You’re killing me
Fatalities are, in most people’s opinion, the coolest part of Mortal Kombat. In a franchise about ruthlessly beating up your opponent, fatalities are when these games are at their most brutal — a blood-drenched pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But, they also require some mastery of the controls, as each one has its own unique input to pull off.
Mortal Kombat Xthrows all that skill and memorization by the wayside, if you’d like. This installment has a feature called Easy Fatalities which significantly pares down the controls. And, like most things in life, it comes at a price.
Warner Bros. is willing to sate even the most bumbling Mortal Kombatplayer’s need for carnage. Alongside the game on digital storefronts are microtransaction packs to unlock the simplified fatalities — five for $.99 or a bulk rate of 30 for $4.99 (see pics from Chris in the gallery below). Arcade-going you from decades ago is cringing hardright about now.
Although they can be purchased at any time, NetherRealm offers some up for free. The studio’s already said that players will be granted a handful upon release. There are also opportunities to earn them through gameplay. Of course, if you want them immediately, the publisher will be more than happy to take your money.
In a vacuum, Easy Fatalities are a justifiable concept. They give new players a glimpse at the most talked about parts of Mortal Kombat X, a reason to push their skill level higher as they become more acclimated to the game. In theory, they’d eventually be performing normal fatalities in no time. However, adding the monetization model as a crutch is entirely less defensible.