A Rare Reversal from the PlayStation Store
If you’ve ever downloaded a game and then tried to get your money back from the PlayStation Store, you know the drill: it’s almost impossible. Sony’s long-standing policy has been clear—once you download a title, you’re generally considered the owner, for better or worse. That’s what makes the current situation surrounding Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection so remarkable.
In a move that has shocked the gaming community, the PlayStation Store is quietly issuing refunds for the recently released compilation, with multiple users confirming they have successfully received credits after contacting customer support. The reason? Widespread reports of an "abysmal" and "unplayable" port, particularly on the PlayStation 5, plagued by input latency that ruins the core fighting game experience.
The Fighting Game Faux Pas: Why Latency is a Deal-Breaker
For the uninitiated, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, developed by Digital Eclipse, is a celebration of the series' roots, bundling several classic titles from the franchise's early arcade days. The transition from clunky arcade cabinets to modern PCs and consoles is a delicate art, and for fighting game purists, it’s all about precision. Matches can be won or lost on a single, split-second reaction. High input lag—the delay between pressing a button and seeing the action on screen—is a cardinal sin.
This isn't just a matter of perception. Technical analysis has confirmed players' worst fears. Renowned input lag tester Nigel Woodall put the Legacy Kollection through its paces across multiple platforms, including PC, Switch 2, Xbox, and PlayStation systems. The results were stark and damning for Sony's consoles.
Embedded Link: As shared on social media, Woodall's testing revealed the PC version to be the most responsive by a wide margin, with a latency of just 22.05 milliseconds. The PlayStation versions, however, ranked dead last, with a staggering latency of over 108 milliseconds—nearly five times slower than the PC port. According to Woodall, the poor performance was consistent across the different games within the collection.
More Than Just Lag: A Compilation of Problems
While the debilitating input delay is the primary complaint, it's not the only issue tarnishing this retro collection. The compilation uses a mix of custom and existing emulators, a technical approach that can sometimes introduce unexpected problems. It remains unclear why this method is hitting PS4 and PS5 users so much harder than those on other platforms.
Beyond the lag, players are reporting a suite of other glitches. Audio problems, from distorted sounds to missing effects, break the nostalgic immersion. The online multiplayer features have also been criticized for being overly simplistic and unstable, contributing to the wave of "Mixed" reviews currently seen on platforms like Steam.
A Glimmer of Hope: Refund Success Stories and Developer Updates
Faced with this wave of negative feedback, the PlayStation Store appears to be adopting a more lenient stance. This coincides with recent changes to Sony's refund system, which now allows users to request automated refunds via the website or app within 14 days of purchase—though the policy still typically voids the request if the game has been downloaded.
Yet, for the Legacy Kollection, that rule is being bent.
Embedded Link: On Reddit and other social platforms, users are sharing their successful refund journeys. One user, Natural_Parsnip_5291, detailed their experience, stating that after explaining the severe performance issues to a support agent, their refund was processed without significant pushback. This story is being echoed by numerous others, confirming a pattern of exception being made for this specific title.
There is hope on the horizon for those who wish to keep the game. Stephen Frost, a producer at Digital Eclipse, has been actively communicating with the frustrated community.
Embedded Link: On social media, Frost has kept players informed about the team's efforts, acknowledging the issues and detailing the path forward. In a recent update, he stated that the team is prioritizing a fix for the slow response to button presses and that new patches could be rolled out as early as November 4th.
For now, the situation serves as a rare instance of player feedback directly influencing corporate policy, even if only temporarily. If you're a fighting game fan who purchased this collection on a PlayStation console and found it lacking, it might be worth your time to contact support—you could be pleasantly surprised.