Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Super Nintendo
Nostalgia Factor:
When I was a kid I absolutely hated the Power Rangers and refused to watch the show out of spite. Why? Because I loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and I always felt that their decline was the Power Rangers' fault. I looked at them as a cheap knockoff, and the commercials I saw and all the bits and piece I caught of the show made it look corny as hell. By the time I was able to put aside my petty grievances, I was too old for the show. To this day, I still haven't seen a full episode of the show nor have I seen any of the movies.
Why would I play the video game then? Because of a podcast I listen to - Worth it or Worthless. In one of their episodes they talk about this game and dissect it. The main thing that stood out to me is how one of the hosts, Jordan, loved a cutscene where the characters are riding on a speedboat, hit a rock, and get flipped up into the sky where they crash land on an aircraft carrier. It was jokingly described as the greatest video game cutscene of all time.
From that discussion alone, I knew I had to play this game. So here I am.
Story:
I've already admitted that I've never seen the movie that this game is based on, so I can't tell you if it is true to the source material or not. As far as the story goes, all I can gather is that you play as the Power Rangers as you make your way through a series of stages, where you fight Ivan Ooze in his hideout at the end of the game. After you defeat him, a countdown begins, and you must race against time to exit the hideout before it blows up. A giant robot hand reaches in and saves you, and your group watches the hideout explode from a safe distance.
After that, a few of the members of your team take part in a boxing match as the credits roll. The end.
Okay, now someone who has seen the movie tell me if this is what happens in it or not!
This game is somewhat difficult to categorize. The easy way out would be to simply label it as a beat 'em up, but that's not entirely accurate. It's a beat 'em up in the same way that Double Dragon II for the NES is a beat 'em up - maybe even less so. There are platforming elements at play, in addition to power ups, special items, and ways to upgrade your character's attack.
You start off by selecting which Power Ranger you'd like to play as, although you don't begin each level in your trademark suit. You appear as the human character behind the Power Ranger. Most levels act like a 2D platformer, consisting of two planes of action that your character can jump back and forth between at the push of a button. You don't have a full 3D range of motion like most beat 'em ups. Utilizing the ability to go back and forth is key to succeeding in this game. Sometimes one plane will have an unpassable obstacle like a fire or an oncoming vehicle, so you have to jump to the other plane to get by it. This is also important for managing battles if you find yourself overwhelmed. Most of the time enemies will follow you to the opposite plane, but not always.
While playing as a human character, enemies are slightly more difficult to defeat. It takes about two punches to kill each enemy, and in some cases many more. Each enemy you defeat drops a little lightning bolt icon. Collecting these bolts fills up your power meter. Once the power meter is filled, you can transform into your full-fledged Power Ranger form.
Once you are playing as a Power Ranger, your attacks do much more damage to your enemy. Most can be killed in one hit. The more difficult enemies can be defeated in two. When you switch to your Power Ranger form, your health meter fills up. I often waited until I was almost dead before switching forms, so as to maximize my health meter. This game can be tough your first few times trying to play through it. Gaming the system is essential to mastering it.
As a Power Ranger, you can continue to collect lightning bolts to fill your power meter. This time when it is filled, you become much more powerful as you attack your enemies with a weapon. I only used the White Power Ranger, who has a sword - so I don't know if they all have swords or other customized weapons. As I said, I know nothing about the lore of the series.
There are six stages in total, each ending with a boss character. These boss characters are pretty fun to take on. Most of them can be tough your first time through, but once you get down their movement and attack patterns, they are cake. The game ends with a "seventh" stage if you can call it that, where you fight the main villain, Ivan Ooze, and then race to escape his compound.
All in all, I found this game to be surprisingly fun and deep. Not being a fan of the source material, I expected it to be terrible. Instead, this game hooked me. It took me a few attempts to get through it. With each passing attempt I was able to make it farther and farther into the game before I finally finished it. Definitely a very addicting game, and I'm a bit surprised at the lukewarm reception it got when it was first released.
Graphics:
This game looks good. I love the 16-bit sprite artwork. The settings and the characters perfectly fit the tone of the game. Everything is nice and varied. Nothing looks the same. I love the boss characters in particular.
I can imagine that if I had been a Power Rangers fan growing up, I would have been more than happy with this game's presentation.
Sound:
The game's music is for the most part unremarkable, but serviceable. I had no complaints about it, nor did anything about it really stand out for me. Same with the sound effects. I guess the highlight of the sound department would be the rendition of the Power Rangers theme song that plays from time to time - although it does take quite a while to get to the "good part."
Overall:
I never expected to like this game as much as I did. Of all the games I've played in recent memory, this one definitely stands out. It's challenging, but not too overly difficult. It's addicting. It's got good graphics. I like the boss battles. I like the strategic element to preserving your power items.
If I had been a Power Rangers fan growing up, I would have loved to play this game. And you know what? I still do love playing it. I may be 27 years late to the party, but this is a really fun title. And it's two-players as well, so when my son Channing is old enough I for sure want to go through this with him.
Check this out, even if you aren't a Power Rangers fan. It's definitely worth it.
THE GRADE:
B+
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