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The Mortal Kombat series continues to hold numerous undisclosed elements and the capacity to surprise, more than 30 years after its initial debut in coin-op establishments. This latest compilation including the series' initial period, featuring four original arcade titles, various home ports, and derivative games, is more than just a well-emulated series of classics including less celebrated releases — it's also a rich documentary about the making of the renowned brand.

As a dedicated enthusiast of the series who has paid close attention its development and progression, there was plenty new for me to understand and value about the series.

What Defines the Legacy Kollection

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection comparable to other vintage game anthologies from the creators at Digital Eclipse, part historical documentation, part playable archive. The collection includes simulated releases of the pioneering arcade Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat 4, including television and mobile versions of some of those games. The collection even includes the series' ventures at spin-off titles, like action games Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces — two of the franchise's most criticized releases.

The Legacy Kollection is therefore not a greatest hits compilation, but an examination of the franchise's initial era, when the development team Midway and franchise originators the creative duo behind the series were determining how to develop a battle series, produced using film material of live performers, as they went along. Viewing the historical footage — which includes archival footage, new interviews, and digital copies of vintage posters, graphic novels, and even company memos — it's astonishing to observe how Mortal Kombat went from humble beginnings to a worldwide phenomenon. It's frankly astounding to see a group of young game developers, working with minimal planning or oversight, direct their entertainment passions into birthing an iconic game franchise.

Documentary Portion

The historical documentation of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection charts the rise of the combat franchise and the developers' professional journeys at the now-defunct Midway. It subsequently demonstrates how those same creators contended with how to consistently surpass their achievements, facing no small amount of pressure to repeat their triumphs. It's a fascinating time capsule made from analog films and film-based pictures and pencil sketches, which showcase the DIY nature of the franchise's production method and how oral tradition helped spread its rumors and hidden aspects of Mortal Kombat in its golden era in coin-op establishments. Presented in manageable segments, it's thoroughly enjoyable set of brief historical films that spans games, comics, films and even the silly live-action tour. The compilation also contains some unreleased actions and game character images among its archived development assets.

Playable Component

Distributed throughout the five-part documentary's timeline are prompts to play the actual titles. During specific moments, users can directly access a combat game session or a home system version to rediscover its combat system and visual presentation, simulated with remarkable precision on modern hardware.

I allocated the majority of my time experiencing the original arcade titles, specifically Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Many of the games here remain enjoyable, notably with local multiplayer matches. But playing against the aforementioned game's AI-controlled opponents is a testament to how primitive and unfair the development approached in the franchise's pioneering releases. CPU-controlled opponents blatantly cheat to win or are alternatively incredibly stupid. Without having someone to play against — online play is available in most titles in the collection, but too light on features — you'll be missing out.

Technical Presentation

The 23 playable Mortal Kombat games in the anthology, a blend of gaming hall, television, and mobile releases, are accurately emulated, though I've observed a couple minor issues — mostly input lag and the occasional bug, notably within Mortal Kombat 4. Even though the releases are mostly shown in their original form, the development team has included some smart user experience improvements and display customization choices. As an illustration, users can elect to display fighter-specific techniques during gameplay and select to activate infinite time to complete lethal techniques. Additionally available are settings for unlocking secret characters, without having to perform obscure techniques to access them.

Visually, the games can be enjoyed with multiple filters and visual treatments. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection includes remarkably accurate filters that mimic the CRT monitors of coin-op establishments or household displays, or the limited color monitor of a portable gaming device. A particularly nice touch is the option to have arcade-like bezels framing the gameplay, with your selected Mortal Kombat title accurately and softly reflecting against the artificial ebony plastic frames. It's remarkably visually appealing.

Bonus Elements

Players will discover multiple appreciated elements beyond the educational material and simulated classic games, including a music player that lets you revisit the tunes of various Mortal Kombat games without the din of fighters brutally eliminating opponents. Also present are combatant descriptions that include bios and numerous narrative components displayed via arcade games' attract mode screens and final sequences.

Historical Preservation

A particularly notable inclusion for hardcore Mortal Kombat fans is the ability to access a segment of previously unavailable content in the form of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Wavenet Edition. This particular edition, a slightly updated version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, was an early attempt by Midway at one-on-one internet-based play in coin-op establishments. The online-enabled release of the game is practically indistinguishable to UMK3, but featured the capability to compete against internet adversaries and included some minor bug fixes and balance. However, this network version failed to achieve popularity, in part