Review – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind

Power Rangers marked generations with their fight choreography, exaggerated explosions and the unmistakable phrase that lives in all of our memories. With , released by Digital Eclipse at the end of 2024, the franchise returns to gaming with a title that, although it relies heavily on the nostalgia of those who lived through the 16-bit generation, seeks to bring new ideas to the current generation.

Every playful style of the series is present in the plot, making Robo Rita, a futuristic version of Rita Repulsa, manipulate time with the Time Disruptor, opening a portal and returning to the present to make an alliance with her current version, in yet another attempt to eliminate the Power Rangers. To do this, she will count on the support of her classic villains in several varied scenarios, from cities, parks and deserts.

The story, although predictable, stands out when exploring iconic moments from the original series, with dialogue full of references that warm the hearts of fans and are fun enough to captivate new players. A positive point is the presence of animated scenes, all within this pixel art style that brings out nostalgia and adds charm to the plot, with the feeling of being in a classic episode.

It’s time for nostalgia!

In the role of Jason, Billy, Zack, Kimberly and Trini, not to mention the possibility of unlocking Tommy (Green Ranger), Digital Eclipse was concerned with bringing back the experience of the SNES titles in one that follows the formula of the recent Streets of Rage 4 or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. We have a portion of the scene, pressing buttons and facing hours of enemies (without much variety at this point, just like the series) until we meet the bosses of each region of the city.

Even the boss battles, everything is very familiar and perhaps repetitive for those who are not used to the looping of this genre. The Rangers have exclusive abilities for each of their Zords, with specific weapons for each color of the characters, but the combat style does not vary between them, maintaining a sequence of blows and finishing with the weapon. The special ability, charged according to your performance, invokes the poses of each prehistoric animal hitting enemies across the screen. This diversity complements the opportunity to test the various heroes, in addition to combining multiplayer gameplay with up to six people.

However, the big difference is the bosses that provide fun and creative combat. There are more elaborate combats against enemies from different seasons, which is justified due to the “Rewind” in the game’s title and Rita’s attempt to rewrite history. With new attack patterns and different specials, the fights are not long and are a little higher in difficulty than the other challenges throughout the stages.

When you defeat him the first time, you will use your Dinozord through scenes close to Alameda dos Anjos to chase the boss, in a kind of shoot ’em up, to finally control the Megazord and face the gigantic version of the enemy in a combat that is very reminiscent of Punch Out, dodging to the sides and advancing with your blows until you charge your Sword of Power to annihilate the threat once and for all.

As much as the gameplay is responsive when we control the Rangers through the levels, the same cannot be said about the Dinozord or motorcycles. The progression seems to be accelerated, with a strange timing to avoid the elements and the control is confusing due to the aim following your movement across the screen, ignoring the possibility of working these moments like a twin stick shooter.

An example of this is having Trinity’s Dinozord flying over all threats without taking damage, while Billy’s Triceratops responds very poorly to attempts to jump over obstacles. Once aboard the Megazord, things work well, but they are too simple, turning the battle into something easy and silly by failing to invest in more elaborate mechanics or ones that require more strategy beyond hitting and dodging.

Go! Go! Power Rangers!

It is undeniable to note the developers’ attempt to rescue games from the 16-bit generation, bringing to a legion of fans who ended up accepting very well the recent beat ’em up franchises from the 90s. However, the gameplay carries good ideas for mechanics which were not valued like all other elements such as, for example, the story, soundtrack and pixel art style.

If the story seems to have come directly from one of the classic episodes, the visuals of this game are a sight to behold. Visually, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is a vibrant homage to 16-bit games with its very detailed pixel art and scenarios that feature a good diversity of biomes: from the familiar Alameda dos Anjos to the alternative dimensions that Rita manipulates. The visual effects, such as explosions and animations of special moves, are full of personality and capture the entire style of the series.

The game, however, is not limited to retro. It incorporates subtle modern effects, such as dynamic lighting and smooth transitions, which show Digital Eclipse’s care in pleasing both nostalgia fans and a modern audience. To make this experience even more nostalgic, different types of filters bring the visual style of old TVs, as if we were watching Power Rangers on Globo mornings or playing in an old Arcade.

Accompanying the visuals, the soundtrack, composed of remixes of classic songs from the series, also completes the game as one of the highlights. After all, hearing the main theme in the middle of battles is an instant injection of adrenaline. Just like the simple combat, perhaps some songs can be repetitive, tiring the player who invests long gaming sessions.

As if the wave of fanservice throughout the game wasn’t enough, Ernie’s classic Bar and other characters that we saved in history, with Bulk and Skull present from the beginning, are part of the area for your collectibles, complete with a brief history for each of the 20 items, in addition to minigames that are released in three arcades (initially defective).

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is a fun game worth playing, especially for those who like the series and still follow the stories from the expanded universe that are being published in Brazil by Indievisivel Press. Even with reservations due to the gameplay problems, which accompany good ideas for the game, and perhaps due to repetitiveness even though it is a short journey, Digital Eclipse’s work demonstrated respect for the essence of the Power Rangers and shines as a love letter to the fans .