“Rita’s back. Recruit a team of teenagers with attitude!” After their success with TMNT: Cowabunga Collection and Mega Man Legacy Collection, Dark Eclipse is taking on the Power Rangers.
Dark Eclipse announced the game on Power Rangers Day at Summer Game Fest in June. Since then, there has been little information about the upcoming release—near radio silence for five months.
Until last week when Dar Eclipse dropped a trailer for the game complete with a release date. December 10 Ranger fans can take on Rita and her army of monsters as one of the classic power rangers.
The game pays homage to the classic side-scrolling brawlers from the 1990s. But it is more than a remake of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers video game released in 1994. It features multiplayer co-op, a new storyline set around classic Ranger moments in history, and a variety of ways to battle evil besides brawling.
But is the game worth our time and energy? Or our hard-earned cash? Let’s look at what we know about Rita’s Rewind and what we can expect to find out!
The Story
For this adventure, the Rangers will face not just Rita Repulsa but a pair of Rita’s. Jumping from the Netflix Special Once and Always, Robo-Rita teams up with her younger self.
Together the evil duo travel through the Ranger’s history to prevent the Rangers from ever being formed. While featuring many iconic moments from ranger lore and locations famous within the universe, the game does use the original five rangers.
Players will be able to choose from either Zac, Kimberley, Billy, Trini, or Jason to morph into the action and stop the RItas for good.
The Game
Unlike TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection and Mega Man Legacy Collection which were remasters of those classic games–Rita’s Rewind is a brand new game.
Players can enjoy the game as a solo adventure choosing their favorite ranger for each playthrough, or they can team up with up to five friends in online co-op. Allowing the entire team of five to battle Rita’s evil menace.
While the game will lean heavily on side-scrolling brawling gameplay, players will be able to enjoy a variety of vehicles including the Dinozords forming the Megazord. The trailer features a few scenes of this.
One scene shows the rangers on motorcycles racing through the streets of Angel Grove battling putties. It’s unclear whether these are the shark cycles from the show, but it’s a safe bet they are.
Piloting a Dinozord appears to be similar to the shark cycles, the trailer shows the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord dodging incoming attacks while launching its barrage of missiles and laser blasts. However, piloting the Megazord looks amazing and seems to showcase a level of immersion that has escaped previous Power Ranger Games.
The trailer shows the rangers forming the Megazord presumable in an in-game cut scene and then cuts to a first-person view from the cockpit. Players will battle Rita’s overgrown monster from the point of view of the rangers in the cockpit of the show. This certainly adds a new twist to the classic games Rita’s Rewind emulates and honors.
Expectations
The trailer does reveal quite a bit about the game. However, without actually playing the game it’s hard to say what the game will actually deliver on.
But there are a few things we can surmise. The ability to form the full classic ranger line-up is seen in the trailer, however the trailer also reveals Tommy as the green ranger on the side of the Rita’s. This of course is staying true to Ranger lore as Tommy originally battled the Rangers under Rita’s control.
It wasn’t until Jason was able to get the power sword away from Tommy and destroy it that Rita’s spell would be broken. Tommy of course would keep the power and join the team as the sixth ranger and pilot of the Dragonzord.
What isn’t clear is if players can play as Tommy or not. Luckily the developer released a statement confirming Players will be able to unlock Tommy as the Green Ranger. Hopefully, this means players can play as all six Rangers at once.
What also remains to be seen is what if any other rangers will make an appearance in the game. Since the Rita’s are wreaking havoc through time there could be appearances from the other teams or at least Rocky, Aisha, Adam, and Kat.
There is also the possibility that the 2nd Red, Yellow, Black, and Pink Rangers respectively could be made available as a DLC later on. But nothing has been confirmed yet.
The Take Aways
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is an ambitious entry into the Power Rangers universe. Understandably we’re a little apprehensive after the failed attempt by Battle for the Grid.
Dark Eclipse already has a track record of success with breathing new life into retro games. So there is little to fear about whether the studio will deliver an enjoyable gaming experience.
Older fans will appreciate the nostalgia of the original ’90s characters while experiencing the story they know in a brand new way that introduces the characters to a new generation of fans.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind will be released to console and Steam on December 10. Players can pre-order the game on Steam and PlayStation.
