A bloody good trip back
By Paul Hunter
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection on PS5 is a straight shot back to the era when MK was the biggest game in the arcade. Digital Eclipse delivers a 23-game package that’s all about keeping the history of this series playable.
The collection pulls from arcade, console, and handheld versions, letting you compare how these games played across different hardware. One of the coolest inclusions is the WaveNet edition of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, a rare version where Noob Saibot is actually playable. The compilation also includes a Krypt serving as a playable timeline and documentary hub, plus CRT filters, save states, and rewind for modern convenience. So, is Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection worth firing up on PS5 for your next fight night? Let’s find out!
The documentary content gives you a ton of rich archival material. I spent a lot of time flipping through interviews, photos, box art, adverts, documents, sketches, and video, all focused on how the series took shape inside Midway’s arcade business. It also covers the wider fallout Mortal Kombat helped spark, including the public controversy and the hearings that pushed the industry toward an age-rating system. There’s also behind-the-scenes footage with Ed Boon, John Tobias, and Dan Forden, spanning over five hours.
The best part is how the Krypt keeps you moving between history and play. I’d look at some content, get the quick context, then jump into the corresponding game right away without feeling like I was leaving the timeline. What's also cool is the timeline includes character spotlights, including fighter bios and endings tied to the games.
The home ports matter just as much, because that’s how many of us spent most of our time enjoying Mortal Kombat in the 90s. You can jump from SNES to Mega Drive/Genesis to handheld versions and get a real sense of the differences and trade-offs, and the collection keeps those quirks intact.
Digital Eclipse layers in smart modern tools that make experimenting time feel great: training modes on most entries, a Fatality practice option, on-screen prompts for special moves, save states, rewind feature, button input display, and access to classic cheat menus. I also liked being able to flip toggles to unlock secret characters without discovering them in-game.
Local multiplayer is still the quickest way to have fun here. Passing a controller back and forth between friends, running first-to-ten sets, and swapping between versions is exactly what this kind of package is made for.
Online multiplayer is currently focused on Quick Match, which makes it simple to jump in. Digital Eclipse has confirmed lobbies are coming after launch, and rollback netcode is part of the plan, while crossplay does not sound like it’s on the table. In my online sessions, match searches could take a while, and a few games showed input delay with occasional audio hiccups, so I treated it as a bonus layer on top of an already loaded offline set.
The arcade versions get the flashiest treatment. With the right background enabled, you get a cabinet-style frame where the sides mimic the look of reflective glass, and it adds a bit of arcade flavour to go along with the action. Console versions go heavy on CRT filters, with options that mimic both flatter and curved displays, while handheld entries offer a range of screen looks that aim for that classic portable vibe.
Once you start swapping filters, the collection becomes a fun show-and-tell tool. I found myself jumping between versions just to see how the same arena and character sprites look across different platforms. The important part is that these filters are completely optional, and you can keep things simple if you only want the default presentation.
Audio is a big part of why early Mortal Kombat still hits, and the collection keeps everything intact. The music, the announcer calls, and the familiar shouts during a match are all just as cool as you remember, and it's hard not to grin after even one round. There’s also a built-in music player, which is an easy win when you want to relax and and let the tracks run.
Final Score: 8/10 - Great
Developer: Digital Eclipse
Publisher: Atari, Warner Bros. Interactive
Genre: Fighting
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection on PS5 is a straight shot back to the era when MK was the biggest game in the arcade. Digital Eclipse delivers a 23-game package that’s all about keeping the history of this series playable.
The collection pulls from arcade, console, and handheld versions, letting you compare how these games played across different hardware. One of the coolest inclusions is the WaveNet edition of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, a rare version where Noob Saibot is actually playable. The compilation also includes a Krypt serving as a playable timeline and documentary hub, plus CRT filters, save states, and rewind for modern convenience. So, is Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection worth firing up on PS5 for your next fight night? Let’s find out!
Story and Narrative
The Krypt is the 'story mode' of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, even though it’s not a traditional narrative. It’s a timeline hub that walks you through the early years with documentary context, neatly positioning games inside their time instead of just lumped together in a generic menu.The documentary content gives you a ton of rich archival material. I spent a lot of time flipping through interviews, photos, box art, adverts, documents, sketches, and video, all focused on how the series took shape inside Midway’s arcade business. It also covers the wider fallout Mortal Kombat helped spark, including the public controversy and the hearings that pushed the industry toward an age-rating system. There’s also behind-the-scenes footage with Ed Boon, John Tobias, and Dan Forden, spanning over five hours.
The best part is how the Krypt keeps you moving between history and play. I’d look at some content, get the quick context, then jump into the corresponding game right away without feeling like I was leaving the timeline. What's also cool is the timeline includes character spotlights, including fighter bios and endings tied to the games.
Gameplay and Mechanics
Outside of the Krypt content, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is all about letting you hop between versions of the classic games. The arcade lineup is the main event, and booting up Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat 4 back-to-back is a great reminder of how quickly the series evolved. MK2 still pushes you to learn spacing and punishes, while UMK3 is the one with huge replay value because of the faster pacing and huge roster pulling you back for more.The home ports matter just as much, because that’s how many of us spent most of our time enjoying Mortal Kombat in the 90s. You can jump from SNES to Mega Drive/Genesis to handheld versions and get a real sense of the differences and trade-offs, and the collection keeps those quirks intact.
Digital Eclipse layers in smart modern tools that make experimenting time feel great: training modes on most entries, a Fatality practice option, on-screen prompts for special moves, save states, rewind feature, button input display, and access to classic cheat menus. I also liked being able to flip toggles to unlock secret characters without discovering them in-game.
Local multiplayer is still the quickest way to have fun here. Passing a controller back and forth between friends, running first-to-ten sets, and swapping between versions is exactly what this kind of package is made for.
Online multiplayer is currently focused on Quick Match, which makes it simple to jump in. Digital Eclipse has confirmed lobbies are coming after launch, and rollback netcode is part of the plan, while crossplay does not sound like it’s on the table. In my online sessions, match searches could take a while, and a few games showed input delay with occasional audio hiccups, so I treated it as a bonus layer on top of an already loaded offline set.
Presentation and Audio
The Legacy Kollection really wants you to tweak the presentatin to your taste. Every game gives you display controls for screen size, borders, filters, and backgrounds, so you can create a personalized layout that looks modern or retro.The arcade versions get the flashiest treatment. With the right background enabled, you get a cabinet-style frame where the sides mimic the look of reflective glass, and it adds a bit of arcade flavour to go along with the action. Console versions go heavy on CRT filters, with options that mimic both flatter and curved displays, while handheld entries offer a range of screen looks that aim for that classic portable vibe.
Once you start swapping filters, the collection becomes a fun show-and-tell tool. I found myself jumping between versions just to see how the same arena and character sprites look across different platforms. The important part is that these filters are completely optional, and you can keep things simple if you only want the default presentation.
Audio is a big part of why early Mortal Kombat still hits, and the collection keeps everything intact. The music, the announcer calls, and the familiar shouts during a match are all just as cool as you remember, and it's hard not to grin after even one round. There’s also a built-in music player, which is an easy win when you want to relax and and let the tracks run.
The Verdict
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is a 23-game archive of early MK across arcade, console, and handheld versions, built with real care on PS5. The Krypt’s timeline and documentary material are incredible trips down memory lane, and it's great that you can move from interviews and archival items straight into matches without friction. Save states, rewind, training options, cheat menus, and unlock toggles are excellent quality of life updates, while CRT filters and presentation options let you customize the games exactly to your liking. Local versus rules, and online Quick Match is a solid extra as we wait for lobbies to roll out.Final Score: 8/10 - Great
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection details
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo SwitchDeveloper: Digital Eclipse
Publisher: Atari, Warner Bros. Interactive
Genre: Fighting
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
A key was provided by the publisher.