Digital Eclipse doesn’t do things by halves. It’s already proven this with the likes of Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration and Tetris Forever, and yet I’m still blown away by what the studio has accomplished with Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection.
For years, fans have been begging for a compilation of the original Mortal Kombat trilogy, and while many might have been satisfied with the original arcade variants on modern platforms (much like 2011’s Arcade Kollection), Digital Eclipse went several steps further. Here, we’ve got a total of 23 playable titles covering the first 11 years of Mortal Kombat, with just a few notable exclusions.
It’s an impressive achievement, and with an extensive accompanying documentary detailing Mortal Kombat’s inception and evolution, it’s easily the ultimate celebration of Midway Games’ gruesome fighting series. Glaring issues, however, become apparent once you go online – but more on that later.
The original trilogy is represented across several platforms, including arcade, SNES, Mega Drive, 32X, PS1, Game Boy, and Game Gear. In a remarkable feat of preservation, the Wave Net version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is also playable, having previously been limited to test sites and thus considered ‘lost media’. Adding in Noob Saibot as a playable character and rebalancing the gameplay further, the Wave Net version did much more than simply introducing online play, and its inclusion here is frankly a miracle.
In addition to the original trilogy, we’ve also got the arcade release of Mortal Kombat 4, the PS1 monstrosities Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Special Forces, and the GBA releases of Mortal Kombat Advance, Deadly Alliance, and Tournament Edition.
In terms of exclusions, certain platforms for specific titles are missing, including the Mega Drive’s UMK3, the N64’s Mortal Kombat 4, and others. Perhaps most notably, an updated release of MK4 for Dreamcast, dubbed Mortal Kombat Gold, is also absent. Its reception was mixed at best, but it still deserves representation.
It’s difficult to lament missing releases here when the existing lineup is so darn impressive. Much like Tetris Forever and Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition, however, I could see Digital Eclipse adding more variations and titles as DLC later down the line. If your favourite game isn’t here, I’d advise you not to lose all hope just yet unless the studio says otherwise. (“We have nothing to announce right now, but we’re open to the idea!”, the team says on its FAQ page.)
Each game offers up a variety of display options, including different screen sizes, filters, and backgrounds. While I’d normally disable the backgrounds completely on retro compilations, I’d urge you to leave them on here. The arcade variants in particular are really cool, with the glass display ‘reflecting’ the in-game action on the left and right sides of the screen.
Meanwhile, the console versions come with a CRT background and filters offering up flat-screen and curved-screen displays. The handhelds have all the filters you’d expect, with original, Pocket, and Light Game Boy variants.
Most titles have training modes, with a separate mode dedicated to Fatalities (plus Babalities, Friendships, etc). These aren’t present on every entry, but the know-how from the arcade versions is directly transferable to the console versions, so you don’t need it on everything. Even in normal arcade mode, you can toggle on-screen prompts for special moves, so it’s a good way to get acquainted with the basic gameplay, even if it doesn’t include combo launcher tutorials.
Ultimately, yes, these are ‘old’ games that may require a bit of adjustment for newcomers – heck, the latest release here is from 2003, decades ago. To anyone who grew up with Mortal Kombat in the ’90s, playing most of these will be like slipping into a warm, comfortable bath (albeit one filled with blood). They feel just like they did back in the day, with the iconic stage music, character select music, and punctuating screams of “Fatality!” and “Get over here!” enough to make you giggle with glee.
But for those who have never touched anything older than Mortal Kombat 11, they might take a bit of getting used to. The devs are investigating an issue in which lowering the difficulty actually makes little to no difference to the often punishing AI, but even taking this into account, these are tough games either way, and the archaic movement exacerbates this if you’re coming into it blind. If you’re really struggling, of course, then local multiplayer is an option, and this is just as fun as ever with a couple of friends and a few beverages.
Like Digital Eclipse’s recent offerings, Legacy Kollection includes a full timeline chronicling the inception and development of Mortal Kombat, inserting playable versions of each game at relevant intervals. So if you struggle to just pick up and play a couple of rounds, or you’re getting squished to death by yet another trap in Mythologies: Sub-Zero, viewing the context in which these games were made should help you better appreciate their quirks and thus encourage you to keep playing.
The interactive documentary is absurdly in-depth. It’s filled to the brim with documents, photos, interviews, and archival footage, with appearances from the likes of Andrea Rene, Mike Drucker, Eugene Jarvis, and many more. It covers how prior games like Smash TV influenced the original Mortal Kombat, while investigating the legal issues that eventually led to the creation of the ESRB rating system.
We even get to see series co-creator Ed Boon spontaneously pitch Scorpion’s rope dart move during an early performance capture session, and it’s a rare glimpse into how seemingly off-the-cuff decisions result in series-defining iconography.
If this is all you’re after from Legacy Kollection — if you’re interested primarily in the history and the contextual material and seeing Boon and Tobias in the same room discussing the genesis and trajectory of the series — then it’s an absolute must-buy at launch, and stands as one of Digital Eclipse’s best retro compilations yet.
If, however, you’re keen to play these games online, then I’d recommend holding off for a little while. It’s a mess.
For starters, the only option available for online play at launch is ‘Quick Play’, which matches you with a random opponent once you’ve selected your chosen title. So there are no options for public or private lobbies yet, and this instantly makes Legacy Kollection unviable for tournaments, which, in the fighting game community, is kind of a death knell.
Thankfully, they are coming, and should be available within just a handful of weeks after launch, but this is nevertheless a disappointment for those keen to get stuck in at launch. What likely isn’t coming, however, is crossplay, which is a bit of a sting in 2025. Digital Eclipse has cited the complexity around introducing such a feature and ensuring same-system matchmaking is working well.
Quick Play isn’t even close to ideal. I wanted to wait until after the game launched properly to deliver my verdict on how this mode fares, and unfortunately I’ve spent most of my time waiting for the game to actually find a match. Once it does, there are glaring issues with input delay and audio on most titles. The audio in particular is dreadful, with garbled and stuttering music and sound effects. The severity of this ranges from mildly irritating to downright unplayable. And yes, my connection was absolutely strong and stable throughout.
I’m fairly confident that, over time, these issues will be ironed out. With the eventual introduction of lobbies, online play for Legacy Kollection might well ultimately stand proud next to the likes of Street Fighter 6 and Guilty Gear -Strive- on Switch 2, but for now, it’s simply not up to scratch.
If you’re getting this at launch, I’d recommend really taking your time with the documentary timeline; soak it in, because it’s an absolute delight. Hopefully, when you’re done, it might be ready for online play.
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