Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind shows there’s still space for retro originality

Few video game genres have been as played out as the beat ‘em up, but Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind shows that the format still has juice left in it.

This style of simple action game has been around since the days when arcades dominated and remained a particularly fruitful indie game niche. Beat ‘em ups are some of my favorite games to play when it needs a quick dose of somewhat mindless gaming fun, and I’ve appreciated the recent wave of licensed beat ‘em ups that we’ve gotten for franchises like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and G.I. Joe.

Unfortunately, many beat ‘em up games lack originality and feel like they’re just replaying the greatest hits of games like Street of Rage 2 and TMNT: Turtles in Time. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised by the creativity on display as I played Rita’s Rewind. Not only does this game faithfully emulate the look and feel of classic beat ‘em ups but Digital Eclipse was willing to insert new ideas of its own into the experience.

A retro tribute

Like most licensed beat ‘em ups, Rita’s Rewind is light on plot but all-in on fan service. In this game, a robotic version of Rita Repulsa goes back in time to team up with her younger self and defeat the Power Rangers. That sets the backdrop for a series of beat ‘em up levels that span from rooftops to carnivals and more, where the Power Rangers must fight Putty Patrollers and big bads like Goldar.

Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to watch Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, so my nostalgia for the series is limited. As I played, I noticed lots of little Easter eggs, character cameos, and other small touches that showed me diehard Power Rangers fans worked on this game. It’s also a love letter to 16-bit beat ‘em up games in presentation. Rita’s Rewind features some stunning pixel art and is instantly approachable to anyone who has played a game like Final Fight or Streets of Rage before.

Digital Eclipse’s commitment to games like Rita’s Rewind is encouraging. It demonstrates that the studio has a deep understanding of the retro titles it preserves and can re-create that magic for something new. It’s not only a throwback to 16-bit beat ‘em up, but it gave me renewed faith that there’s still a lot of space for retro games to explore.

Beat ‘em ups are some of the simplest games out there. Whether it’s Streets of Rage 4, Capcom’s underrated The Punisher, or Rita’s Rewind, players are, at a basic level, walking to the right and punching whatever gets in their way. That simplicity is what draws me to the genre in moments of leisure, but I’ve been let down playing games like G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra because I think the game design plays it too safe. Rita’s Rewind does not have that problem.

While I wish the different Power Rangers played more distinctly from each other, I could at least expect and enjoy when each new level tossed some creative idea toward me. I knew this would be a special beat ‘em up toward the end of the first level, and the game rewound time after a time dilator blew up. Something like that obviously wouldn’t have been possible on SNES or Sega Genesis and is fresh for the beat ‘em up genre.

Vehicle stages in Rita’s Rewind where players control Zords or other objects end up playing more like Space Harrier or Air Twister rather than being unfairly difficult side-scrolling levels that limit player movement in frustration. That’s another example of Digital Eclipse coming at a played-out beat ‘em up trope. Then, there are the Megazord fights that play a bit like Punch-Out and are nice power trips following some particularly tough Zord or beat ’em up levels.

Rita’s Rewind squarely fits the mold of a retro throwback beat ‘em up, feeling like the kind of game I would’ve loved playing on my Game Boy Advance as a kid, like Justice League Heroes: The Flash. Despite that, it shows there are still ways to experiment and feel fresh while working within the restrictive confines of the format. That makes it an easy recommendation for fans of Power Rangers or classic arcade brawlers.

Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind launches for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on December 10. The Nintendo Switch version launches on December 19.