Does the legendary classic Mortal Kombat compare favorably with modern versions of the iconic fighting game? Digital Foundry’s hands-on tech analysis takes an in-depth look at the Xbox Series X/S port of the original Mortal Kombat.

Upon release in 1992, Mortal Kombat took the gaming world by storm. The iconic fighting game quickly became the benchmark for brutality, pushing boundaries of taste and acceptance at the time.

Can the game maintain its edge in 2021, more than 20 years removed from its debut release? Digital Foundry analyzed the Xbox Series X/S port and found both positive and negative points.

On the plus side, the visuals have received a noticeable overhaul. Not only are the visuals sharper and brighter on the Series X/S version, but the dimensions are widescreen with no scroll bars. The game looks very close to an arcade original.

Unfortunately, many of the same technical problems that have dogged Mortal Kombat since its original release remain. For example, hitbox detection is questionable, meaning that sometimes moves don’t quite connect as they should, and characters may be stunlocked for long periods. Collisions between characters and the environment also remain problematic.

One potential workaround for these issues is to use “Classic” mode, which switches the game back to its original aspect ratio and restores the original accuracy. Digital Foundry found that this more closely replicated the arcade experience, reducing some of the frustrations.

In conclusion, the Xbox Series X/S port of Mortal Kombat is a good representation of the classic game, with revitalized visuals and some minor improvements. There are still some legacy issues, but fortunately Classic mode exists to provide an arcade-accurate experience.