They are pretty powerful if used properly and are kept from being overpowered by a stamina bar that drains after using them. You have four special attacks that differ from character to character such as being able to teleport around as Kung Lao or throwing fireballs as Liu Kang. They are a bit too slow to be your go to weapons but it is a nice variation from using your fists and it never gets old hitting someone in the head with a skull from across the screen. Occasionally you may find some weapons to use such as human skulls, swords and crane hooks which are powerful but you canвЂ™t block while they are equipped. Throwing is not too accurate so you may find yourself fumbling about to throw an enemy instead of fighting them since they will infinitely respawn unless you do what the game asks. These environmental hazards are no doubt cool but often times the game will require you to use them to progress turning them into a cool addition giving you more ways to dispose of enemies to busy work that wonвЂ™t allow you to fight the way you want. You will also be able to throw enemies around and can be a really useful way to put your demonic surroundings to use such as throwing an enemy into a blood thirsty tree. When launching an enemy into the air he is helpless and you can land some devastating combos without fear of retaliation assuming his buddies arenвЂ™t around to break him out of it. You have a button for light, heavy and juggle attacks which have a really great flow to them, so much so that I rarely found myself using the preset combos since it was so fun to experiment with random button presses instead. Gameplay is far different than any of the Mortal Kombat games and is more akin to something like Devil May Cry where you will rake in huge, awesome looking combos. Playing it by yourself definitely feels like you are playing this game the wrong way but it is still fun nonetheless. You can pick from a variety of characters such as Johnny Cage, Reptile and Baraka if you have them unlocked but if you donвЂ™t have a second controller plugged in you will not be able to even try this mode out. Versus mode is exactly what it sounds like and has you fighting against a friend in whichever unlockable arena you choose from. There are also puzzles that can only be solved by the use of two characters which will cause you to miss out on the unlockable goodies such as trailers, concept art and extra characters to play as in Versus. Shaolin Monks was clearly designed around coop as both character show up in cutscenes even though you are by yourself and the balancing of it feels far better suited for two people to handle. You will need two controllers to even be able to click Koop mode but for those of us going at it by their lonesome there is also a single player mode where we can pick from either character. The main focus of this title is coop and teamwork as you pick from either Kung Lao or Liu Kang who fight substantially different from one another making them feel truly unique. Scattered around the world are statues that will allow you to save the game and restore your health though they are few and far between. It is similar to Metrovania in level design as it is open world but you will unlock new abilities to allow you to reach previously unavailable areas. From an Evil Forest to acid filled narrow rooms, this has pretty much all of the MK2 maps recreated in a 3D environment. What follows is a neat retelling of the events of MK2 that has you traveling across various realms in order to defeat the sorcerer Shang Tsung. Thinking the threat to be over Liu Kang and his friend Kung Lao return to the temple to celebrate but their victory is short lived as Shang Tsung launched a surprise attack against Earth, slaying all in his path. The story starts off with Liu Kang winning the Mortal Kombat tournament but is unable to capture the master of the tournament called Shang Tsung. Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is a 3D Beat em Up set right after the events of Mortal Kombat 1.

Mortal kombat shaolin monks steam