365//365: Day 045 – Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (SNES)

(Requested by Anne H.)

A long time ago, someone told me I should try out the Power Rangers game on the Super Nintendo. I never got around to doing so until recently, when I play that travesty of a movie tie in game known as Power Rangers: The Movie. I was wondering whether the person that wanted me to play the Power Rangers game on the Super Nintendo was playing a cruel joke on me. But I later realized I had played the wrong game. Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers was the title I should have played.

Even though you lack the ability to move up and down, Power Rangers still feels fresh and exciting enough not to miss that much.

I’m actually shocked at how well the game turned out. Each of the Power Rangers in their human forms, look close enough to their television counterparts, with some pretty good animation, as well as each ranger wearing their colors. Their surroundings are rather simplistic, though quite cartoon-like, but they do represent the area you’re currently in with enough distinction. Changing into a Power Ranger, you’ll then notice not only the same fluidity in the animation, but they didn’t bother to give them different stances, nor a skirt for the pink ranger. The only difference aside from color, is some slight helm adjustments to reflect whatever creature they represent.

The music throughout the game is pretty good, though not really anything you’d find in the television series, aside from the pretty good rendition of the Power Rangers theme in the beginning, complete with digitized vocals. Sound effects, however, fall somewhat flat, lacking any sort of punch to it, no pun intended.

Strangely enough, the only difference between the teens and the Rangers is attack range. They both have the same attack power.

Each character has a slightly different attack from the other when they are in human form. While Jason might have a bit of range, Billy’s pitiful fist flailing lacks any range whatsoever. They all are equal in strength, whether they are human form or Power Ranger form. While in Power Ranger form, most of them gain a considerable amount of range with their attacks, thanks to their weapons. Trini, the yellow ranger, lacks the extensive range that the other four rangers have, but it’s a lot better than what she had in human form.

I do appreciate the fact that the stages are broken up into 3-4 parts, with only the first part being in human form, and the rest of the stage is in Power Ranger form. When you play Act 6, you pilot your Megazord for the first time, which is kind of cool, though nothing too fancy. In fact, you get not only one Megazord battle stage, but you get two in a row! Then you realize you just beat the game.

The bosses you face come straight from the television series....which came straight from Japanese stock footage. But at least they are memorable!

While the game is entertaining enough, there’s a couple of annoyances that pop up, with the main issue being the difficulty. It’s not a hard game at all, and there are no difficulty settings. If you die though, you go all the way back to the beginning of that particular area. If you play smart enough though, you won’t have to worry about dying, especially in Power Ranger mode. Also, the game could have benefited from some vertical movement, like most other beat em up titles. Plus, with only seven stages, you’ll beat the game in under two hours, with no real urge to go back for more.

For what its worth, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers is actually a relatively good game, though a bit too easy. It’s simple, easy to get into, though ultimately a bit short. If anything, it proves that there’s a decent Power Rangers game out there, because it’s hard to tell with the stink of Power Rangers: The Movie still inside my nostrils. Give this game a go if you can.

Between that pose and how that sword look, I'd swear they were trying to imitate He-Man & the Masters of the Universe.

Rating: 6.7