Fantasy

This book did take me a long time to read…and if I’m completely honest, that wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy this book, or didn’t want to read it. In fact, the book was really great and it hit all of my wants in a fantasy book. However, it took me a couple of months to read…which I think might have been more to do with outside things going on than anything else.

When I originally found this book, I was really excited. Why? Because it was an LGBTQ+ book…but it wasn’t put in its own section. It was just included in a shelf that only had fiction books. So finding this book felt like I’d made a huge discovery (it’s the little things that make life fun).

There was a lot that was going on in this book and I have to say, I really liked that there was so much detail. I didn’t really feel like the book was weighed down with the politics and mystery going on…although the counterfeit money was only a really small part of what was going on.

I really loved the slow burn of this book, in the relationship that formed between Kadou and Evemer. While it was a little bit of a cliche that one person doesn’t like the other and then they eventually become friends and then fall in love, I felt this book handled that in a much different way to the same plot I’ve seen in so many other romance books. For one thing, Evemer was appointed to Kadou as his servant, or armsman/guardsman…his exact role seems to be much closer than either of those, as there’s a different term used for them than any of those. In any case, Evemer actually liked Kadou when he first met him; it was just that Kadou made a mistake that unfortunately got some other people killed, which was the main source of the conflict.

Having said that, I really liked being able to see what both of them thought. And as their feelings for each other began to change, I really liked seeing how those thoughts and their perceptions evolved. And I especially liked that Evemer actually did have a sense of humour, even if it was dry. For instance acknowledging that he wouldn’t deal with someone treating his prince badly just by talking to and insulting him, instead acknowledging that he’d pick him up and throw him bodily away. Or words to that effect.

There is a lot more to this book than the romance, and I really liked that there was such a variety of characters. There was one incredibly powerful scene where Evemer’s loyalty is shown so clearly and that scene just…made me feel so much. And I have to say that the rest of the book did the same. I definitely recommend reading it! Because it’s such a good book…and I’m hoping there will be a sequel, as I really want to see more of Kadou and Evemer. And Tadek grew on me quite a bit, so I’d like to see more of him too!

So, I have had a strong interest in Mortal Kombat ever since I saw the first movie come out and decided I really liked Sub-Zero and Scorpion. And I played the full game of Mortal Kombat 11 and part of X, so I was particularly keen on seeing the new storyline and how everything turned out. I was far more interested in the storyline, even though fighting is a huge part of the game, so I just put the mode on very easy. I’m really not very good with any of the combo moves, although I did manage to do a couple by accident. For instance, when playing as Scorpion, I did accidentally make him use the iconic Get over here! move.

Speaking of Scorpion, I have really mixed feelings about Scorpion actually being Kuai Liang. While it was an interesting idea and ultimately, I was able to accept Scorpion’s new identity, I was disappointed that Hanzo wasn’t in the game. In Mortal Kombat 11, one of my favourite parts was the friendship between Scorpion and the second Sub-Zero. However, there is a piece of gear in the game that Kuai Liang can get that’s called something like, ‘Hanzo’s Mentor’, so I’m hoping that the next game will introduce a younger version of him.

While the game was still called Mortal Kombat, I was very surprised that only a small amount of the game was about the fighting tournament itself. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as I did like the rest of the storyline outside of the tournament…but I was curious as to why Liu Kang had left the tournament in place at all, given that he and Sindel were allies and even seemed to be friendly.

One of the interesting things I found was that Raiden was a mortal and had no memories of his previous life as a god. It was a bit confusing, to be honest, as it didn’t really match how Mortal Kombat 11 had ended. But I did enjoy the friendship that was shown between Kung Lao and Raiden…along with how calm in nature Raiden was (though that didn’t fit his original nature at all), compared to Kung Lao.

I have to say that I also liked how the characters of Mileena, Baraka and Reptile were handled in this game. It was a really refreshing change to see them with more depth than just evil/working for Shang Tsung! I actually really enjoyed seeing Mileena in action throughout this game, especially considering the struggles she was facing in having to hide her affliction from her people. I especially loved that she and Kitana were so close…and I really liked her relationship with Tanya, though it would have been nice to see more close scenes between two women.

I will say that I would have liked to see the character designs more similar to how they looked in the previous games. While some of those could be explained away by the characters being younger (Scorpion, Kung Lao, etc.), those like Kitana…who is thousands of years old…could have shared more of a physical similarity with the version of her from the previous game.

I do have to say that playing the game on the Switch did result in more than a few problems. For instance, there were very slow loading screens…especially in the final chapter, which occurred after every single fight. And I was really disappointed that it took so long for Invasions to start working. While I can play Invasions through now, I spent several hours playing in Johnny Cage’s mansion to try and gain enough levels to unlock some of the Kameo fighters. It did sour my enjoyment of Invasions for a little while, although I have now played enough to unlock all but one of the extra Kameo characters. (And if I’m honest, most of those don’t seem to work that well. Kano is definitely the best out of the Kameo fighters, but I’ve found a lot of the others don’t do any damage at all).

I have to be honest and say…I absolutely hate the test your might aspects of this game. While I’ve managed to get to a point of succeeding in them (mostly), having to smash four buttons repeatedly is really annoying. And I failed so many times throughout the story mode that I came really close to giving up…especially when the first test your might had me having to do so multiple times, one after the other. I don’t know about any other players, but I didn’t enjoy it.

I haven’t unlocked all of the character endings yet, but I really liked the fact that the ones I have unlocked so far all expand on the original ending of the game, rather than giving completely different endings to the game, like Mortal Kombat 11. I unlocked Mileena’s ending first (because I really liked her character in this game), but that ending was quickly follwed by Scorpion’s and Sub-Zero’s…and then Kitana’s.

On the whole, despite the glitches and the annoying test your might parts, I really did enjoy playing this game through. The storyline was interesting and engaging…and there was a good variety of different battles to play as the storyline unfolded. I’m hoping that there will be more to unlock in the game, such as other characters and potential extra storylines…especially as I did pay out for the premium edition!

If you enjoy the Mortal Kombat games, I’d say you would probably enjoy this one…although you might not want to play it on the Switch if you have an alternative games console.