Mortal Kombat XL: The Winds Of Changes (2016)

Written by J. Johnson

DLC give that extra pop for the main game, whether it’s in the main story, extra characters, or a brand new story that was never told with new stages. The latest DLC for Mortal Kombat X is chuck full of new changes to the goriest fighting game in the world. It’s definitely rightfully titled “XL” for the amount of content provided in this extension of the game, which adds new characters and hidden features. Veteran Mortal Kombat fans will love seeing the many easter eggs and homages to the franchise’s history. However, newcomers will have a meaty fighting game experience as they enjoy the styles of older-new additions (i.e. Bo’ Rai Cho & Triborg).

Kombat Pack 2 offers variety for fan satisfaction and some long-awaited crossovers. New guest characters like series veterans Bo’ Rai Cho and Triborg, alongside the xenomorph Alien, from the Alien series, and Leatherface, from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. With each character, they bring their own unique fighting styles that change the dynamic of fighting, depending on the variation you choose before the match. Be careful though you may have to pay for the wrong choice if you don’t know how to adapt.

Bo’Rai Cho and Triborg fight similar to their past game counterparts, with many of their special attacks carrying over from before. Bo’Rai Cho fights using drunken boxing and kung-fu, which provides some funny dialogue during a match. However, the more interesting of the two is Triborg, a fighter who is a combination of all the cybernetic ninjas from previous Mortal Kombat games.

Other than the veterans The Alien is unique for his ability to summon Face Huggers and other xenomorphs as attacks, including calling upon the Queen for Aliens for one of its fatalities. Hudson from Aliens gets quoted by Johnny Cage before a match starts, as a nostalgic easter egg. Leatherface fights like Voorhees making him a powerhouse, but the difference is his attacks look more maniacal. I love when Leatherface erratically moves and howls with each attack that pertains to his chainsaw. He is the slower of the new guest characters, but his fatalities are much gorier than the Alien.

Triborg is one clever character to be added, many thought it was just a cheap addition to fill the roster. Although most fans didn’t warm up to it, once you play each variation of Triborg you will appreciate the character more. Based on the three cyber-ninjas with a hidden fourth variation that can be accessed anytime on the character select screen. The move sets are different and appealing for some amazing match-ups.

In the new DLC not only are characters introduced along with new skins, but new stage fatalities change things up for the better. The Pit stage fatality is a fun nod to the original Mortal Kombat, but the other two stages are more gruesome and over-the-top with how opponents are killed.

The second Kombat Pack offers some great content for new and veteran players of Mortal Kombat X. The additional characters are interesting and fun to play with in Mortal Kombat X’s online and offline modes. Stage fatalities are a fun addition to matches, along with all of the new updates that make this version of Mortal Kombat X the most balanced to date. Those who haven’t yet picked up Mortal Kombat XL for their game library yet have plenty of reasons to do so now

Mortal Kombat XL is available now for Xbox One & PS4!