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Mortal Kombat still possesses many hidden mysteries and the ability to amaze, well past its 30th anniversary after its initial debut in arcades. The recent anthology including the franchise's earliest days, which includes four arcade games, several home system versions, and derivative games, is more than simply a faithfully reproduced series of classics along with lesser-known entries — it's also a detailed chronicle about the creation of the renowned brand.

Being a long-time enthusiast of the series who has paid close attention its development and progression, there was plenty new for me to learn and appreciate about the series.

What Constitutes the Historical Compilation

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection similar to previous classic compilations from developer Digital Eclipse, part documentary, part playable archive. The collection includes simulated releases of the pioneering arcade Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat 4, along with home system and portable adaptations of certain releases. This compilation also features the brand's experiments at spinoffs, like action-oriented titles Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces — some of the brand's worst entries.

The Legacy Kollection thus isn't a “best of” collection, but an exploration into Mortal Kombat's early days, when the creators at Midway and series co-creators the creative duo behind the series were determining how to develop a battle series, produced using film material of actual people, on the fly. Viewing the historical footage — which includes vintage recordings, recent conversations, and digital copies of vintage posters, graphic novels, and even interoffice faxes — it's remarkable to see how the series transformed from modest origins to a international craze. It's truly remarkable to observe several young game developers, working with minimal planning or oversight, focus their cultural enthusiasms into creating a legendary video game series.

Historical Section

The historical documentation of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection documents the ascent of the combat franchise and the founders' vocational paths at the no-longer-operating Midway. It then goes on to show how the very same individuals reckoned with how to routinely one-up themselves, encountering significant stress to duplicate their achievements. It serves as a compelling period piece made from VHS tapes and traditional photos and pencil sketches, which reveal the self-made character of the series' creation process 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 set of brief historical films that spans games, comics, films and even the comical physical events. The compilation also contains some unreleased actions and game character images among its cutting-room-floor content.

Interactive Experience

Interspersed along the five-part documentary's timeline are opportunities to engage with the original releases. At various points, audience members can jump into a Mortal Kombat title or one of its home console ports to revisit its gameplay and visual presentation, simulated with remarkable precision on contemporary systems.

I allocated the majority of my time playing the arcade classics, specifically Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Many of the games here remain enjoyable, notably with direct competitive sessions. Yet competing with the computer-controlled adversaries in these titles is a demonstration of how basic and unfair the coding existed in the series' initial installments. Computer-directed fighters clearly employ dishonest tactics or are alternatively incredibly stupid. If you don't have a human opponent — network gaming is included in most titles in the collection, but somewhat limited in options — the experience will be incomplete.

Visual Options

The twenty-three accessible Mortal Kombat titles in the compilation, a mix of coin-op, home system, and portable titles, are faithfully recreated, though I've observed a handful slight anomalies — mostly input lag and the occasional bug, particularly in Mortal Kombat 4. Even though the releases are largely presented as-is, developer Digital Eclipse has included some smart convenience enhancements and graphical adjustment settings. For instance, users can elect to reveal combatant-unique actions on-screen and select to activate infinite time to perform a Fatality. There are also options for accessing hidden fighters, removing the requirement to complete complicated methods to access them.

Artistically, the releases can be enjoyed with multiple graphical effects and display options. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection includes remarkably accurate options that simulate the cathode-ray tube displays of coin-op establishments or domestic TVs, or the monochrome green display of a portable gaming device. A particularly nice touch is the setting to activate arcade-like bezels framing the gameplay, with the specific combat game you're playing accurately and softly reflecting against the simulated dark plastic edges. It's remarkably visually appealing.

Additional Features

The collection includes numerous appreciated elements beyond the documentary and emulated arcade classics, featuring an audio component that lets you revisit the soundtracks of different combat titles absent the noise of fighters brutally eliminating opponents. Also present are fighter biographies that feature histories and the various bits of lore shown through the demo sequences of coin-op titles and conclusions.

Lost Media Recovery

Among the most significant features for dedicated series enthusiasts is the chance to experience a example of historically missing material in the form of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Wavenet Edition. This particular edition, a moderately improved edition of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, was an initial venture by the company at head-to-head network battles in arcades. The online-enabled release of the game is virtually identical to UMK3, but provided the ability to challenge online opponents and featured various slight glitch repairs and refinements. But the Wavenet update failed to achieve popularity, in part