Mortal Kombat has been around for so long, it’s easy to take it for granted. NetherRealm’s newer fighting games have hit so consistently, setting the standard for what fighting games could be in terms of competitive contests and single-player stories. Older generations may have forgotten the series’ humble beginnings, while younger players may not even be aware of them at all.
**Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection**, from Atari and Digital Eclipse, tells the story of the franchise’s earliest days—and does so in a way that’s informative, honest, and fun. The games may not be what they once were, but they’re still a blast to revisit, some of them made better by a few slight quality-of-life tweaks.
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### Primitive Kombat
*Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection* features a mixture of classic games from the arcade, home console, and handheld devices. While Digital Eclipse is familiar with the idea of taking games from a past generation and presenting them for a new audience, there was a unique challenge with the Mortal Kombat series.
Some games are presented as a “warts and all” package, which is fascinating from a historical perspective. This is especially true of the earlier games, which had multiple versions across arcade and consoles. For example, the original *Mortal Kombat* had voices on the Super Nintendo, while the Sega Genesis version featured blood that was hidden behind a secret code. Similarly, *Mortal Kombat II*’s visual presentation differed noticeably across arcade, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and Sega 32X versions. These differences even extended to gameplay.
One detail that stands out in the older fighting games is loading speed. The Super Nintendo version of *Mortal Kombat II* specifically had a noticeable stutter whenever each round started. In general, these versions felt distinctly slower, especially compared to their arcade counterparts.
In many ways, that slower pace is part of their charm. In the ’90s, that was the bar—and the hard-hitting violence and over-the-top finishers exceeded that standard.
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### Quality-of-Life Improvements and Gameplay Enhancements
Digital Eclipse didn’t just preserve these older games—they stepped in and made some improvements where possible. This is especially true for the PlayStation versions of *Mortal Kombat Trilogy* and *Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero*, where loading times were optimized and gameplay flowed much more smoothly as a result.
There’s even a **Rewind feature** included for titles like *Mythologies: Sub-Zero*, which helps address inherent gameplay flaws without compromising the experience of the original game.
While it’s great to have a more playable version of *Mortal Kombat Trilogy* on PlayStation, it did leave me feeling conflicted about inconsistencies in performance improvements. Part of me wanted to see similar optimizations applied to the older titles, but there’s also a certain charm in seeing those old games just as they were.
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### Helpful Features and Hidden Content
Where the games in this collection benefit most is through quality-of-life options. Players have access to on-screen move lists, Fatality timers, and various cheat options. Some features even dive into historical curiosities, such as opening up developer options on the arcade versions.
No discussion of Mortal Kombat gaming history would be complete without mentioning the various secret characters from the earliest games. The collection includes options to access the Reptile fight from *Mortal Kombat* and the Smoke, Jade, and Noob Saibot fights from *Mortal Kombat II* without having to meet the original, often complicated conditions. This feels like a fun bonus for anyone who grew up with these games.
There are even unlockables I didn’t know existed—like the ability to play as Goro in the Game Boy version of *Mortal Kombat*.
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### What’s Missing?
For as much as I love the mixture of arcade, console, and handheld titles in Digital Eclipse’s collection, there are a few other games from this era I would have loved to see included.
The arcade version of *Mortal Kombat 4* is a strong inclusion, spotlighting the end of the series’ original 2D era, but I would have also liked to see Digital Eclipse tackle the Sega Dreamcast port. Similarly, *Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3* is represented by the arcade and Super Nintendo versions, but the Sega Saturn version would have been interesting to explore for comparison.
As amazing as the optimized PlayStation version of *Mortal Kombat Trilogy* is, I would have liked to see the Nintendo 64 version included as well to showcase the contrast between CD and cartridge formats.
Still, the collection as it stands is a strong lineup of amazing fighting games, flawed platformers, and handheld curiosities—all worth checking out at least once to grasp their historical significance. Yes, even *Mortal Kombat: Special Forces*.
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### The Documentary: A 1990s Time Capsule
A majority of the collection features five-to-ten minute vignettes telling the story of the original *Mortal Kombat* development team. It’s one thing to recognize what an all-time great franchise Mortal Kombat is, but it’s another to see the origins of Ed Boon, John Tobias, John Vogel, and Dan Forden and their humble beginnings at Williams Bally/Midway.
There’s an early introduction video where the four team members introduce themselves in a style reminiscent of The Beatles—a charming touch that highlights how rare and special these origin stories have become in today’s video game landscape.
Digital Eclipse assembles a full-blown 1990s time capsule with initial pitches, original press releases, TV commercials, magazine clippings, and various behind-the-scenes videos from events. This documentary doesn’t just tell the story of the Mortal Kombat games; it conveys what a genuine pop culture phenomenon the series became.
While today’s games sell more units and generate more money—a point Ed Boon reflects on by the end of the documentary—the timeline reveals the extent to which Mortal Kombat took over the world in its early years.
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### Honest Reflections on the Franchise’s Evolution
It’s easy to celebrate early successes and paint a flawless picture, but this *Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection* documentary carries a refreshingly honest tone as it concludes.
While the franchise was enjoying its heyday, the documentary doesn’t shy away from addressing the franchise’s biggest turning point: the transition to 3D with *Mortal Kombat 4*.
The original development team candidly discusses the risks of going 3D, the rapid decline of arcade culture, and how *Mortal Kombat 4* served as a jumping-off point for new audiences. There was real turmoil during that time, and the documentary handles it with sincerity, discussing both the merits and flaws of the late ‘90s post-*MK3* games.
The timeline does falter a bit near the end, offering only brief summaries about the 2000s and 2010s Mortal Kombat titles without additional behind-the-scenes context. While one could argue that this collection isn’t focused on those later games, it does raise the question of why they were included at all when the early 3D era might have made a more natural conclusion.
That said, the final vignette revisiting nearly everyone featured is heartwarming and well worth watching.
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### Round 1: Final Thoughts
As fighting games, it’s obvious that nothing in *Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection* compares to what NetherRealm is producing today. In fact, the earliest MK games can feel downright jarring with their slower speeds and primitive presentation.
Fundamentally, though, the games hold up—especially when playing locally with friends—and they showcase the building blocks that would evolve into the Mortal Kombat we know today. Quality-of-life tweaks and optimization improvements, particularly for *Mortal Kombat Trilogy*, are very welcome and make gameplay flow much smoother than on the original hardware.
There are even training features included for several of the games, making it easier to practice and improve.
With classic games and a heartfelt documentary, *Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection* continues to prove that there’s nobody better at this type of compilation than Digital Eclipse. Whether you’re an old-school fighter or want to teach your kids what Mortal Kombat looked like in the old days, this is by far the best way to do it.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146581/mortal-kombat-legacy-kollection-review-score
