Since its inception in the arcades in the early 90s, no franchise has been more infamous or notorious than Mortal Kombat. When the original dropped into arcades in 1992, it didn’t take long for the surrounding buzz to swell into a cacophony of excitement, viscera, and moral controversy. This is the franchise that 90s parents found so appalling and gory, that the fervor surrounding its cartoonishly Evil Dead-esque approach to violence became a catalyst that led to the creation of the ESRB that we still use today. Its mere existence is often pointed to that showed that games were starting to lean in a more “mature” direction.
My much younger self became oddly curious about the franchise because of this…
Since its inception in the arcades in the early 90s, no franchise has been more infamous or notorious than Mortal Kombat. When the original dropped into arcades in 1992, it didn’t take long for the surrounding buzz to swell into a cacophony of excitement, viscera, and moral controversy. This is the franchise that 90s parents found so appalling and gory, that the fervor surrounding its cartoonishly Evil Dead-esque approach to violence became a catalyst that led to the creation of the ESRB that we still use today. Its mere existence is often pointed to that showed that games were starting to lean in a more “mature” direction.
My much younger self became oddly curious about the franchise because of this controversial buzz, and I somehow ended up with a copy of the Genesis version of the original game. It felt like a taboo thing to even see or even hold at such a young age, but I played as much as I could muster, going for as many secrets as I could get my hands on. I wasn’t the only one trying to get a crack at what would eventually become something so massive that the buzz and excitement was simply impossible to ignore. The reputation surrounding this franchise speaks for itself, and the torrent of games/movies/stage shows that followed from the 90s and beyond stands as proof of its enduring popularity.
With the arrival of Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection, developer Digital Eclipse gets to simultaneously flex their porting skills and once again tell the story of yet another gaming giant. Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection is currently available digitally since its release on October 30th, 2025, and will release physically on December 12, 2025. Published by Atari, it’s seeing availability on current gen consoles (PS5/Xbox Series X | S/Switch 2), prior gen consoles (PS4/Xbox One/Switch), and PC (Steam). The Switch 2 version was played for this review.
One Komprehensive Tale
Per usual with compilations helmed by Digital Eclipse, we’re not necessarily trying to focus on the story of any one game in the collection. There’s simply far too many games here to even consider something of that scope. While it doesn’t bear the Gold Master Collection moniker, it uses the timeline format that compilations like Atari 50 and Tetris Forever also adopted. What’s important here is the development history of the franchise, the people that made it, and the impact it made when it released. In terms of prior compilations from these porting wizards, Legacy Kollection very much feels like a Gold Master entry in everything but name, and MK deserves to have its story told in this format.
In a manner somewhat similar to how Alexey Pajitnov gave us Tetris based on influences from his youth, franchise co-creators Ed Boon and Jon Tobias used their own skills and artistic influence to eventually bring the original game to players. But both of these twenty-somethings had to cut their teeth somewhere, and that ended up happening through various departments (pinball and other gaming projects) at Midway/Williams. Once they found themselves in a position to make something unique, they had found themselves intrigued with the live-action digitizing process that was implemented in High Impact Football and Smash TV.
Using Tobias’ own background as a comic book artist and a graphic designer, the seeds were planted for their own take on the then-booming fighting game scene, largely popularized by Street Fighter II and other games at the time. Leaning on the live-action digitizing process they used previously and the desire to make something that reflected their own sensibilities as young artists, the original Mortal Kombat was birthed.
Sporting a comparatively small roster and much more violent disposition compared to something like Street Fighter, it didn’t take long for players to latch on to its gory hook. The now infamous Fatalities and blood and gore, cartoonish as they both were, were a major draw to players at the time. You really didn’t see such a thing like that in games in the 90s unless you were looking in the direction of games like Splatterhouse. Yes, there were more adult-centric titles that far preceded this franchise. But those weren’t exactly able to depict anything as explicit as this thanks to the limited hardware specs of the day, and came off as way more silly than spicy.
But this was just the beginning of the mystique of the franchise. Longtime fans will be quick to tell you that they’re a fan of the lore, but they’ll also mention the plethora of secrets that could be found in this game and other mainline entries. Explained at length in this interactive documentary, they were none too shy about explaining the culture and development history surrounding the original game and other titles. While there is mention of other media entries outside the games, the focus is unsurprisingly honed onto the story of the franchise’s inception and the wild popularity that followed.
While the bulk of the timeline focuses on the early days of the franchise and the refinements and creative decisions that followed mainline games in its wake, this is a documentary that even a casual fan can enjoy. Like before, I found myself intrigued about what was told in this timeline by developers, publishers, and live action actors alike. Anyone who could help bring depth and context to the story of Mortal Kombat was used to great effect here, and I’m more than happy to see its history reflected in the way that fans would want it to be told.
I find myself happy to see another beloved franchise get a chance to use the format the Gold Master Series established, as it gives those who helped bring any one franchise to the masses a chance to tell the story of how their artistic creation came to be. This is a structure that works very well, and I will happily eat up more compilations that let me hear their story like this. It’s extremely granular, it’s a chance to get some wonderful insight from those developers, and it’s just fun to uncover everything about this franchise’s history.
There are plenty more well-established franchises that can benefit from this format, and it doesn’t surprise me at all that what’s in the Legacy Kollection upholds the high standard and laser-focused detail that I’ve come to expect from Digital Eclipse’s prior documentary-focused entries. Like those prior compilations that simultaneously celebrate the franchise and tell the whole story to a certain point, you can tell that they’re comfortable with what they’re doing by now. Legacy Kollection quite obviously reaps the rewards of this experience.
Kompiled and Playable History
Let’s get one thing out of the way: the sheer number of games in this compilation is absolutely staggering in number. When you think about the enduring popularity of the franchise, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. However, the strongest draw for this compilation for some will be the chance to be able to play some of the best and worst titles that this franchise has offered fans over the years. Naturally, the strongest of these will end up being the mainline titles from the arcade and console versions. But most of the appeal for me was diving into the platform specific versions of the game and discovering the differences between each version.
Take, for instance, the original Mortal Kombat on SNES and Genesis/Mega Drive. Mechanically speaking, the quality of these games are on a similar level between each version. But the unique hardware circumstances of each version are nice to be able to compare so quickly. The SNES version is a much more graphically accurate version in comparison to its arcade counterpart, but lacks the gore of the Genesis version.
While SEGA’s console does sport the famed violence, it’s clearly the least arcade accurate between the two. This difference in graphical quality and technical limitations became a theme between the two consoles, and subsequent mainline entries lay bare the horsepower difference between the SNES and Genesis. While neither console could reach the same quality as the arcade versions at the time, having a decently playable home version was a win in its own right. The bulk of the gaming public generally focused on these two versions, so also seeing improved ports like MKII’s 32X version is nice to see in this collection.
The mainline games are clearly the star of the show, and having a pretty comprehensive compilation of each version of the first few games really hits home how pervasive and popular Mortal Kombat was in the 90s. Fans wanted to get their hands on this game regardless of the platforms available at the time, and Midway and their associated partners for each version were more than happy to give fans the action they wanted at the arcade and at home, technical limitations be damned.
Being able to experience the little tweaks and gameplay/design improvements from each mainline game is honestly fun to discover, even as a casual fan. While the original game might seem stiff and inflexible by today’s standards, it’s still a comptetent fighter that’s aged oddly well despite its sequels updating and refining the format over time. Something as simple as a run button does a lot for gameplay strategy, and playing with the stage design between these titles is also fun to see evolve. Is it going to be anywhere near the quality of Netherrealm’s Mortal Kombat 11 or Mortal Kombat 1? No, but iconic franchises have to start somewhere.
Even a rare and previously lost version of the WaveNet variant of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is here. Given its limited availability during the testing phase of this game, this is a big win for game preservation. All the games included here are full of outright classics, deep cuts, and absolute stinkers. Having the ability to experience all of that equally is pretty impressive, even with the quality between each title. Here are the games included in the compilation:
- *Mortal Kombat *(Arcade, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear)
- Mortal Kombat II (Arcade, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, 32X)
- Mortal Kombat 3 (Arcade, SNES, Genesis)
- Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (Arcade, Arcade with WaveNet, SNES)
- Mortal Kombat Trilogy (PS1)
- Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero (PS1)
- Mortal Kombat 4 (Arcade)
- Mortal Kombat: Special Forces (PS1)
- Mortal Kombat Advance (Game Boy Advance)
- Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (Game Boy Advance)
- *Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition *(Game Boy Advance)
While there is some fun to be had trying out the early games on various platforms, some of the later entries show some experimentation at work. While Mortal Kombat Mythologies and Special Forces are undoubtedly abysmal efforts in terms of spinoff games, their inclusion is somewhat commendable from an accountability standpoint. Neither of these games are anywhere close to good, but taking the stance of “we know they’re awful and you should experience that for yourself” is a bold choice. While I find it odd that the N64 version of Mythologies is absent, I’m sure some could argue that it isn’t entirely necessary. I might bemoan the omission of the Mortal Kombat Gold for the Dreamcast, but there’s enough here to keep you busy despite that.
The choice to include the lackluster GBA games definitely felt like an accountability and completionist move as well. Despite being somewhat like Soul Calibur in terms of its pseudo eight-way-run mechanic/pseudo 3D arenas with Deadly Alliance and Tournament Edition, they felt like hobbled and sluggish versions of their more 2D counterparts. You can tell these games were scaled down to the platform, and the overall quality suffered as a result.
You’ll also get some nice quality of life improvements with many of these games. So features seen in Digital Eclipse’s own back catalog are also present here. Saving/loading, rewinding, and such are nice things to have if you find yourself wanting to keep frustration down on the more difficult games in the franchise. Being able to toggle on screen inputs is nice, as is having a mode to practice Fatality inputs. Mortal Kombat is notorious for having well-buried secrets, so the inclusion of quick toggles for secret characters and the like is a nice modern convenience.
When you look at what’s included here as a compilation, there’s definitely a lot of highs and lows when it comes to quality. The emulation is solid, as is to be expected from the quality fans have come to expect from Digital Eclipse. While I wouldn’t necessarily rely on this compilation in a competitive setting or even online play thanks to certain fan sensibilities about input lag, those considering looking out of curiosity will likely enjoy exploring the highs and the lows of many of these games.
But the level of quality aside for the mountain of content included here, it does help provide context for those who might not understand the mystique surrounding the franchise. The games in this collection are by no means a complete timeline, but the sheer number of games included here are ripe for sampling Mortal Kombat’s highs and lows from inception to the early aughts. It’s a simultaneous win for game preservation and those who want to spend time engaging in some classic fighting action and other franchise oddities.
Choose Your Artistic Destiny
Since this isn’t Digital Eclipse’s first rodeo with this style of compilation; much of what I appreciated from Tetris Forever will largely apply here. The mix of archival and interview footage is always a win for me, especially when there’s plenty of footage from the development of the original game. I found it rather interesting, even as as a casual fan, to see parts of the digization process get explained so thoroughly and passionately. Though I will say that I’m the kind of person who enjoys hearing people excitedly explain something they’re clearly passionate about. So hearing Boon and Tobias give the inside scoop on the developer side of things is something that I genuinely enjoy.
In fact, much of the timeline content here doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Having unused content like alternate sprite animations and the like is the kind of cutting room floor content that I’m sure superfans and casual fans can equally enjoy. The same goes for any art that ended up coming out of the development process as well. Tobias’ own artistic skills were also used for a mail-in comic in the beginning, and that’s in here as well. There’s plenty of that sort of content to dig into, and uncovering that throughout the timeline is a welcome inclusion.
But it is nice to see the rendering of the game packaging and arcade cabinets and art represented in the timeline. This is something that they’ve done in their other compilations, but it’s the kind of little touch that I always appreciate. It gives a virtual representation of how it was when the games were released, and also pays a sort of respect to the era.
Insofar as the presentation of each game in the collection, the wide variety of platforms each game released on really hammers home how a platform choice could affect your presentation experience. Later mainline games for the Genesis had to be released with some audio omissions, but the SNES could handle certain things with relative ease. But jumping from consoles to handhelds really hit home how limited things were in that space at the time. You’re nowhere near a decent visual or even audio experience on the Game Gear or Game Boy, but you can play it on the go. Much of this could also be levied at the GBA games as well with their own unique problems.
While the arcade games were considered the gold standard and look far and away better than their console counterparts, it was nice to see that later games like Mortal Kombat Trilogy delivered similar visuals and audio for the home. Hell, they even uprezzed MK4 for this collection, and it’s nice to see that kind of modernization being put to use.
Not that it should surprise anyone, but the standard for presentation from Digital Eclipse’s prior timeline-based compilations continues to be something that I will praise to no end. It’s a format that quite obviously works, and I’m so glad that what made it work in the past continues to make it work in the present. I wasn’t particularly expecting anything drastic in terms of updating visuals where it made sense. But seeing that these games were going to be largely presented as they released and running as well as they could is fine by me. If Digital Eclipse somehow dropped the ball in this area, I’d be genuinely shocked. They seem to care enough about a well-presented entry for this to come out as something that respects the history of the franchise they’re covering, and that’s something I’ll always praise.
The Might of the Soul
With a franchise as ubiquitous and infamous as Mortal Kombat, you’re bound to have some ups and downs. Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection as a full package is unafraid to show old and new players the full story. It doesn’t shy away from what it is and what keeps it relevant in the collective gaming scene as a whole. Adopting that unflinching approach to the franchise’s legacy is something I appreciate about this compilation. Not only that, but having these titles within easy reach is a win for game preservationists and series fans alike.
Digital Eclipse once again hits the mark with Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection, and I’m happy that their porting skills remain as strong as ever. The sheer number of games included in tandem with their now trademark storytelling approach makes this an easy recommend for me. While not every game here is a winner, the documentary portion once again steals the show. I hope this isn’t the last we see of this Gold Master format, because there are plenty more of gaming’s icons that would benefit from its unique brand of storytelling. I’ll happily take more gaming history lessons from a developer that clearly cares about the story of whatever gaming giant they choose to cover next.
~ Final Score: 8/10 ~
Review code provided by Digital Eclipse for Switch 2. Screenshots taken by reviewer. Featured image courtesy of Digital Eclipse