Mortal Kombat 1 On Switch Looks Hilariously Bad

Developer NetherRealm Studios is known for creating some of the most visually stunning fighting games over the last decade. Sadly, that's not the case for the Mortal Kombat 1 Nintendo Switch version with fans having a laugh at how disastrous it looks.

While it's true that NetherRealm Studios only directly worked on the current-gen console version of MK1 (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S), with development on the Nintendo Switch version spearheaded by Shiver Entertainment and Saber Interactive, fans are not letting them off the hook for the current state of MK1 on Switch.

Mortal Kombat 1 on Switch looks awful and fans know it

The memes and comparisons have been pouring via social media, with everyone making fun of the lack of expressions and a noticeable decrease in the graphical quality (to be expected). Everything looks especially egregious during character interactions that zoom in on their models.

One of the complaints leads to the question of why didn't NetherRealm develop a PS4 version of MK1 if the Switch version would look this bad. Well, the answer is actually quite simple - NetherRealm Studios would have likely split their efforts between PS4 and PS5 development, something they clearly didn't intend on doing.

The team responsible for the MK1 port also developed the MK11 Switch version, which was released in 2019 alongside other versions of the game. NetherRealm focused on creating the PS4 and Xbox One editions at that time, without requiring additional teams to work on the enhanced version of MK11 for PS5 and XSX.

Now that primary dev work has moved to current-gen hardware (PS5 and XSX), NetherRealm has no one to work on a last-gen version of their titles, since Shiver Entertainment and Saber Interactive are partnering with the studio on the Nintendo ports of their releases, at least so far.

So while yes, you'll be able to enjoy everything other versions of MK1 have to offer, including the highly-anticipated Invasion mode, you'll have to do so by looking at nightmarish character models. A price to pay to play MK1 on the go!

For more on all things Mortal Kombat 1, check out everything you need to know about the Kombat Pack 1 DLC.