Power Rangers Rita's Rewind Made Me Feel Like A Little Kid Again

 

(Image Source: Nintendo)

Sometimes a game just brings you back to the good ol days, one that reminds you of the joys of simpler times. Last year from the moment this game was announced to the second I had it in my hands, I was ready for "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Rita's Rewind". I love beat em ups. I love this genre where I will play old and new, good and bad entries in this genre. From original, to long running series with a new coat of paint such as "Streets Of Rage 4" and "River City Girls", to ones based on a preexisting IP. Games like " TMNT Shredders Revenge" and "Scott Pilgrim VS The World", I could list some of my favorite modern and classic beat em ups for hours, and perhaps someday I will. But my first was the game simply titled "Mighty Morhin Power Rangers" for the Super Nintendo, so when I saw the Power Rangers were getting a new game that harkened back to the past, I was beyond excited. 

This game has Robo Rita going back to to team up with younger, less metallic self, to when the rangers first began and trying to snuff out the light when they were just beginning. You will face familiar foes as you pick the ranger of your choice in classic beat em up fashion, jump, attach, dodge, and perform combos as well as air attacks as you go from stage to stage, building up a meter to unleash a super attack. But of course Rita must MAKE HER MONSTER GROW, meaning there are bike sections akin to space harrier, and on rails megazord  sections that end with a "Punch Out" style boss fight. 

This game has it's flaws but at the time of this post, this game has been patched twice, and even then. As someone who played the game when the game was brand new, I still loved it. Sometimes the game was slow, sometimes the difficulty spiked, and sometimes the megazord sections were a tad frustrating, but I was still smiling ear to ear playing this on my Nintendo Switch. But as I mentioned the game was patched on other consoles already and a switch patch has already gone into effect with more updates across the other versions coming out.

The game looks great and sounds great. The music whether being a new piece or borrowing those classic tunes always kept me hyped up. And a certain theme of two certain characters even got a rendition and that made me laugh harder then I expected. 

This game is so fun to play, there are enough combos to do and the stages are paced well. With the other gameplay styles mixing things up and keeping them fresh. Bosses are challenging but fun and even in single player I had a blast. This game is so much fun, even when I got stuck I just wanted to power through just like I would with an old SNES game. The game does operate with continues and limited lives but that to me makes it feel like a lost SNES game. There are so many references to classic SNES game as well as the to the show but visual and with the sound even. The game has plenty of collectibles, some unlockable goodies in the form of minigames, and even something fun to do after the credits roll, all of them for fans of Mighty Morphin. In between stages you can go to juice bar and talk to classic characters, swap rangers, and even check your collectibles, or play some arcade games if you unlocked them.

If you are a Power Rangers fan you will love this game, especially if like me you grew up with this team. There are so many winks and nods to visual references, and even musical ones. There are even a few tributes in the credits and that touched me as well for those who know. This game is amazing and when it was referencing that classic Mighty Morphin beat em up with even the character sprites being an homage that I played growing up, I felt like a kid again. I felt so happy and nostalgic, smiling from ear to ear. But putting the nostalgia aside even with the minor flaws which have been and are being patched as this post goes live, this game is incredible. Even when it was new the good outweighed the bad, the only hard sell is the price point and your tie to the Power Rangers. This game is made for die hard fans, but I will say it is still a great game. If you are looking for a great beat em up and you didn't grow up with this IP, I say wait for a sale. The game is so good and feels like a classic in the best ways possible, it is fun.

This game was morhphenomal, from start to finish.