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Mortal Kombat retains numerous undisclosed elements and the capacity to surprise, more than 30 years after its first appearance in arcades. The recent anthology spanning the franchise's earliest days, featuring four original arcade titles, several home system versions, and derivative games, transcends only a accurately simulated set of legendary games and not-so-classics — it additionally serves as a rich documentary about the making of the legendary series.

As a dedicated Mortal Kombat fan who has closely monitored its origins and transformation, there was much to discover for me to discover and admire about the series.

What Defines the Legacy Kollection

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection comparable to previous classic compilations from the development team Digital Eclipse, part historical documentation, part playable archive. This compilation features simulated releases of the original arcade Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat 4, plus console and handheld ports of several of these titles. The anthology additionally contains the series' ventures at spinoffs, like combat-focused releases Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces — some of the brand's least successful installments.

The Legacy Kollection thus isn't a “best of” collection, but a study of Mortal Kombat's early days, when the development team Midway and series co-creators Ed Boon and John Tobias were determining how to develop a battle series, produced using film material of real actors, as they went along. Observing the archival material — containing historical videos, new interviews, and digital copies of vintage posters, illustrated stories, and even interoffice faxes — it's incredible to witness how the series transformed from humble beginnings to a global sensation. It's genuinely amazing to observe several young game developers, operating with virtually no plan or oversight, direct their entertainment passions into establishing an enduring gaming brand.

Historical Section

The educational segment of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection charts the rise of Mortal Kombat and its creators' careers at the now-defunct Midway. It subsequently demonstrates how the very same individuals contended with how to routinely one-up themselves, experiencing considerable stress to duplicate their triumphs. It represents an intriguing historical record made from VHS tapes and analog photographs and pencil sketches, which showcase the DIY nature of the franchise's production method and how personal recommendations helped circulate its mysteries and secrets of MK in its arcade heyday. Delivered in easily digestible portions, it's thoroughly enjoyable collection of mini-documentaries that covers video games, graphic novels, movies and even the silly live-action tour. The collection additionally features some unused moves and game character images among its cutting-room-floor content.

Playable Component

Interspersed along the five-segment historical film's chronology are opportunities to engage with the actual titles. At certain intervals, users can directly access a game of Mortal Kombat or a console adaptation to revisit its gameplay and graphics, emulated nearly perfectly on modern hardware.

I spent the bulk of my time experiencing the original arcade titles, specifically Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Many of the games here stand the test of time, especially in local multiplayer matches. However, facing the aforementioned game's AI-controlled opponents is a reminder of how crude and unbalanced the programming was in the franchise's pioneering releases. AI-managed characters obviously use unfair advantages or are otherwise dumb as rocks. If you don't have someone to play against — internet multiplayer exists in numerous anthology releases, but somewhat limited in options — you'll be missing out.

Display Features

The 23 playable Mortal Kombat games in the compilation, a blend of arcade, console, and handheld games, are precisely simulated, though I've observed a couple minor issues — mostly input lag and intermittent errors, particularly in Mortal Kombat 4. Even though the releases are mostly shown in their original form, the development team has included some smart convenience enhancements and display customization choices. For instance, players have the option to display fighter-specific techniques on-screen and opt to have endless periods to perform a Fatality. Additionally available are settings for unlocking secret characters, eliminating the need to execute obscure techniques to access them.

Artistically, the releases can be experienced with numerous visual enhancements and presentation styles. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection includes remarkably accurate filters that mimic the traditional television screens of gaming halls or home televisions, or the monochrome green display of a portable gaming device. A particularly nice touch is the setting to activate coin-op-inspired frames framing the gameplay, with the MK game of your choice accurately and softly reflecting against the artificial ebony plastic frames. It's quite aesthetically pleasing.

Additional Features

The collection includes numerous nice touches beyond the historical footage and recreated vintage titles, featuring an audio component that allows users to rediscover the soundtracks of different combat titles absent the noise of two kombatants viciously slaughtering each other. There are also combatant descriptions that contain backgrounds and the various bits of lore shown through the idle displays of gaming hall releases and endings.

Lost Media Recovery

Among the most significant features for dedicated series enthusiasts is the opportunity to play a example of historically missing material in the guise of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Wavenet Edition. This specific release, a somewhat revised iteration of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, was an pioneering effort from the developer at head-to-head network battles in coin-op establishments. The online-enabled release of the game is virtually identical to UMK3, but provided the ability to challenge online opponents and included some minor glitch repairs and refinements. However, this network version didn't find widespread adoption, in part