I can’t lie, I’m a sucker for Mortal Kombat. Call it nostalgia, brought on by the 1995 movie (insert MORTAL KOMBAAAATTT scream here), or the long list of arcade and console classics that inspired it. Now I get it, that movie doesn’t hold a candle to the games released before and since, but that was honestly my first experience with the franchise.
Well, that and Mortal Kombat Trilogy, which I received as a gift on the original PlayStation.While I had no idea that I was playing one of the best Mortal Kombat games at that point in time, I did know that it was awesome. Playing with cousins who were older than me, I would struggle to remember all the combinations and Fatalities for Liu Kang, my favourite character.
Since then, the series has persevered, and I, along with it. Through the 3D fighting era of the Nintendo 64 and, eventually, PlayStation 2 and beyond, I was excited to see just how the franchise culminated and celebrated its history and highlights with the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection. The package is certainly a great one in most parts, thanks to its solid ports and a really cool documentary from developer Digital Eclipse, which brings together various developers across the franchise’s 33 years, to comment on the impact of each of these titles.
Choose Your Kombat
The Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection brings back a bunch of older Mortal Kombat titles in their remastered form, including:
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Mortal Kombat – 1992 (Versions include the Arcade, SNES, Sega Mega Drive, Game Boy and Game Gear)
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Mortal Kombat II – 1993 (Versions include the Arcade, SNES, Sega Mega Drive, Game Boy and 32X)
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Mortal Kombat 3 – 1995 (Versions include the Arcade, SNES and Sega Mega Drive)
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Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 – 1995 (Versions include the Arcade, WaveNet Arcade and SNES)
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Mortal Kombat Trilogy – 1996 (PlayStation version)
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Mortal Kombat 4 – 1997 (Arcade version)
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Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero – 1997 (PlayStation version)
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Mortal Kombat Special Forces – 2000 (PlayStation)
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Mortal Kombat Advance – 2001 (Game Boy Advance)
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Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance – 2002 (Game Boy Advance version)
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Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition – 2003 (Game Boy Advance)
There’s so much here it could make your head spin, but the game does a really good job at breaking down these games for you across menus that are easy to navigate. My only gripe with the presentation here is that the game doesn’t explicitly tell you which console version of the game is on, and only provides a small logo of the console next to the game. It’s fine if you know what console you’re looking at, but to younger or even uninformed audiences, it might get lost in translation.
Another gripe I had with the overall package, beyond Mortal Kombat 4, was its game selections. Sure, Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat Special Forces are painfully average at the best of times, but I’m puzzled as to why they included Game Boy Advance versions of certain titles.
I can understand Mortal Kombat Advance, but why then include the Game Boy Advance version of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, when that was released on other mainline platforms at the time, like the PlayStation 2 and Xbox? I’ll give it credit, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance on the Game Boy Advance isn’t even that bad, but the console versions are fantastic.
Even then, you could argue that while the team at Digital Eclipse wanted to include games from this era, replacing Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat Special Forces with Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon or even Mortal Kombat: Deception, respectively, would have absolutely slapped. Those games introduced not only new ways to play, but plenty of other fun modes and stories too.
Those gripes aside, most of what’s here is absolutely stellar. The original holds up like you wouldn’t believe, and while the AI is still incredibly tough, everything looks super clean and polished. It’s funny to see that, even on the easier difficulty settings, Mortal Kombat was still wreaking havoc on kids’ piggy bank coins at the arcades back in the ’90s.
More hardcore fans will also appreciate the inclusion of the WaveNet Arcade version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, a version of the game built by Midway to run on their unreleased multiplayer service. This version only really adds playable versions of Noob Saibot and Human Smoke, but it’s simply nice to see a game that was once considered the holy grail of the franchise getting some love here.
Funnily enough, you can now take the fight online, either via a Quick Match or by creating a room for others to join via the Online Arcade. The latter option is a much better experience to rely on with friends. As the collection lets you run a quick match within any game, I sadly never found a match.
The Power of the Kollection
While most of the experiences hold up, it’s really the new additions to the actual package that help things feel that much better. For example, players can now create and load save states, as well as rewind up to 30 seconds in any game, which helps if you’re playing on harder difficulties or don’t want to be bounced back to the main menu when going up against Shao Khan.
There are even cool visual filters to experiment with, such as the inclusion of an old CRT border or even a Game Boy Advance face that surrounds the classic 4:3 aspect ratio in which these games are presented. If you’re older like me, you’ll actually have memories of playing on a TV that looked just like this, and the nostalgia is as strong as a Flying Dragon Kick to the face.
There are even TV scan lines and LCD pixelation, which help to give the games the intended retro look, although these can be turned off as well. To top it all off, you can even change and stretch the aspect ratios of each game if you’re not a fan of the original look.
But above all else, I love how the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection ties its game selections into a nice documentary that can be found in The Krypt via the main menu. I wish this were presented a little more front and centre, because it really is the shining star of this entire package.
The documentary takes place over five chapters, and players can select each chapter and flick through a timeline of exclusive videos featuring the likes of original co-creators Ed Boon and John Tobias, along with the rest of the original team, talking about the creation of the franchise and the development of each game throughout the collection.
I was stunned by just how deep and insightful this was, complete with new interviews and snippets that culminate in around 2-3 hours of footage. Even between the interviews, you’ll get access to original notes, character drawings and story ideas that were left on the cutting room floor. As the franchise shifts to 3D, we get a great look at the challenges presented to the team, along with all the legal hurdles and video game ratings in the U.S.A., that were born as a result of the Mortal Kombat franchise.
I absolutely ate this up over the course of a couple of nights, and given I didn’t really know what to expect, it was a real treat.
Within The Krypt, you’ll also get access to a full rundown of the Mortal Kombat lore, in addition to a full list of the collection’s ‘Kombatants’ and which games they appear or were introduced in, and a Music Player, which lets you scrub through all the tracks from these games. Finally, there’s the Kombat Kard, which gives you a full breakdown of your time spent in the game, along with online and offline wins and losses, favourite games and favourite characters.
Final Thoughts
While I won’t find myself replaying every game in this collection to the same extent, I’m loving what the team at Digital Eclipse have put together here. The Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection presents some incredibly polished versions of a bunch of games of varying quality, but you can feel the love and passion at every turn.
If the games weren’t enough, The Krpyt has got you covered with an incredible documentary that will please hardcore and casual fans alike. While the online multiplayer aspect was quite literally impossible to review, I take solace in the fact that these games have been refreshed and ultimately preserved once again, for generations to come.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Plenty of versions of each game; Each game feels fresh and polished; The Krypt includes so many valuable goodies, including an unmissable interactive documentary
Lowlights: Some of the games in the collection still suck
Developer: Digital Eclipse
Publisher: Atari Inc., Digital Eclipse
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 Pro with a launch code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image also provided by the publisher.
