The Legacy Kollection of Mortal Kombat: An Almost Perfect Triumph for the Fighting Game Franchise

This iconic fighting game still possesses its share of secrets and the ability to amaze, well past its 30th anniversary after its original launch in coin-op establishments. A new collection covering the series' initial period, which includes four arcade games, several home system versions, and related titles, transcends only a accurately simulated series of classics along with lesser-known entries — it functions as a detailed chronicle about the development of the legendary series.

Being a long-time Mortal Kombat fan who has paid close attention its creation and evolution, there was numerous fresh aspects for me to discover and admire about the series.

What Makes the Legacy Collection

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection similar to other retro collections from the creators at Digital Eclipse, portion educational film, section playable historical record. This compilation features simulated releases of the original arcade Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat 4, including television and mobile versions of several of these titles. This compilation also features the franchise's attempts at spin-off titles, like action games Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces — some of the brand's worst entries.

The Legacy Kollection consequently doesn't represent a greatest hits compilation, but an examination of the franchise's initial era, when the development team Midway and series co-creators the creative duo behind the series were discovering methods to make a fighting game, created from video recordings of real actors, as they went along. Observing the archival material — containing vintage recordings, recent conversations, and reproductions of classic advertisements, illustrated stories, and even company memos — it's incredible to witness how the series transformed from humble beginnings to a global sensation. It's genuinely amazing to watch a handful of early video game creators, working with minimal planning or guidance, direct their entertainment passions into establishing an enduring gaming brand.

Documentary Portion

The documentary portion of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection traces the growth of the fighting series and its creators' careers at the currently closed Midway. It then goes on to show how those same creators reckoned with how to regularly outdo their previous work, encountering significant pressure to repeat their triumphs. It's a fascinating time capsule composed of video recordings and traditional photos and pencil sketches, which showcase the DIY nature of the franchise's production method and how oral tradition helped disseminate its secrets and undisclosed elements of the series in its golden era in coin-op establishments. Told in bite-sized chunks, it's thoroughly enjoyable set of brief historical films that includes titles, illustrated stories, cinematic adaptations and even the silly live-action tour. The compilation also contains some unreleased actions and game character images among its cutting-room-floor content.

Interactive Gaming

Interspersed along the quintet of documentary episodes' progression are opportunities to engage with the original releases. During specific moments, audience members can jump into a Mortal Kombat title or a home system version to revisit its gameplay and visual presentation, simulated with remarkable precision on contemporary systems.

I dedicated most of my time experiencing the original arcade titles, particularly Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Numerous titles here stand the test of time, especially in one-on-one local play. Yet competing with the aforementioned game's AI-controlled opponents is a reminder of how crude and unbalanced the coding existed in the series' initial installments. CPU-controlled opponents obviously use unfair advantages or are conversely remarkably unintelligent. If you don't have a human opponent — online play is available in numerous anthology releases, but too light on features — you'll be missing out.

Technical Presentation

The two dozen available combat games in the anthology, a mix of gaming hall, television, and mobile releases, are precisely simulated, though I have noticed a couple minor issues — mostly input lag and the occasional bug, particularly in Mortal Kombat 4. Even though the releases are primarily displayed authentically, the development team has incorporated various clever user experience improvements and visual presentation options. As an illustration, users can elect to display fighter-specific techniques on-screen and opt to have unlimited duration to complete lethal techniques. Additionally available are settings for unlocking secret characters, eliminating the need to execute obscure techniques to access them.

Artistically, the releases can be enjoyed with multiple graphical effects and display options. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection offers very realistic options that simulate the traditional television screens of arcades or domestic TVs, or the limited color monitor of a portable gaming device. A notably appreciated element is the option to have coin-op-inspired frames framing the gameplay, with the specific combat game you're playing accurately and softly reflecting against the artificial ebony plastic frames. It's very artistically charming.

Extra Content

There are plenty of appreciated elements beyond the documentary and emulated arcade classics, including a music player that lets you revisit the soundtracks of different fighting releases excluding the sounds of two kombatants viciously slaughtering each other. Additionally included are character profiles that feature histories and numerous narrative components presented by arcade games' attract mode screens and final sequences.

Archival Discovery

Among the most significant features for hardcore Mortal Kombat fans is the opportunity to play a example of historically missing material in the guise of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Wavenet Edition. This particular edition, a moderately improved edition of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, was an early attempt by Midway at one-on-one internet-based play in gaming halls. The Wavenet Edition of the game is virtually identical to UMK3, but provided the ability to battle network competitors and included some minor error corrections and adjustments. However, this network version didn't find widespread adoption, in part