Released at a time when the Nintendo 64's popularity was burgeoning and there were few competing games for the system, the Nintendo 64 version of "Mortal Kombat Trilogy" saw impressive sales figures. According to a later IGN retrospective, "Mortal Kombat Trilogy" "offered something no fan could ignore: It brought every character from the series into the fold, along with most of the levels, making for one massive game that had enough to please everyone. Sure, some of the balance went out the window with the massive cast, but it was a small price to pay to make the "Mortal Kombat" family whole again, and it gave fans the closure they needed for Midway to move on to "Mortal Kombat 4"."