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The Mortal Kombat series continues to hold many hidden mysteries and the ability to amaze, well past its 30th anniversary after its initial debut in coin-op establishments. This latest compilation covering the series' initial period, which includes four arcade games, multiple console adaptations, and spinoffs, goes beyond simply a faithfully reproduced set of legendary games and not-so-classics — it's also a comprehensive historical account about the making of the iconic franchise.

Being a long-time Mortal Kombat fan who has paid close attention its origins and transformation, there was much to discover for me to discover and admire about the series.

What Defines the Legacy Collection

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is, like previous classic compilations from the development team Digital Eclipse, part historical documentation, part playable archive. The collection includes emulated versions 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 franchise's attempts at spin-off titles, like combat-focused releases Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces — some of the brand's most criticized releases.

The Legacy Kollection consequently doesn't represent a highlight reel anthology, but an examination of the franchise's initial era, when the creators at Midway and brand founders the visionary developers were figuring out how to develop a battle series, produced using film material of live performers, as they went along. Viewing the historical footage — containing historical videos, contemporary discussions, and digital copies of vintage posters, graphic novels, and including internal communications — it's remarkable to see how Mortal Kombat went from modest origins to a worldwide phenomenon. It's truly remarkable to observe several young game developers, operating with virtually no plan or guidance, direct their entertainment passions into birthing an iconic game franchise.

Documentary Portion

The educational segment of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection traces the growth of the combat franchise and the developers' professional journeys at the currently closed Midway. It further illustrates how the very same individuals reckoned with how to consistently surpass their achievements, facing no small amount of pressure to repeat their achievements. It's a fascinating time capsule constructed using video recordings and analog photographs and manual drawings, which showcase the DIY nature of the franchise's production method and how word of mouth helped circulate its mysteries and hidden aspects of Mortal Kombat in its arcade heyday. Presented in manageable segments, it's an eminently watchable collection of mini-documentaries that includes titles, illustrated stories, cinematic adaptations and even the comical physical events. The compilation also contains some unreleased actions and digital fighter representations among its cutting-room-floor content.

Playable Component

Placed within the quintet of documentary episodes' progression are invitations to experience the original releases. At certain intervals, viewers can hop into a game of Mortal Kombat or a console adaptation to rediscover its combat system and artistic style, emulated nearly perfectly on modern hardware.

I dedicated most of my time playing the arcade classics, specifically Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Several releases here remain enjoyable, notably with one-on-one local play. But playing against the artificial intelligence fighters in these releases is a reminder of how crude and unjust the coding existed in the series' initial installments. Computer-directed fighters clearly employ dishonest tactics or are alternatively incredibly stupid. Without having someone to play against — network gaming is included in the majority of included games, but rather basic in functionality — the experience will be incomplete.

Display Features

The 23 playable Mortal Kombat games in the anthology, a combination of arcade, console, and handheld games, are accurately emulated, though I have noticed a few small quirks — mostly input lag and sporadic glitches, particularly in Mortal Kombat 4. And while the games are largely presented as-is, the development team has included some smart user experience improvements and visual presentation options. As an illustration, you can choose to display fighter-specific techniques on-screen and select to activate unlimited duration to execute finishing moves. Additionally available are settings for revealing concealed combatants, removing the requirement to complete complicated methods to obtain them.

Graphically, the titles can be enjoyed with multiple visual enhancements and presentation styles. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection provides highly authentic options that simulate the cathode-ray tube displays of arcades or household displays, or the greenscale screen of a Game Boy. A notably appreciated element is the option to have gaming hall-style borders surrounding the screen, with your selected Mortal Kombat title precisely and gently mirroring against the simulated dark plastic edges. It's very artistically charming.

Extra Content

There are plenty of welcome features besides the educational material and simulated classic games, containing a soundtrack mode that allows users to rediscover the soundtracks of different combat titles excluding the sounds of two kombatants viciously slaughtering each other. There are also fighter biographies that include bios and multiple story elements displayed via the idle displays of gaming hall releases and final sequences.

Lost Media Recovery

One of the biggest highlights for hardcore Mortal Kombat fans is the opportunity to play a segment of previously unavailable content in the guise of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Wavenet Edition. This specific release, a slightly updated version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, was an pioneering effort from the developer at one-on-one internet-based play in gaming halls. This network version of the game is virtually identical to UMK3, but provided the ability to battle network competitors and included some minor error corrections and adjustments. But the Wavenet update didn't find widespread adoption, in part