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The Mortal Kombat series retains numerous undisclosed elements and the power to astonish, over three decades after its original launch in gaming halls. This latest compilation covering the brand's formative years, which includes four original arcade titles, several home system versions, and related titles, goes beyond only a accurately simulated collection of iconic titles and not-so-classics — it functions as a rich documentary about the development of the renowned brand.

Even as a lifelong Mortal Kombat fan who has carefully followed its development and progression, there was much to discover for me to learn and appreciate about the series.

What Constitutes the Legacy Kollection

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection similar to previous classic compilations from the creators at Digital Eclipse, part historical documentation, portion interactive museum. The collection includes digitally recreated editions of the original 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 franchise's attempts at spinoffs, like action games Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces — among the series' worst entries.

The Legacy Kollection consequently doesn't represent a “best of” collection, but a study of the series' formative period, when developer Midway and franchise originators the creative duo behind the series were determining how to make a fighting game, created from video recordings of live performers, as they went along. Watching the documentary — containing historical videos, new interviews, and digital copies of vintage posters, comics, and even company memos — it's incredible to witness how the franchise evolved from simple starts to a worldwide phenomenon. It's truly remarkable to watch a handful of pioneering developers, operating with virtually no plan or guidance, focus their cultural enthusiasms into establishing an enduring gaming brand.

Educational Component

The educational segment of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection documents the ascent of the combat franchise and the founders' vocational paths at the now-defunct Midway. It subsequently demonstrates how the very same individuals addressed how to regularly outdo their previous work, experiencing considerable pressure to repeat their achievements. It's a fascinating time capsule made from analog films and film-based pictures and hand-drawn illustrations, which demonstrate the hands-on approach of the franchise's production method and how personal recommendations helped circulate its mysteries and hidden aspects of Mortal Kombat in its peak period in gaming halls. Presented in manageable segments, it's highly engaging set of brief historical films that includes titles, illustrated stories, cinematic adaptations and even the comical physical events. The compilation also contains some never-implemented techniques and game character images among its cutting-room-floor content.

Interactive Gaming

Placed within the five-part documentary's timeline are invitations to experience the games themselves. At certain intervals, audience members can jump into a Mortal Kombat title or a home system version to rediscover its combat system and artistic style, recreated with impressive accuracy on contemporary systems.

I allocated the majority of my time engaging with the vintage coin-op games, especially Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Numerous titles here stand the test of time, notably with one-on-one local play. Yet competing with the aforementioned game's AI-controlled opponents is a testament to how primitive and unbalanced the programming was in early Mortal Kombat games. Computer-directed fighters clearly employ dishonest tactics or are conversely remarkably unintelligent. Without having someone to play against — internet multiplayer exists in most titles in the collection, but somewhat limited in options — you'll miss the full enjoyment.

Visual Options

The two dozen available combat games in the anthology, a combination of arcade, console, and handheld games, are accurately emulated, though I have noticed a handful slight anomalies — mostly input lag and intermittent errors, particularly in Mortal Kombat 4. Although the titles are mostly shown in their original form, the development team has added several intelligent convenience enhancements and visual presentation options. For example, you can choose to display fighter-specific techniques on the display and opt to have infinite time to complete lethal techniques. Also included are choices for revealing concealed combatants, without having to perform complicated methods to access them.

Visually, the games 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 arcades or home televisions, or the greenscale screen of a Game Boy. A notably appreciated element is the setting to activate gaming hall-style borders encircling the display, with your selected Mortal Kombat title faithfully and subtly duplicating against the simulated dark plastic edges. It's remarkably visually appealing.

Extra Content

The collection includes numerous nice touches beyond the educational material and simulated classic games, containing a soundtrack mode that lets you revisit the tunes of various combat titles excluding the sounds of combatants violently defeating each other. Additionally included are combatant descriptions that contain backgrounds and multiple story elements shown through the idle displays of gaming hall releases and endings.

Lost Media Recovery

A particularly notable inclusion for dedicated series enthusiasts is the opportunity to play a example of historically missing material in the format of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Wavenet Edition. This particular edition, a moderately improved edition of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, was an pioneering effort from the developer at direct online competitive gaming in gaming halls. The online-enabled release of the game is practically indistinguishable to UMK3, but featured the capability to challenge online opponents and contained several small error corrections and adjustments. However, this network version never gained traction, in part