Mortal Kombat 1 Nintendo Switch performance explored: Resolution, frame rates, and more

Mortal Kombat 1 is out right now for all platforms via the Premium Edition, including the Nintendo Switch. The latest fighting game entry in the iconic Mortal Kombat series from NetherRealm Studios is also the most technically impressive. So to see it finally arrive on Nintendo's modest handheld is a surprise. As with any current-gen experience on such weaker hardware, compromises are expected.

But how deep do these concessions go? Let's dive into the specifics, from graphics and resolution to frame rate and general performance on the Nintendo Switch.

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Mortal Kombat 1 on Nintendo Switch is a very cut-down but still respectable rendition compared to its peers

Two of the most accomplished developers on Nintendo Switch play a role in bringing Mortal Kombat 1 to the platform: Shiver Entertainment and Saber Interactive. The former also helped port the previous entry, Mortal Kombat 11, to the system. The latter has more experience across other genres, including The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and World War Z.

To start off, the game targets a 900p resolution when docked. This is a more ambitious target compared to its predecessor, which maxed out at 720p. However, it is dynamic in nature, so the average resolution tends to hover around the 640p to 720p mark. Portable play targets 720p, with average image quality being around 480p.

Once again, a marked improvement over Mortal Kombat 11, which could slip below these bounds. Given that the latest entry is a more technically demanding game and visually impressive as well, the fact that the end result is still comparable to the last game, if not better, is impressive.

To put it simply, NetherRealm has upped the visual density, not just for character models but also for backgrounds. The franchise has never looked this densely packed and visually striking before, and that is true on Nintendo Switch as well - at least to an extent. But as expected, there are cutbacks to every facet of the game.

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Graphics have been downgraded in many ways

Model quality, shadows, lighting, post-processing, reflections, and even animations take a hit in this game. The latter is evident during the various cinematic cutscenes with noticeably stiff, finer bodily movements. There are also some stutters, especially with heavier particle effects.

In fact, if there was a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version of Mortal Kombat 1, the Nintendo Switch rendition is what it may look similar to. But thankfully, the game's core identity is retained here.

In fact, there is not just complete parity in the core visuals with other versions but also gameplay. All features and modes from the other platforms are accounted for. This is true for both single-player and multiplayer, as well as elements like cutscenes, UI, and transitions. Loading times can, unfortunately, be pretty long.

This is obvious during the face-offs after character selection as well as general traversal between menus. Some early players had reported particularly egregious bugs, like where higher resolution textures would take a while to load in or not load at all.

However, the launch patch should have fixed most of these issues. With that done, let's move on to the most important aspect of Mortal Kombat 1: performance.

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An ambitious performance target that delivers on the most part

As a fighting game from a franchise with a robust competitive scene, having a stable performance is a must. The Nintendo Switch rendition is a bit of a mixed bag in this regard. On the one hand, the game targets 60 FPS on Nintendo's handheld platform and either hits that target or gets close most of the time.

Largely, the frame rate can be expected to hover in the upper 50s range. As is the norm with the modern entries in the franchise, fatalities, and other cutscenes render at 30 FPS. These are in-game cinematic transitions performed on the fly, and this is a feature across all versions.

So, it's not unexpected to see the frame rate fluctuate between 60 and 30 over the course of gameplay. Additionally, it seems like the game also switches to 30 FPS when an additional tag character comes on-screen.

Overall, it's a far cry from being a bad port, but it is not particularly flattering either, especially at the pricey $70 asking price for even the Nintendo Switch version.

With games becoming more and more hardware-demanding, we are due for a Nintendo Switch 2 at this point. After a long string of rumors over the past few years, however, we will likely see the next-gen Nintendo console's arrival soon.

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Mortal Kombat 1 Standard Edition launches on September 19, 2023, for Nintendo Switch in addition to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Check out our pre-order guide to see which edition entices you.