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Mortal Kombat still possesses numerous undisclosed elements and the capacity to surprise, over three decades after its first appearance in arcades. A new collection spanning the series' initial period, comprising a quartet of arcade releases, multiple console adaptations, and spinoffs, is more than simply a faithfully reproduced collection of iconic titles and not-so-classics — it's also a detailed chronicle about the development of the legendary series.

Even as a lifelong enthusiast of the series who has paid close attention its creation and evolution, there was much to discover for me to discover and admire about the series.

What Makes the Historical Compilation

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection similar to other vintage game anthologies from the creators at Digital Eclipse, part historical documentation, section playable historical record. The collection includes emulated versions of the first arcade Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat 4, along with home system and portable adaptations of certain releases. The collection even includes the series' ventures at derivative games, like action-oriented titles Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces — two of the franchise's most criticized releases.

The Legacy Kollection thus isn't a greatest hits compilation, but a study of Mortal Kombat's early days, when the development team Midway and brand founders Ed Boon and John Tobias were determining how to create a combat title, digitized from footage of actual people, as they went along. Watching the documentary — which includes historical videos, recent conversations, and digital copies of vintage posters, comics, and even interoffice faxes — it's incredible to witness how Mortal Kombat went from humble beginnings to a worldwide phenomenon. It's genuinely amazing to watch a handful of pioneering developers, operating with virtually no plan or oversight, channel their pop-culture interests into birthing an iconic game franchise.

Historical Section

The educational segment of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection documents the ascent of the fighting series and its creators' careers at the no-longer-operating Midway. It further illustrates how these identical developers addressed how to regularly outdo their previous work, experiencing considerable pressure to repeat their achievements. It's a fascinating time capsule made from VHS tapes and analog photographs and manual drawings, which reveal the self-made character of Mortal Kombat's development and how oral tradition helped circulate its mysteries and hidden aspects of Mortal Kombat in its golden era in coin-op establishments. Presented in manageable segments, it's highly engaging set of brief historical films that covers video games, graphic novels, movies and including the humorous real-world tour. The compilation also contains some unreleased actions and game character images among its archived development assets.

Interactive Gaming

Interspersed along the five-part documentary's timeline are prompts to play the games themselves. At certain intervals, users can directly access a game of Mortal Kombat or one of its home console ports to reexperience its mechanics and artistic style, simulated with remarkable precision on contemporary systems.

I allocated the majority of my time engaging with the vintage coin-op games, particularly Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Numerous titles here stand the test of time, particularly during direct competitive sessions. Yet competing with the artificial intelligence fighters in these releases is a testament to how primitive and unjust the development approached in the series' initial installments. AI-managed characters blatantly cheat to win or are alternatively incredibly stupid. If you don't have a human opponent — internet multiplayer exists in the majority of included games, but too light on features — you'll be missing out.

Technical Presentation

The two dozen available combat games in the collection, a combination of coin-op, home system, and portable titles, are faithfully recreated, though I have noticed a few small quirks — mostly input lag and sporadic glitches, especially with Mortal Kombat 4. Although the titles are largely presented as-is, the creators has included some smart user experience improvements and graphical adjustment settings. For instance, you can choose to display fighter-specific techniques during gameplay and opt to have endless periods to execute finishing moves. There are also options for revealing concealed combatants, removing the requirement to complete obscure techniques to obtain them.

Artistically, the releases can be played with a variety of graphical effects and display options. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection offers very realistic effects that reproduce the traditional television screens of coin-op establishments or household displays, or the monochrome green display of a Game Boy. An especially welcome feature is the option to have arcade-like bezels encircling the display, with the specific combat game you're playing accurately and softly reflecting against the simulated dark plastic edges. It's remarkably visually appealing.

Extra Content

Players will discover multiple appreciated elements beyond the educational material and simulated classic games, containing a soundtrack mode that enables players to reexperience the soundtracks of different Mortal Kombat games excluding the sounds of combatants violently defeating each other. Additionally included are fighter biographies that feature histories and multiple story elements shown through arcade games' attract mode screens and conclusions.

Historical Preservation

One of the biggest highlights for dedicated series enthusiasts is the chance to experience a segment of previously unavailable content in the format of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Wavenet Edition. This version of the game, a somewhat revised iteration of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, was an early attempt by Midway at head-to-head network battles in coin-op establishments. This network version of the game is practically indistinguishable to UMK3, but provided the ability to battle network competitors and included some minor bug fixes and balance. Yet this online edition failed to achieve popularity, in part