There’s no denying the franchise health of Mortal Kombat.

From the spin-offs, to the movies, and even now rebooting the timeline over again to Mortal Kombat 1, since the word go this series has never let up.

So it’s an absolute delight to get to revisit the series from the very beginning across all the different formats as well as get deeper developer insights in the form of interactive documentaries.

Much as we’ve seen in the brilliant ‘The Making of Karateka’ and ‘The Jeff Minter Story’, Legacy Kollection features exclusive behind the scenes conversations with Ed Boon and John Tobias as well as a host of other people who worked on the games and influential names in the industry.

It’s all built into a lengthy timeline that talks about life pre-Mortal Kombat as well as the iconic 90s boom period, how it was made and the way the franchise evolved. It’s a fascinating journey, full of nostalgia and will really strike a chord for those who grew up during the time. As frankly, there was nothing else quite like MK out there and you’ll see that with the senator bills and public outcry.

And as for the collection itself, there’s a whopping 23 games in here, though some are just variations of the same game. Like the original Mortal Kombat, for instance. Not only do you get the Arcade original, but also the Genesis, SNES, Gameboy and Game Gear versions of the game. Each being slightly different.

It was actually a little bit of an education for me personally as I never quite realised how different the SNES and Genesis versions were from each other, specifically how much the violence was toned down on SNES, though it was a closer visual representation to the arcade.

And then when you play the arcade version itself, you notice the intense difficulty level which was designed to cheat you out of coins. Enemies really really kick your ass but it makes for a great challenge. You could even play as Goro in the Gameboy version of the game.

The emulation is first-rate, truly. The way you can customise the visual representation of the games, from the scanlines to styling the screen to fit into an arcade cabinet or even go full-screen, Digital Eclipse have done a great job of recreating these games in their original, intended glory. In fact, in some cases the games have been improved, like a Shang Tsung glitch that was present in the original PS1 version of Mortal Kombat Trilogy that’s now fixed.

There’s even a Fatality mode where you can practice the deadly movesets and the game shows you where you need to be and gives you time to practice performing. A godsend for those who can never quite get them right!

And in the options, you can simplify the experience as well as find the hidden secrets easier, like actually getting to take on that secret battle with Reptile in the first game or play the hidden pong mini game. Even things like one button fatalities to make everything easier. It’s a great chance to see these games in ways you may never have before.

That said, I definitely felt some input lag in a few of the games and there’s sometimes this feeling that the motion and controls are a bit ‘stiff’ when combining the buttons with the movement, especially in the earlier games and handheld variants. It makes it difficult to react in time, and actually, in some games I couldn’t even get a shot in.

The other issue with the games is the online multiplayer. On the one hand, absolutely fantastic that you can play these games online – in many cases – for the first time ever. But the problem is there’s huge delays in the lobbies and when you do get into games, as highlighted above, there’s genuine input lag which, for an online match, is pretty critical and a brutal handicap at critical moments.

Still, having all the classic games playable in their original intended glory is more than enough, and the documentary itself is a fascinating trip down memory lane and insight into the history of the series, something a super fan like me will more than relish.

It’s a wonderfully polished and designed package that brings the best versions of these classic games together and makes them easily playable on modern hardware. I only hope we’ll see improved network play in the future, especially since crossplay is present.

But there’s no better way to play classic Mortal Kombat games, even the absolutely awful Mythologies and Special Forces. Yes, they’re that bad.

Verdict

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is an absolutely fantastic selection of classic Mortal Kombat games, even lesser known ones and smaller titles in series history. The documentary is interesting and insightful and a proper trip down memory lane and the games themselves are as good as they’ve ever been, with many added quality of life improvements, additions and benefits. Input lag and poor net-code aside, this is a brilliant collection and an absolute must for fatality fighter fans!

Pros

+ 23 games makes for a bulky, fulfilling collection
+ A fantastic documentary which is full of nostalgia
+ Each game is wonderfully restored and full of secrets