Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (1994, SNES) by Bandai

Current All Rangers Leaderboard (speedrun.com)

GAMES FROM THIS EPISODE OF AVGN:
–Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (SNES)
-Choujin Sentai Jetman (Famicom)
-Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger (Famicom)
-Family Feud (NES)
-Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie (featuring Ivan Ooze™) (SNES)
-Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (Genesis)
-Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (Sega CD)
-Dragon’s Lair (Arcade)
-Saban’s Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue (Nintendo 64)
-Superman (Nintendo 64)
-Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (Game Boy)
-Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie (Game Boy)

Another game that I owned as a kid, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers is a title that I hold near and dear to my heart.  In fact, despite not having highlighted or submitting any runs, I actually learned this speedrun early on in my speedrunning career.  It was one of the very first games I ever ran!  Developed by Natsume, and published by Bandai in 1994, I received this game as a kid for Christmas ’94 and played it to death. I was a closet MMPR fan, afraid that I was too old to like the show. I was afraid that kids would tease me for liking a kids show (ironic, ain’t it?).  But this side-scrolling beat-em-up is a ton of fun, albeit a very easy one, both casually and as a speedrun… that is, until you dive into the actual tech and strats for the run.

In Power Rangers, you play as all 5 teens in both their human and Ranger forms.  You also get to play in the Megazord for the final two stages of the game.  You travel through 5 side-scrolling beat-em-up stages, and finish with 2 one-on-one fighting stages that play more like Mortal Kombat (a very clunky Mortal Kombat, and honestly they’re the worst part of the game, though they’re not bad by any means).  The 5 stages are well designed, with platforming and challenges mixed in with the fighting.  That said, the fighting is 80% you beating the Putty Patrol up, over… and over… and over again.  It does get repetitive, especially if you only play as one ranger, like the any% category used to.

That all said, this is a wonderfully made game.  Responsive controls (in the beat-em-up stages), lovely graphics, and some of the hottest tunes on the SNES, make this a pleasure to play through, even if it’s a bit stale at games’ end.  You fight enemies from the 1st season of the actual show, and the fights are thankfully much more fun and intense than the mindless mobs you push through.  Each fight has a strategy which relies on a bit of RNG luck and, assuming you’ve learned and practiced the strats, you should be able to have a shot at a quick kill in most of them.  These strats are much more precise and difficult than they appear, meaning you’ll actually need to learn them.  But they’re by no means as precise as some other titles, making this much more approachable for speedrunners looking for something that is not going to be reset due to a frame-perfect trick being missed.

This is a fun little game for the SNES, and in my opinion one of the more fun ones, up there with Turtles in Time and Final Fight.  If you were a Rangers fan, I highly suggest you try it out!  Especially if you’re a speedrunner looking for some grind-ready action! (JodiesSmile)