Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind finally lets you pilot the Megazord

If you grew up successful arcades successful nan 1990s, you astir apt person fond memories of immoderate very circumstantial games. Multiplayer beat-’em-ups based connected celebrated media of nan era were nan centerpiece of immoderate arcade astatine 1 time. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles successful Time and X-Men were nan benignant of games that made kids excited anytime mom said she was making a pit extremity astatine nan promenade to spell apparel shopping. While tons of awesome ’90s shows sewage their ain cabinets, location was 1 glaring omission: The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers ne'er sewage their ain game.

Decades later, developer Digital Eclipse is yet looking to correct that injustice. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is simply a caller arcade-style brawler that looks for illustration it was pulled correct from nan ’90s, TV scan lines and all. When I went into my first hands-on demo of it, I was judge I knew precisely what to expect. Retro revivals for illustration Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge are pitch-perfect fun, but they aren’t precisely surprising. That’s not nan lawsuit pinch Rita’s Rewind, which is going nan other mile to make nan Rangers’ escapade consciousness special.

It’s morphin time

My demo began precisely arsenic I expected it to. I hopped complete to a TV, wherever different personnel of nan property was playing pinch a developer from Digital Eclipse. I picked up a controller and seamlessly jumped successful arsenic nan Yellow Ranger. It took maine nary clip to fig retired what to do. Within seconds, I was slamming enemies and eating nutrient retired of destroyed crates. It’s very overmuch a “how you retrieve aged games playing” benignant of project. Movement is speedy and my attacks are varied. I motorboat astatine immoderate enemies pinch a leaping footwear and crushed lb them betwixt punches. It’s each fast, furious, and familiar.

Even nan communicative needed small introduction. I quickly study that Rita Repulsa has teamed up pinch Robo Rita to messiness pinch time. That gives Digital Eclipse a batch of room for imaginative liberty, arsenic it tin retell moments from nan original series, complete pinch existent speech from nan show, while peppering successful foes from crossed nan franchise’s history. It’s a classical premise for a crippled for illustration this, 1 that you’re meant to judge arsenic “arcade logic” alternatively than trying to fresh it into canon.

Frankly, each of that would beryllium capable to make Rita’s Rewind a nostalgic beat-’em-up that fans of nan bid would eat up — but Digital Eclipse didn’t extremity there.

At nan extremity of 1 stage, my teammates and I look disconnected against Goldar. We punch him while avoiding his fireballs and deed our typical attacks to inflict monolithic damage. Everything goes arsenic expected until he grows gigantic. Suddenly, we’re thrown into a Space Harrier-style shooter wherever each of america runs done a canyon connected our Zords. It’s a full surprise, and a thrilling 1 astatine that arsenic we rustle up spaceships pinch missiles. Digital Eclipse says that these position shifts are a large portion of nan game, estimating that they return up astir 30% of it.

When we drawback up to Goldar, things alteration again. We shape into nan Megazord and abruptly nan camera shifts to nan wrong of nan cockpit. Now we’re fighting successful a first-person brawler, wherever each subordinate takes turns trying to rack up capable hits to complaint up a conception of nan Power Sword. I duck and weave arsenic he launches fireballs astatine nan cockpit, waiting for an opening truthful I tin deed him pinch a moving punch. It’s for illustration a Power Rangers Punch-Out battle. When we yet complaint our sword, we each collectively mash our onslaught buttons to present a last blow. It’s a puerility powerfulness imagination delivered successful each its 1990s glory.

Atari

The much Digital Eclipse shows off, nan clearer it becomes that this isn’t conscionable immoderate speedy and easy side-scroller pinch a Power Rangers skin. Take nan Juice Bar, for instance, which acts arsenic a cooldown hub betwixt levels. That abstraction features 3 arcade cabinets featuring wholly original games. They aren’t Power Rangers-themed games; they’re wholly invented because Digital Eclipse wanted to research what benignant of games its heroes really play successful nan universe.

It’s those specifications that elevate Rita’s Rewind supra a nosy nostalgia project. It isn’t conscionable a emotion missive to nan Power Rangers, but nan era they were celebrated in. Its gameplay twists salary tribute to nan ’90s arcade segment successful a measurement that makes nan task consciousness much substantial. It’s an attack that’s particularly fitting for a workplace for illustration Digital Eclipse, whose activity is centered astir preserving older games. Rita’s Rewind is an hold of that mission, capturing nan societal power that propelled nan Rangers to stardom successful nan first place.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is group to motorboat successful 2024 for PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.