Mortal Kombat 11 is set to launch in just a few hours time, but reviews for the game are already out in the wild. Based on the Mortal Kombat 11 reviews, it sounds like the game is more or less a success, but there is one issue that has been a source of contention by reviewers. Apparently, Mortal Kombat 11 has a notoriously brutal grind, but it seems that NetherRealm is looking to address that in the near future.

Speaking in the most recent Kombat Kast for Mortal Kombat 11, NetherRealm Studios said that it's looking to re-balance Mortal Kombat 11's progression system, so players should receive better rewards more frequently than they will at launch. This change won't come in the form of an official patch or anything like that, as all NetherRealm will have to do is tweak some numbers behind-the-scenes to lessen the grind a bit.

The grind in Mortal Kombat 11 seems to be a direct result of the game's use of microtransactions. Microtransactions in Mortal Kombat 11 are used to purchase Time Crystals, which in turn can be used to purchase cosmetics directly instead of earning them in-game. The idea is that by forcing Mortal Kombat 11 players to endure a tedious grind to unlock cosmetics, they will be frustrated into purchasing microtransactions instead. While some people say microtransactions are "optional," there are cases where games are balanced with the microtransactions in mind, which seems to be the case here.

Whether or not NetherRealm adjusts the Mortal Kombat 11 progression system in a significant enough way to make the experience more fun for fans remains to be seen. The studio will continue to tweak the game in the weeks after release based on fan feedback, so the progression system will likely undergo many changes after launch.

NetherRealm talked about more than just Mortal Kombat 11's grind and progression system during the Kombat Kast. The studio also properly revealed the unlockable character Frost, who, along with Mortal Kombat 11's grindy progression system, leaked before launch thanks to the game's street date being broken and early copies getting in the hands of fans.

Mortal Kombat 11's grindy progression and the unlockable character Frost aren't the only things that leaked about the game. The Mortal Kombat 11 DLC characters also leaked thanks to dataminers, and much of the game's roster leaked ahead of time as well. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if NetherRealm takes any steps to avoid so many leaks for its future titles.

Mortal Kombat 11 launches on April 23 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

Source: NetherRealm Studios