Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revengeset a ridiculously-high bar when it was released a few years ago, giving fans the ultimate old-school arcade-style beat-‘em-up that everyone had always wanted.And as mentioned before,we’re only now feeling the aftermath following its release, with multiple beat-‘em-ups in the same vein being released this year. First there wasG.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra,which depending on your opinion, was either fine in spite of its genericness or was awful because of it. Then there wasThe Karate Kid: Street Rumble,which arguably fared better in its presentation and was more fun, but still didn’t have gameplay that was too deep and was dragged for its laughable cutscenes. And now, Digital Eclipse steps up withMighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind,which looks impressive, but can it dethrone the reigning champ?
The setup forRita’s Rewindis simple: Robo-Rita, from 2023’sOnce and Alwaysspecial, decides that the best solution to finally defeating the Power Rangers once and for all is to travel back to 1993 and team up with her past self in order to defeat the team back at the beginning. Now noticing oddities in the timestream, Zordon warns the Power Rangers of Robo-Rita’s evil plan. Just exactly what sort of dastardly time-warping plans do these two Ritas have in mind? Well, they’re going to be mining for a special kind of crystal that can power the time-based technology, and…well, that’s pretty much it.
Blast From the Past
One strike againstMighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewindis that it shockingly doesn’t do a whole lot with its concept. With over thirty years of the show and several different incarnations, you’d think that would leave a lot of room for the developers to go nuts (the Zordon Era alone contains more than enough material). But no, save for the use of Tenga Warriors as occasional enemies and two Zedd-era monsters of the week as bosses (who notably get no real build-up), there’s barely anything here beyond the show’s first season (and even the Tenga Warriors are the only element noted as being out of place by anyone).
And yes, you could argue that this is just supposed to be a relatively simple beat-‘em-up and that the plot doesn’t matter too much, but it makes one wonder why they even bothered with the Robo-Rita time travel stuff, especially since you’d expect that a game calledRita’s Rewindwould actually have more focus on…well, Rita’s rewind. Even the stuff outside of that barely feels important; despite the appearance of the Green Ranger in the marketing, the whole Green Ranger arc – which is basically toPower Rangersas, say, the alien symbiote arc is toSpider-Man– gets sped through so quickly that it feels like an afterthought.
CRT Never Looked Better
Still, that’s what one could argue is a minor complaint againstRita’s Rewind.And while it may mean facing off against a more random assortment of enemies, at least they all look gorgeous. The pixel art is astonishing and vibrant, with a lot of superb details and Easter eggs to be found through the enemies and each stage. It captures the spirit of the earlier, more goofy aspects of the show, such as Putties dressed as stereotypical punks and enemies rushing at you on a football field. The characters are also nicely represented as well, especially in little moments like the between-level bit at Ernie’s Juice Bar (including an interactive Bulk and Skull, complete with theme song, which itself alone was enough to earn bonus points).
The gameplay isn’t anything too complex, even for a beat-‘em-up, just the standard attack/dash/jump setup, but the combat is still solid and fun enough to get the job done. It helps that as mentioned before, the levels (described as “episodes” and divided up into different stages) are still well-designed with neat hazards like mists that can conceal open graves, and the enemy variety is enough to keep you on your toes, with splendid boss battles to boot. Honestly, if all the game had was just a standard beat-‘em-up to offer, it would still have enough charm and enjoyable combat to make for one extremely good Power Rangers game.
Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge caters to a specific niche audience, but couldn’t have done a better job of it.
Unfortunately, it feels like someone may have gotten paranoid aboutRita’s Rewindpossibly being seen as too short or lacking compared toShredder’s Revenge,because the game throws a bunch of extra gameplay elements at you, and the results can be hit-or-miss. To begin, the beat-‘em-up sections have mini-boss-esque moments where you have to destroy a canister-like device known as a Time Disruptor while enemies attack you. If you don’t destroy it in time, it rewinds the gameplay back to when it first appears on-screen, albeit with its current health still gone. It comes across as a neat idea…until you face off against it multiple times and each encounter never changes. Also, when it rewinds time, it even restores your health and respawns power-ups, making one wonder where the challenge is.
Outside of beat-‘em-up bits,Rita’s Rewinddoes switch things up with some behind-the-vehicle driving sequences. First you have motorcycle sequences that have you chasing down targets and firing at them, which control smoothly and are fun, with impressive Mode 7-style graphics…except there are only two of them, and they’re over way too fast. Then you get to pilot the actual Zords inStar Fox-style flying sequences, except these end up having the opposite problem when it comes to length, going on for too long, and also having the exact same visuals each time. They also have some hitbox issues at times, something which is present in a few other places as well…
Great Megazord Action…Is Not Here
Then there are the first-person Megazord sequences, and…well, I don’t want to have to disappoint anyone’s inner child by saying that the Megazord bits are somehow the worst part in aPower Rangersgame, but somehow, they are. It’s basically a scenario similar toPunch-Outwhere you advance towards enemies and then wail on them while dodging their attacks until you may charge up the Power Sword for a killing blow. Sounds fun, except movement is way too slow, the enemy can fire off projectiles even when too close to avoid, one single hit can deplete your change, and every time you get hit, the game basically stops for a second to get a cockpit view of all the Power Rangers recoiling, which gets tedious. Worst of all, there doesn’t even seem to be any way to die that could be found, so you’re locked into what are basically just interactive cutscenes until you get past it or quit.
Rita’s Rewindeven tries to throw in collectibles to find, which sounds like a nice touch, but still feels like padding. There are four different supporting characters to rescue, but they only serve as a reminder that OGPower Rangersdidn’t exactly have the deepest supporting cast (if you can remember who Marge is off the top of your head, you are more devoted to the franchise than this writer). There are three unlockable arcade games to play, which are kind of fun but weirdly seem to have no actual connection toPower Rangers.Then there are hidden Mementos of objects from past episodes, but the game doesn’t dwell on their history, making them only for the most die-hard fans.
In the end,Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewindis still a fun beat-‘em-up overall, if nothing groundbreaking, and its attempts to throw in different gameplay tweaks are admirable, but it ends up feeling too over-designed to the point of being distracting. Still, if you may get past that, there’s an enjoyable romp to be found here…just don’t expect anotherShredder’s Revenge.
Closing Comments:
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewindhas a great old-school beat-‘em-up at its core, but it unfortunately finds itself buried under questionable gameplay additions at times. Still, for those who just want to experience the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers game in a well-done beat-‘em-up, this is still easily recommended, as it easily nails down the spirit and fun of both the show and video games from the era. Let’s just hope any sequels go all-out with the franchise’s history, though…
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind
Version Reviewed: PC
In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind, the team faces off against a robotic reincarnation of the Power Rangers’ long-time nemesis. Robo-Rita has conjured a portal to send herself back in time so she can finally vanquish the Power Rangers by forming an alliance with her younger self.
