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This iconic fighting game still possesses numerous undisclosed elements and the power to astonish, well past its 30th anniversary after its first appearance in coin-op establishments. A new collection spanning the brand's formative years, which includes four arcade games, multiple console adaptations, and derivative games, is more than just a well-emulated collection of iconic titles and not-so-classics — it's also a comprehensive historical account about the making of the legendary series.

As a dedicated devotee of the franchise who has closely monitored its origins and transformation, there was numerous fresh aspects for me to discover and admire about the series.

What Defines the Legacy Collection

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection similar to previous classic compilations from the creators at Digital Eclipse, portion educational film, part playable archive. The collection includes simulated releases of the original arcade Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat 4, along with home system and portable adaptations of some of those games. The collection even includes the series' ventures at derivative games, like action-oriented titles Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces — among the series' least successful installments.

The Legacy Kollection is therefore not a highlight reel anthology, but a study of the series' formative period, when developer Midway and series co-creators the creative duo behind the series were determining how to create a combat title, digitized from footage of actual people, through experimentation. Viewing the historical footage — that features historical videos, recent conversations, and scans of old flyers, illustrated stories, and even company memos — it's remarkable to see how Mortal Kombat went from modest origins to a worldwide phenomenon. It's truly remarkable to see a group of young game developers, working with minimal planning or oversight, focus their cultural enthusiasms into birthing an iconic game franchise.

Historical Section

The documentary portion of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection traces the growth of the combat franchise and its creators' careers at the now-defunct Midway. It subsequently demonstrates how those same creators addressed how to regularly outdo their previous work, experiencing considerable stress to duplicate their triumphs. It serves as a compelling period piece constructed using analog films and film-based pictures and pencil sketches, which showcase the DIY nature of the franchise's production method and how oral tradition helped spread its rumors and hidden aspects of Mortal Kombat in its peak period in gaming halls. Delivered in easily digestible portions, it's an eminently watchable set of brief historical films that spans games, comics, films and even the silly live-action tour. The compilation also contains some unused moves and digital fighter representations among its cutting-room-floor content.

Interactive Experience

Distributed throughout the five-segment historical film's chronology are invitations to experience the original releases. At certain intervals, audience members can jump into a Mortal Kombat title or one of its home console ports to rediscover its combat system and graphics, emulated nearly perfectly on contemporary systems.

I dedicated most of my time engaging with the vintage coin-op games, specifically Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Many of the games here hold up, particularly during local multiplayer matches. Yet competing with the aforementioned game's AI-controlled opponents is a testament to how primitive and unbalanced the programming was in the series' initial installments. AI-managed characters obviously use unfair advantages or are otherwise dumb as rocks. Without having someone to play against — network gaming is included in the majority of included games, but rather basic in functionality — you'll miss the full enjoyment.

Technical Presentation

The 23 playable Mortal Kombat games in the collection, a blend of arcade, console, and handheld games, are accurately emulated, though I detected a few small quirks — primarily delayed responses and sporadic glitches, especially with Mortal Kombat 4. And while the games are largely presented as-is, the creators has incorporated various clever user experience improvements and visual presentation options. As an illustration, players have the option to reveal combatant-unique actions on-screen and select to activate infinite time to complete lethal techniques. Additionally available are settings for unlocking secret characters, removing the requirement to complete obscure techniques to unlock them.

Graphically, the titles can be enjoyed with multiple graphical effects and display options. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection provides highly authentic effects that reproduce the traditional television screens of arcades or home televisions, or the greenscale screen of a portable gaming device. An especially welcome feature is the setting to activate gaming hall-style borders surrounding the screen, with the MK game of your choice faithfully and subtly duplicating against the artificial ebony plastic frames. It's very artistically charming.

Bonus Elements

Players will discover multiple welcome features besides the historical footage and recreated vintage titles, including a music player that enables players to reexperience the tunes of various fighting releases without the din of combatants violently defeating each other. There are also character profiles that feature histories and multiple story elements shown through arcade games' attract mode screens and conclusions.

Lost Media Recovery

One of the biggest highlights for committed franchise followers is the opportunity to play a piece of "lost media" in the format of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Wavenet Edition. This particular edition, a slightly updated version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, was an early attempt by Midway at direct online competitive gaming in coin-op establishments. The Wavenet Edition of the game is practically indistinguishable to UMK3, but featured the capability to battle network competitors and featured various slight error corrections and adjustments. Yet this online edition didn't find widespread adoption, in part