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Mortal Kombat still possesses its share of secrets and the capacity to surprise, more than 30 years after its initial debut in coin-op establishments. This latest compilation spanning the franchise's earliest days, which includes four original arcade titles, several home system versions, and derivative games, transcends simply a faithfully reproduced collection of iconic titles along with lesser-known entries — it's also a detailed chronicle about the making of the renowned brand.

Even as a lifelong enthusiast of the series who has closely monitored its creation and evolution, there was plenty new for me to discover and admire about the series.

What Makes the Historical Compilation

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection comparable to other retro collections from the development team Digital Eclipse, portion educational film, part playable archive. This compilation features simulated releases of the original arcade Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat 4, plus console and handheld ports of some of those games. The collection even includes the series' ventures 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 is therefore not a highlight reel anthology, but a study of the series' formative period, when developer Midway and series co-creators the visionary developers were figuring out how to make a fighting game, created from video recordings of live performers, through experimentation. Observing the archival material — containing historical videos, new interviews, and scans of old flyers, graphic novels, and even interoffice faxes — it's incredible to witness how Mortal Kombat went from humble beginnings to a global sensation. It's frankly astounding to observe several early video game creators, developing without clear direction or guidance, focus their cultural enthusiasms into birthing an iconic game franchise.

Documentary Portion

The documentary portion of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection documents the ascent of Mortal Kombat and the founders' vocational paths at the currently closed Midway. It subsequently demonstrates how these identical developers contended with how to regularly outdo their previous work, encountering significant pressure to repeat their triumphs. It represents an intriguing historical record constructed using VHS tapes and traditional photos and hand-drawn illustrations, which reveal the self-made character of the series' creation process and how oral tradition helped circulate its mysteries and undisclosed elements of the series in its golden era in coin-op establishments. Told in bite-sized chunks, it's highly engaging set of brief historical films that covers video games, graphic novels, movies and including the humorous real-world tour. The collection additionally features some never-implemented techniques and character sprites among its cutting-room-floor content.

Interactive Experience

Distributed throughout the quintet of documentary episodes' progression are prompts to play the original releases. At certain intervals, audience members can jump into a game of Mortal Kombat or a home system version to revisit its gameplay and visual presentation, simulated with remarkable precision on current technology.

I dedicated most of my time experiencing the original arcade titles, particularly Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Several releases here stand the test of time, particularly during local multiplayer matches. Yet competing with the artificial intelligence fighters in these releases is a testament to how primitive and unbalanced the programming was in early Mortal Kombat games. Computer-directed fighters blatantly cheat to win or are alternatively incredibly stupid. Lacking another person to compete with — network gaming is included in the majority of included games, but rather basic in functionality — the experience will be incomplete.

Technical Presentation

The 23 playable Mortal Kombat games in the compilation, a blend of gaming hall, television, and mobile releases, are faithfully recreated, though I have noticed a few small quirks — mostly input lag and the occasional bug, especially with Mortal Kombat 4. And while the games are largely presented as-is, developer Digital Eclipse has added several intelligent convenience enhancements and display customization choices. For instance, users can elect to display fighter-specific techniques on-screen and choose to enable unlimited duration to execute finishing moves. There are also options for unlocking secret characters, without having to perform some esoteric trick to obtain them.

Graphically, the titles can be experienced with numerous filters and visual treatments. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection offers very realistic options that simulate the cathode-ray tube displays of arcades or domestic TVs, or the limited color monitor of a portable gaming device. A notably appreciated element is the option to have arcade-like bezels encircling the display, with the MK game of your choice accurately and softly reflecting against the faux black plastic borders. It's remarkably visually appealing.

Bonus Elements

There are plenty of welcome features besides the historical footage and recreated vintage titles, featuring an audio component that enables players to reexperience the tunes of various combat titles excluding the sounds of combatants violently defeating each other. There are also character profiles that feature histories and multiple story elements shown through the demo sequences of coin-op titles and conclusions.

Archival Discovery

Among the most significant features for dedicated series enthusiasts is the ability to access a segment of previously unavailable content in the form of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Wavenet Edition. This particular edition, a slightly updated version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, was an pioneering effort from the developer at head-to-head network battles in coin-op establishments. This network version of the game is virtually identical to UMK3, but featured the capability to battle network competitors and included some minor error corrections and adjustments. But the Wavenet update failed to achieve popularity, in part