outside Kronika’s Keep, but more notable is RetroKade. This new stage is an homage to the games of the series past, combined with arcade machines and new backgrounds to mimic the classic levels like the temple. Stage Fatalities include The Dead Pool’s acid bath, among others, are are done via the proper input. This is a nice amount to bring to a game, and it is all free.
Lastly, there is the story expansion. Its pretty good, but play it once and there is not much more to do. It follows up the ending of the base story mode, and ads in the dlc characters (minus the guests) complete with their own chapters. There is more than one ending here, but that isn’t enough to make you come back to the story multiple times. With the best part of the new content being free, the actual price of 40 USD, makes the expansion feel bare bones. Yes a lot of work went into the story, and three characters are nice, but it still feels like the developers overcharged a bit for this.
I recommend playing for the free content and waiting for a sale on the expansion. You will be better off that way.