“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind” is a game based on the long-running “Power Rangers” franchise. Styled after the series’ games released on 16-bit consoles in the 1990s, the title follows in the wake of the success of similar retro reimagined action titles, including 2020’s “Streets of Rage 4” and 2022’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.”
The game’s story parallels last year’s reunion movie, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always.” Robo Rita, a mechanized variant of Rita Repulsa, time travels back to 1993 to aid her past self in eliminating the Power Rangers before their fight against evil can begin. Luckily, Zordon and Alpha 5 catch wind of this plan, and the Power Rangers must step up to defeat the dastardly sorceress duo before disaster can befall the world.
Both Hasbro, the license holder publishing the game under their Retro Arcade imprint, and Digital Eclipse, a division of Atari known for their well-received compilations, have crafted a game by fans and for fans of the franchise and side-scrolling beat-’em-up games. Though the difficulty spikes can often make stages a trial and error process (especially during the vehicle and Megazord sections of the game), you will definitely feel right at home if you’ve played side-scrolling action games before.
The graphics and sound are a natural progression from the franchise’s games released on Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, even recreating the sprite scaling and rotation tricks of that console generation. The game is also rife with secrets spanning more than 30 years of storytelling, ranging from items to supporting characters and more. A reboot of the franchise is still in the works for both TV and on film.
If you are a fan of the franchise, side-scrolling beat-’em-up games, or both; this game is easily a must-buy title. Overall, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind” is a “morphinomenal” retro reimagined game.
At a glance:
Publisher: Hasbro Retro Arcade
Developer: Digital Eclipse
Platforms: PS4 (Also Available on PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch)
ESRB Rating: E10+
My Rating: ★★★★★
