NetherRealm and Warner Bros. finally gave the original Mortal Kombat the throwback treatment fans had been asking for — sort of. The Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, developed by Digital Eclipse, bundles the 1992 arcade original alongside Mortal Kombat II, MK3, Ultimate MK3 and more, wrapped in an interactive documentary about the game’s digitized-sprite era. But for all its rollback netcode and gameplay assists, it’s still just a restoration of the original pixel-and-sprite presentation, not a true HD glow-up. One fan beat them to that idea years ago. But what about the first Mortal Kombat?
Some fans are taking a moment to return to the franchise’s roots and look at the OG Mortal Kombat. One such fan, “AFredenucci”, has posted a brief video to Twitter showing how a Mortal Kombat 1 high-definition remaster may have looked – and it is pretty cool.
In a side-by-side comparison video, the Twitter user showcases some of the original game’s favourite fighters (Sonya, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage and Scorpion) striking their iconic poses next to HD versions of themselves. While some finer details of these beloved characters are notably missing from these HD updates (Sonya’s iconic headband is nowhere to be seen), their classic appearances are still preserved.
AFredenucci does state that these are not his final version for these sprites, so be sure to check back for further updates. Hopefully, we will see more of OG Mortal Kombat‘s playable characters receive an HD makeover too.
The original Mortal Kombat game employed digitized visuals, which involved filming actual actors doing various motions and activities. These motions were then recorded and used as character sprites in the game. The digitized graphics gave the game a distinctive look, with characters appearing more realistic compared to the pixel art commonly seen in other fighting games of the era.
As one of the many people who grew up playing this ultra-violent game, I can appreciate how far MK has come since the original arcade contender was released way back in 1992. While graphics were nowhere near as advanced in the 90s, the OG game seemed so realistic for the time.
Over the years, the gory game series has evolved, with subsequent instalments featuring increasingly detailed and visually impressive graphics. But even though the franchise is far more realistic these days, its premise has never strayed too far from the original.
NetherRealm Studios have clarified that this is a new chapter for Mortal Kombat. This latest chapter will come with new backstories, designs, and skills for characters such as Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Kung Lao, Kitana, Mileena, Shang Tsung, and Johnny Cage. What will most certainly not change is the franchise’s penchant for vicious, over-the-top combat and gory deaths.
That’s what makes AFredenucci’s remaster worth revisiting: it attempted the HD glow-up NetherRealm never did. The Legacy Kollection is a faithful restoration with rollback netcode, not a ground-up remake — same 1992 sprites, just smoother online. AFredenucci’s higher-resolution take is arguably closer to what fans actually pictured. Even Ed Boon has said he’d love a proper HD remaster with modern tech. The Kollector’s Edition ships this December. Have you picked up the Legacy Kollection? Let us know if it beats this fan’s take in the comments.
