Mortal Kombat 1 Brutalities and how to execute them

Mortal Kombat 1 Brutalities are an impressive way to seal a victory, and are arguably more difficult to execute than Fatalities as they involve landing particular modified moves to conclude the fight while your opponent is still active. However, they have been causing issues for players when trying to use them, as if you don't perform the specific action at just the right time then you'll only land a standard hit instead. To help with this, I'm here to explain how to use Brutalities in Mortal Kombat 1 and what you need to do to get more of them.

How to use Brutalities in Mortal Kombat 1

The main thing you need to know about Brutalities in Mortal Kombat 1 is that they don't work in the same way as Mortal Kombat 1 Fatalities, so if you see the FINISH THEM screen appear then it's already too late to perform one. Instead, the Brutality needs to be the last move you execute during the final round of regular kombat to empty your opponent's health bar, and there's usually a modifier required in order to make this work.

To find out the details for this, go to your Move List then highlight the Brutality under the Finishers tab and follow the Advanced View prompt at the bottom of the screen. This will reveal notes for how to pull off the move – for example, all characters can perform The Klassic Brutality by performing an Uppercut (Down + Back Punch) and then holding Back Punch during the hit. The last part is crucial, as if you don't hold the button then you'll just perform a standard Uppercut instead and be presented with the FINISH THEM screen.

How to get more Mortal Kombat 1 Brutalities

To access more Brutalities in Mortal Kombat 1, you need to add them to the Move List for each character by following the Mortal Kombat 1 unlockables process. To do this, keep playing as a specific character to increase your Mastery level with them, and you'll unlock additional Brutalities as you progress – these are usually awarded at Mastery levels 3, 5, 7, 10, and 15, while Kameo Brutalities are unlocked at Mastery levels 2 and 11. From my testing it appears that unlike Fatalities, you need to unlock Brutalities before you can perform them in kombat even if you know the move sequence, so work on revealing them and make sure you pay attention to the modifier required to pull them off when it's time.

Iain originally joined Future in 2012 to write guides for CVG, PSM3, and Xbox World, before moving on to join GamesRadar in 2013 as Guides Editor. His words have also appeared in OPM, OXM, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, and SFX. He is better known to many as ‘Mr Trophy’, due to his slightly unhealthy obsession with amassing intangible PlayStation silverware, and he now has over 1,000 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.