Developer: Natsume Publisher: Bandai Release: 09/94 Genre: Beat em up
When Power Rangers hit in 1993 it hit big. I will admit even back then to questioning why it was so popular. The acting was cheesy and the footage was low quality. I noticed this even before learning that it was an adaptation of an old Japanese show. But despite my indifference to the series I will credit Bandai for being lightning fast to capitalize on its popularity. By the end of 1994 there were games for almost every major platform on store shelves. The SNES Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was one of the first and is surprisingly decent all things considered. These type of licenses usually end in tragedy so kudos to Natsume for not phoning it in. I still would not outright recommend it though.
Hey man Natsume you didn’t have to do Zack dirty like this.
Surprisingly Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was created for the US market first despite the show being based on Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. You would think Japan would have a licensed title for the series ready to go but that was not the case. The lone Zyuranger title was actually for the Famicom. Why they did not localize that one too to truly capitalize on the license I guess we will never know.
All five rangers are playable and selectable before every level. Every character fights in their base form before suiting up as a Ranger. There are minor differences between each character when unmorphed. Jason is pretty much well-rounded with no strengths or weaknesses. Billy is weak and takes more damage and looks silly with his melee attacks. Kimberly has good combos and Zack and Trini are more or less interchangeable. When they morph it becomes more pronounced. Billy’s pike has the longest reach and its spinning attack hits multiple times. The pink ranger’s arrows stun enemies while Zack’s axe is slow but packs a wallop. Honestly I had no trouble working my way through the levels as any character as the game is easy. More on that later.
As Natsume is the developer it makes sense they would build the game on the same engine as Ninja Warriors released earlier in the year. The game plays similarly as it is a single lane beat em up. But you can tell their heart was not completely in it. The gameplay is shallow as characters have an extremely basic move set. You will not find not a variety of combo attacks, special moves or anything later 16-bit beat em ups would introduce to spice up gameplay. Midway in each level you assume your ranger form. These forms come with their signature weapon and a unique special attack but that is the only difference. There is some light platforming but nothing complex. It cannot mask the fact the gameplay is thin. Not even two-player coop could make this one more interesting.
For the game’s finale it becomes a 1-on-1 fighting game. The last two bosses become Street Fighter style bosses that allow you to use the Megazord in a bit of fan service. And you know what? It works. Do not go in to this expecting the depth of the latest fighting games on the market. This feels like King of the Monsters more than Capcom’s title. The combat is simplistic and there is no combo system. Technically you have special moves in the form of the power meter. As it charges you can execute different attacks at set points. But they use the whole charge and you are must wait again. View this as a welcome change of pace or diversion and it is fine.
It is obvious accessibility was the goal of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as it is one of the easier brawlers around. Most enemies go down in one or a few hits and the game is generally has good pacing. Health packs are spaced out evenly and most of the time I did not need them. But if you grab them at full health they stack, making you even more overpowered. You might have a rough time as Billy since he takes more damage but once he morphs the range of his pike makes up for it. Even the boss battles are easy. Usually beat em ups go overboard and make their mayors cheap. Outside of one particular fight (the Dark Warrior) none were hard. Most will breeze through this one relatively easily.
In Closing
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on SNES is a competent beat ‘em up that delivers just enough nostalgia-fueled fun for fans of the series. While it lacks some of the depth and multiplayer features found in other SNES brawlers it still manages to entertain thanks to its tight controls and presentation. But being competent is a hard sell when the competition is so strong. Considering this is a licensed title it is better than most, but you need to be a real die hard fan of the show to pick this one up.
