In 1993, I used to be eleven years outdated, so catching the Fox Youngsters block of programming after I received dwelling from college was a staple of my day by day routine in center college. Whereas there have been cartoons corresponding to X-Males: The Animated Collection, Spider-Man, and Tiny Toon Adventures, none have been as fascinating because the live-action collection that featured excessive schoolers given on-demand superpowers to battle off aliens.
The mouthful of a present titled Mighty Morphin Energy Rangers was actual life Voltron to me as a child that nothing else even got here near the joys of watching it. I admit, I’ve form of at all times been drawn to martial arts and fight reveals – I usually stayed up late on the weekends to observe American Gladiators, and I even admit that I loved that horrible WMAC Masters present that got here out a couple of years later – however undoubtedly the Mighty Morphin Energy Rangers sparked my curiosity in issues that I’d later gravitate to all through my childhood. This present explains why I suffered by VR Troopers, Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, and even the painfully horrible Massive Dangerous Beetleborgs.
I liked the unique collection a lot that I bear in mind being excited to see Mighty Morphin Energy Rangers: The Film within the theaters. I admit that I nonetheless randomly discover Bother by Shampoo popping into my mind like a long-forgotten locker mixture. When Rita’s Rewind was introduced, given how a lot I liked Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, I used to be completely stoked to get a candy MMPR sport that took me again to the SNES days. Sadly, for every thing this sport will get proper, it depends on its gimmicks too usually to stretch the content material.
Mighty Morphin Energy Rangers: Rita’s Rewind
Developer: Digital Extremes
Writer: Digital Extremes
Platforms: Microsoft Home windows (Reviewed), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Collection S|X, Nintendo Swap
Launch Date: December tenth, 2024
Gamers: 1-6 native, two on-line at launch, with as much as 6 coming quickly afterward
Value: $34.99 USD
Rita’s Rewind places you initially of the Energy Rangers franchise, as the entire authentic 5 rangers are current and accounted for: Jason, Trini, Kimberly, Zack, and Billy.
It’s good to see Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank immortalized right here alongside their former co-stars, but it surely doesn’t actually make loads of sense canonically as a result of that is principally based mostly off a mixture of the 2023 Netflix particular Mighty Morphin Energy Rangers: As soon as & All the time and the “again in time” sections that reference the unique collection.
The premise of Rita’s Rewind is that Robo Rita goes again in time to make an alliance with the true Rita Repulsa as a way to alter the course of time to cease the formation of the Energy Rangers. It’s wonderful, you don’t care trigger you grew out of watching the present many years in the past, you simply need to slap round some putties. Rita’s Rewind positively means that you can fulfill that want.
Every of the Rangers management equally, however every of them has an elemental assault for a particular transfer. Jason’s Tyrannosaurus energy summons flames, whereas Billy’s Triceratops energy summons ice crystals that lure enemies after which explode.
Not that that is a lot of a spoiler alert, because you’ll come throughout particular sections that present a devoted sixth spot, so upon completion of the sport you’ll unlock Tommy – the notorious Inexperienced Energy Ranger. Sadly, his Dragonzord energy is principally the very same factor as Kimberly’s Pterodactyl energy, however with missiles as an alternative of laser blasts.
There’s a lot deal with the visible right here that it looks like they forgot to present the sport any precise substance. The sport seems nice – equally on par with Shredder’s Revenge, right down to the CRT monitor filter that will make this sport look improbable on a six participant arcade cupboard. That’s the place loads of the reward ends.
The music is generally wonderful, although very like Shredder’s Revenge, I don’t like the selection to play a canopy as an alternative of utilizing the unique theme music – but it surely’s principally typical beat ’em up background fodder that’s cool within the second however not catchy sufficient to search out your self buzzing afterward.
Every character additionally has a couple of restricted traces, so why didn’t you simply elevate them from the present and pay the actors as an alternative of getting a forged of those that have by no means been related to the present to awkwardly spit out a couple of traces.
I utterly get not having new traces recorded (although that might have simply occurred throughout the filming of the Netflix reunion particular) as a result of Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank have handed away, however c’mon – Dan Amrich doesn’t even remotely sound like Billy Yost who’s nonetheless very a lot alive and nicely.
That’s a repeated drawback with this sport. It tries so laborious to duplicate the look of Shredder’s Revenge that they forgot to make the gameplay fascinating. The aspect scrolling beat ’em up levels are wonderful, although there aren’t many various enemies.
There’s only a few primary putty varieties, a huge one, and a bunch of silly chicken enemies, and the bosses. It’s cool to see Goldar, Bones, and different basic enemies make an look, however the pressured invulnerability moments solely serve to attract out the fights. The continued time loop sections are extra irritating than enjoyable, because you’ll regularly replay sections in case you don’t break the crystal when it seems rapidly sufficient.
Fight consists of a single sprint assault, a leaping assault, a rising assault triggered by urgent up and assault concurrently, a down assault that executes in case you assault after that, and a typical 5 hit combo that’s usually randomly interrupted by an enemy assault since they don’t appear to have any means to be shocked.
The sport needs to encourage you to punch as soon as, seize, after which pound a couple of occasions and throw the enemy, however that’s not practically as a lot enjoyable as simply wailing on enemies like a punching bag. On high of this, sure fights are exceptionally tougher than they need to be (the Inexperienced Ranger battle is egregious as he regularly will stun lock you in his combo on tougher difficulties) and the ultimate battle requires a gimmick that’s already annoying sufficient to land with out enemies, however forces you to do it whereas additionally surrounded by putties.
The aspect scrolling sections are damaged up by sections the place you experience a motorbike, a curler coaster, or drive your Ranger’s Zord and also you’ll be given a reticule on display screen to shoot at enemies and different objects, acquire energy ups, and dodge forwards and backwards.
Nothing particular about these sections, however they occur in lieu of precise ranges far too usually for a 15 degree marketing campaign. That is finest executed throughout the Carnival space the place the curler coaster part is a part of the stage and never the complete factor. When you attain the tip of a Zord part, as you’ll be able to think about, Rita throws her wand to make her monster develop, and also you’re rapidly within the pilot seat of the Megazord.
These sections require you to dodge forwards and backwards, sprint, and carry out small punch combos as a way to construct up your sword gauge which lets you summon your energy sword to ship the ultimate blow, very like the Megazord did within the present. These sections are clunky, unfun, and one time would have been greater than sufficient.
With a couple of high quality of life tweaks, this sport might have been so a lot better than it’s. If the Rangers might block just like the enemies can, fight can be much more fascinating than dodge roll spam to get behind guarding enemies, or punch thrice then dodge when the inevitable assault comes as a result of you’ll be able to’t stun enemies.
Even the particular transfer energy is pretty weak, and with out the flexibility to degree up your harm or enhance your Rangers, you’ve just about skilled every thing that the sport will provide within the first few levels – except for the ultimate bosses gimmick.
On high of that, when you end the sport, subsequent playthroughs with Tommy don’t have any particular dialogue and even act like he’s there till the half within the story the place you truly meet him. It simply looks like minimal effort was made although it was clear that the Inexperienced Ranger unlock was at all times deliberate.
There are some fairly deep easter eggs with the collectibles (just like the Punk Potion from Season 1: Episode 12, or Zack’s white gorilla costume head from Season 2: Episode 4), there’s an consideration to element that it looks as if Digital Extremes began with however finally gave up on.
When you’re enjoying as Tommy, you continue to wind up utilizing the Megazord to battle the enormous monsters, not even a swap to Tommy solo piloting the Dragonzord or contemplating the Wheel of Misfortune reveals up as a collectable, making them kind the Mega Dragonzord ought to have been the best factor to do.
It’s baffling how they seemingly began crafting Mighty Morphin Energy Rangers: Rita’s Rewind with a ton of affection and admiration for the franchise however wound up popping out feeling rushed and unfinished. Right here’s to hoping this sport will get some further content material and fixes afterward, as a result of proper now the one factor you unlock after you beat the sport is a tougher problem and a pace run mode.
Nothing too thrilling, and definitely nothing that justifies charging $10 greater than Splinter’s Revenge did when it launched. Maybe I’m being a bit of too harsh, however I count on that in case you money in on my childhood, you need to at the least give me an expertise that’s extra enjoyable than the sport I performed 20+ years in the past.
