Heading into PAX West 2024, one of the titles I was most excited about was Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind. As a lifelong Power Rangers fan who’s been disappointed by the lack of video game adaptations for such an influential series, I was thrilled to see that Digital Eclipse is finally giving the franchise the game it deserves. From what I’ve seen so far, they’re delivering a title that caters to both long-time fans and newcomers alike.
During my time with the game, attendees, including myself, were given controllers and encouraged to jump in and enjoy. The game starts with Robo Rita, frustrated by her repeated defeats, devising a plan to eliminate the Power Rangers in the past. This means the Rangers will now face not just one, but two Ritas, along with other surprises that unfold throughout the game. It’s also nice to see that this has connections to the Netflix Power Rangers special, in such that the game is more of a what-if sceaniro. If Billy never attempted to revive Zordon, Robo Rita would never have come to be after possessing Alpha 8. Also, if you haven’t watched that special, you really need to.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind seems to be part of a resurgence in the 2D side-scrolling beat ’em up genre, alongside titles like Streets of Rage 4, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, and Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons. While these games are fantastic, there’s something uniquely satisfying about donning those iconic suits and helmets and taking on waves of enemies bent on stopping the Rangers.
The PAX West demo was limited to just the first level, but it allowed me and several other players to tackle various Putty Patrollers and Tenga Warriors, and ultimately face off against Goldar. I won’t mention that I managed to find a game-breaking bug which everyone found hilarious. However, it is fair to state that the game build is still in beta, so there were bound to be things that weren’t working as intended.
It also did hit me in the feels when we jumped from the future to the past, and saw the Trini, the Yellow Ranger, suiting up again. I wasn’t the only one, as I heard other players who eventually played the demo point out that Trini was there, as well as several others calling her their favorite Power Ranger.
While it wasn’t featured in the demo, Dan mentioned that the finished product will also have several levels of difficulty; Easy, Normal, Hard, and Nightmare. The latter of which Dan jokingly stated there’s no way he’s playing that. The game will also feature an overworld map, similar to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
Although the demo felt brief, I couldn’t stop smiling. I was particularly curious about the Zord levels and how Digital Eclipse has integrated them into the game. During this time, Dan Amrich, Digital Eclipse’s content editor and a major Power Rangers fan himself, mentioned that there are exciting elements yet to be revealed. Hearing from Dan reassured me that the game is in capable hands and is truly a labor of love.
Dan also mentioned that the Green Ranger was always planned to be an unlockable character and not something that would be acquired via a microtransaction. As we talked about this, he stated that the devs wanted him to be a throwback to when you had to work to get access to new characters or items in games. And while the Green Ranger is out of the bag, that doesn’t mean there won’t be other secrets. Sadly, he wasn’t going to spoil those secrets, no matter how many times we pressed. Dan, smiling while saying it, says we’ll have to play the game to find out more.
There was one point of minor frustration with the combat system. While the combat is generally enjoyable, with plenty of moves such as launchers, powerful attacks, and Zord summons, it lacks the flashy combos and juggling seen in some recent 2D beat ’em ups. Perhaps I’m just accustomed to those more complex systems, but this doesn’t detract significantly from the game’s overall appeal. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is fun, and fans of the series and beat ’em ups alike will find a lot to love in what Digital Eclipse has crafted.
I can’t wait to get hands-on with the full game, so I can start shouting out our “It’s MORPHIN’ Time!”
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is slated for a late 2024 release date for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
