Three brand new characters do their best to help the lineup branch out–Geras is an imposing heavy with the ability to rewind and manipulate time, Cetrion is an elder god with flashy elemental projectiles, the Kollector has a wonderfully unsettling and bamboozling six-armed demonic design–and they all add an inspired diversity to the familiar roster of magical ninjas and military hard-asses. MK11 Ultimate is a “game of the year edition”-style re-release, which gives players access to Mortal Kombat 11 and all of its DLC, including three new characters–Purple ninja Rain, Rambo (yes, that Rambo), and long-running fan obsession Mileena.

The special meter system has been simplified, allowing for amplified maneuvers to be used at almost any time–gone is the idea of needing to hold back and save up two or three bars of a meter to perform a particular kind of technique. You can now customize these loadouts in MK11, but only two predetermined movesets are acceptable for serious competitive play. Watching the character interactions between young and old selves are a highlight, and with the exception of a somewhat flat Sonya Blade, the solid performances are endearingly sincere with some unexpected moments of introspection. Storywise, I wanted Ermac to look like he’s trying to blend in, to be confused for all the other ninjas at the tournament, because he’s a hidden character. Rounding out his overall aesthetic is a loincloth that contributed to his brutish appearance, making him look like a truly formidable foe indeed. I like the dragon theme of his moves because I feel like it represents his faith in the gods and the idea that his strength comes from his spiritual connection, since the Elder Gods look like dragons/the MK logo.

Furthermore, the in-game move lists are incredibly comprehensive, providing all sorts of helpful data for each move’s properties, so you can easily discern something like which of your character’s moves has the quickest startup. Characters are getting erased or colliding with their past selves, while alliances are reverting and new ones are being made–it’s the kind of chaos that’s ripe for conflict. Significant block damage discourages you from being overly defensive, while learning the perfect-timing demands of the “flawless block” system is encouraged to mitigate some damage and open up turnabout opportunities. Some key changes streamline the mechanics of MK11, resulting in a fighting system that feels more active and aggressive than its predecessors. It’s an impressive resource that doesn’t just give you a better understanding of Mortal Kombat 11’s systems, but a deeper understanding of fighting game mechanics in general–knowledge that you can take to any other title. If you’re new to the series, learning all those intricacies of the fighting system, special moves, and combo strings for characters can be intimidating.

Many minor changes have been made to each of the characters since the days of 2D, pixellated motion capturing. I skipped some of the other challenges, and in fact you can skip this last one if you have 50,000 koins. I think it does fit Bi-Han’s character as a very simple, unemotional, unattached man concerned only with loyalty, to have a very un-personalized, standard Lin Kuei uniform – albeit with the tunic markings because he’s a high-ranked member, since Sub-Zero is said to be the single best warrior in the clan at the time of MKM/MK1. Simple, they didn’t call it “Ultimate” or “Complete”.