Review: Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection (Switch 2)

Digital Eclipse doesn’t do things halfway. It has already demonstrated this with titles such as Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration and Tetris Forever, and yet I’m still astonished by what the studio has achieved with Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection.

For years, enthusiasts have clamored for a compilation of the original Mortal Kombat trilogy, and while many may have been satisfied with the classic arcade versions on contemporary platforms (similar to 2011’s Arcade Kollection), Digital Eclipse took it several levels higher. Here, we have a total of 23 playable titles spanning the initial 11 years of Mortal Kombat, with only a few significant omissions.

It’s an extraordinary accomplishment, and with an expansive accompanying documentary outlining Mortal Kombat’s origins and progress, it’s certainly the ultimate homage to Midway Games’ brutal fighting series. However, glaring problems emerge once you venture online – but more on that later.

The original trilogy is available across various platforms, including arcade, SNES, Mega Drive, 32X, PS1, Game Boy, and Game Gear. In a remarkable act of preservation, the Wave Net version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is also playable, which was previously confined to test sites and thus deemed ‘lost media’. By introducing Noob Saibot as a playable character and restructuring the gameplay, the Wave Net version offered far more than just online play, and its inclusion here is truly a miracle.

Apart from the original trilogy, we also have the arcade launch of Mortal Kombat 4, the PS1 debacles Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Special Forces, and the GBA editions of Mortal Kombat Advance, Deadly Alliance, and Tournament Edition.

Concerning exclusions, certain platforms for specific titles are absent, including the Mega Drive’s UMK3, the N64’s Mortal Kombat 4, among others. Perhaps most notably, an updated version of MK4 for Dreamcast, named Mortal Kombat Gold, is also missing. Its reception was mixed at best, but it still warrants inclusion.

It’s tough to lament absent titles here when the current selection is so remarkably impressive. Similar to Tetris Forever and Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition, however, I could foresee Digital Eclipse adding more variations and titles as DLC in the future. If your favorite game is not included, I recommend not losing all hope just yet unless the studio states otherwise. (“We have nothing to announce at this moment, but we’re open to the idea!”, the team mentions on its FAQ page.)

Each title provides a range of display options, encompassing different screen sizes, filters, and backgrounds. While I’d typically disable backgrounds entirely on retro compilations, I’d encourage you to keep them enabled here. The arcade versions, in particular, look fantastic, with the glass display ‘reflecting’ the in-game action on the left and right sides of the screen.

Meanwhile, the console adaptations feature a CRT background and filters providing both flat-screen and curved-screen displays. The handheld versions include all the filters you’d anticipate, with options for original, Pocket, and Light Game Boy variants.

Most titles include training modes, with a distinct mode dedicated to Fatalities (as well as Babalities, Friendships, etc). These aren’t available on every title, but the mechanics from the arcade versions transition directly to the console versions, so you don’t require them on everything. Even in standard arcade mode, you can activate on-screen prompts for special moves, making it a useful way to familiarize yourself with the basic gameplay, even if it lacks combo launcher tutorials.

Ultimately, indeed, these are ‘old’ games that may necessitate some adjustment for newcomers – after all, the latest release here is from 2003, a decades ago. For anyone who grew up with Mortal Kombat in the ’90s, experiencing most of these will feel like settling into a warm, cozy bath (albeit one filled with blood). They evoke the same sensations from back then, with the iconic stage music, character select tunes, and echoing cries of “Fatality!” and “Get over here!” enough to have you chuckling with delight.

However, for those who have never interacted with anything older than Mortal Kombat 11, they may require some adjustment. The developers are investigating an issue where reducing the difficulty makes little to no impact on the often brutal AI, but even accounting for this, these remain challenging games, and the outdated movement exacerbates the learning curve if you’re coming into it without prior experience. If you’re really finding it hard, of course, local multiplayer is a viable option, and it remains just as enjoyable with a couple of friends and a few drinks.

Like Digital Eclipse’s recent projects, Legacy Kollection features a complete timeline detailing the inception and evolution of Mortal Kombat, incorporating playable versions of each game at relevant times. So if you find it challenging to simply dive in and play a few rounds, or you’re getting obliterated by yet another trap in Mythologies: Sub-Zero, understanding the context in which these games were developed should enhance your appreciation of their peculiarities and motivate you to continue playing.

The interactive documentary is incredibly comprehensive. It’s packed with documents, photographs, interviews, and archival footage, featuring voices from the likes of Andrea Rene, Mike Drucker, Eugene Jarvis, and many others. It discusses how earlier games like…

Smash TV impacted the original Mortal Kombat, while examining the legal challenges that ultimately led to the establishment of the ESRB rating system.

We even observe series co-creator Ed Boon unexpectedly propose Scorpion’s rope dart maneuver during an early motion capture session, providing a rare insight into how seemingly spontaneous decisions shape series-defining imagery.

If this is all you desire from Legacy Kollection — if you’re mainly interested in the history and contextual information and witnessing Boon and Tobias in the same space discussing the origin and evolution of the series — then it’s an essential purchase at launch, and stands as one of Digital Eclipse’s finest retro compilations to date.

If, however, you’re eager to play these titles online, I’d suggest waiting a bit longer. It’s quite chaotic.

To begin with, the only choice for online play at launch is ‘Quick Play’, matching you with a random adversary after selecting your preferred game. Thus, there are no available options for public or private lobbies yet, rendering Legacy Kollection unsuitable for tournaments, which is somewhat detrimental in the fighting game community.

Fortunately, they are on the way, and should be accessible within just a few weeks post-launch, but this is nonetheless disappointing for those eager to dive in at launch. What likely isn’t forthcoming, however, is crossplay, which is a bit unfortunate in 2025. Digital Eclipse has mentioned the challenges surrounding the implementation of such a feature while ensuring that same-system matchmaking functions effectively.

Quick Play falls short of being ideal. I intended to wait until after the game was fully launched to share my assessment on how this mode performs, and regrettably, I’ve spent much of my time waiting for the game to actually find a match. When it does, there are significant problems with input lag and sound in most titles. The audio, in particular, is horrendous, featuring distorted and choppy music and sound effects. The extent of this ranges from slightly annoying to utterly unplayable. And yes, my connection was thoroughly robust and stable throughout.

I’m fairly confident that, over time, these issues will be resolved. With the eventual addition of lobbies, online play for Legacy Kollection might ultimately hold its own alongside titles like Street Fighter 6 and Guilty Gear -Strive- on Switch 2, but for now, it simply doesn’t meet expectations.

If you’re acquiring this at launch, I’d advise taking your time with the documentary timeline; immerse yourself, because it’s an absolute treat. Hopefully, by the time you’re finished, it might be prepared for online play.

Conclusion

With a total of 23 playable games alongside a thorough interactive documentary detailing the series’ development, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is yet another victory for Digital Eclipse from a historical compilation standpoint. It’s brimming with nostalgia for fans who dismembered opponents back in the ’90s, and it’s the ideal way for complete newcomers to discover what all the excitement is about.

If, however, you’re eager to engage with these games online, your best bet is to wait. Critical features are missing at launch, and even if you manage to find a game through Quick Play, chances are it will suffer from input lag and audio problems.