In the era of arcade beat ’em ups making somewhat of a renaissance, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind attempts to continue the trend. Is this worth your time? Or are you left reminiscing about the good old days?
We Have To Go Back!
Developers Digital Eclipse chose Power Rangers as the latest classic series to be immortalized in the arcade beat ’em up style, because why the hell not? Following successful releases of retro style games like TMNT Shredders Revenge, I became intrigued to see how this series would fare in this classic format and thankfully, it succeeds. The plot of Rita’s Rewind is simple, yet satisfying. For fans of the series classic villain, Rita Repulse takes centre stage as she has discovered time travel technology. With this discovery, Rita seeks to go back in time and eradicate the Power Rangers at their inception, as the current day line up of the Rangers is deemed no match for Rita. So it’s back to the 90’s to play as the original team to once again save the day and the world itself.
This short tale encapsulates the classic 90’s feel of Power Rangers I felt during my childhood. There are countless familiar faces, fun call backs and genius little easter eggs throughout the story that will delight the hardcore fans of the franchise. For newcomers, there will be a lot of quotes and moments that will go over your head but there is still an adventure for you to enjoy. It’s a goofy tale of the Power Rangers having to save the day, but Digital Eclipse have sprinkled in some great conversations between the characters that help flesh out the motives for both the protagonists and the antagonists. Truth be told, the plot is mainly a gigantic excuse for the 90’s arcade game look and style to work and yes, it does!
Kick, Punch, It’s All In The Mind!
Digital Eclipse describes this game as an action adventure side scrolling game and for the most part, Rita’s Rewind succeeds, if not without some flaws. This game follows the recent trend of modernising the retro style beat ’em up with simplified controls and movements. You’ve got a basic attack, a jump, throw, dodge, kick and of course, your super attack that you can use when your meter is full. But that’s basically it, so if you’re looking for a detailed and complex fighting game, I regret to inform you this certainly isn’t the game for you. But whilst it’s simple, it’s so much fun fighting wave after wave of enemies and bosses. Each Power Ranger has supposedly different abilities and move sets but they really don’t feel that much different from one another. On the other hand, the enemies and bosses are varied enough that they will force players to tackle each fight differently which adds a lot of unique moments for the player, whether you’re playing alone or co-op. Co-op makes this game an absolute blast to play. Much like TMNT Shredders Revenge, it is the optimal way to play whether its offline or now online, with up to five other friends making it chaotic and an absolute blast.
Where Rita’s Rewind attempts to put a different spin on this classic arcade style is through its super scaler moments. These moments flip the camera and gameplay to an on the rails style as you get into the Megazord, an individual Zord or just a standard motorcycle. This spices up the gameplay in ways I didn’t expect, both good and bad. The levels play out in a 3D style as you dodge incoming fire and collect different power ups such as missiles. They’re fun and pretty zany levels but they can lead to extremely frustrating moments. The Megazord moments are the most egregious as whilst you cannot die in these moments, you can consistently get knocked back by attacks. This is incredibly frustrating as the only way to land attacks on these bosses is to get up close. However, there’s more fun than frustration overall, with excellent super scaler moments like being aboard a rollercoaster or fighting on an elevator; the variety in locations in a relatively short story is commendable. I cannot fail to mention the Juice Bar sections which serve as between missions debriefs where you can converse with characters. This is a really cool addition that fans of the series will adore. By far the best part of the Juice Bar is the fun arcade games you can play, dependent on how many characters you have saved along the way. A superb mix of fun arcade games ranging from racing to a space invaders rip-off. Like me, you’ll most likley get sucked into playing these games for a while.
90’s Charm
Let’s get this out of the way immediately. The visual presentation and art style in Rita’s Rewind is absolutely phenomenal. The pixel art nails every aspect of a retro game with wonderful visuals and brilliant animations. I couldn’t help but smile as I kicked and punched my way through enemies. The vast amount of different environments allow the developers to flex their muscles with gorgeous set pieces that are each as memorable as they are beautiful. Additionally, the super scaler level truly allow the graphics to shine, making this retro style have a completely new aspect to it, in the 3D style coupled with the pixel art. The Power Rangers themselves look fantastic and each colour of the suits burst to life on screen. It’s a wonderful effort in visual presentation. If you think of an arcade game, Rita’s Rewind encapsulates the classic look and feel while innovating, thus making the game look just so beautiful.
Unfortunately, the sound design and musical score yield mixed results. The problem certainly isn’t with the basic sound design which is rock solid with over the top, yet satisfying punches and kicks. The main problem I have with the sound design is the voiceover work. Whilst the voice cast do an admirable job, unfortunately each cast member only recorded a handful of lines, making each character consistently regurgitate speeches you’ve heard a hundred times over by the time the credits roll. This made me want to turn the voice audio off completely at times, due to my fear of going insane! Thankfully, the musical score delivers what it sets out to do. Digital Eclipse have managed to blend the nostalgic theme song of the Power Rangers into a retro rock arcade beat that sounds so 90’s, it’s wonderful. The essence of these rock elements with a classic arcade beat ’em up fighting soundtrack creates such nostalgia it feels like you have stepped into a time capsule – brilliant!
Verdict
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is exactly what it sets out to be; a fun and nostalgic trip down memory lane. Stunning pixel art visuals, fun and engaging combat and a killer soundtrack will make fans of the series long for more. Sadly, some players will not feel as challenged as they’d like to be in gameplay, along with tedious frustrating moments found in the super scaler levels. A simple plot and repetitive voice work don’t do the game any favours either, but overall, if you love the Power Rangers and arcade games, you’ll find room in your heart for this one. A nostalgic trip!
