Originally Published on Set The Tape
‘The future Omega Ranger discovers that Lord Zedd has reverted to his evil form. Zedd has discovered the Time Crystals that allow him to travel through time and form alliances with Rangers’ foes from several different eras. The Omega Ranger is confined to the Hall of Legends, the repository of all Power Ranger history, and must enlist the help of other Power Rangers to defeat Lord Zedd and save the universe.’
Power Rangers Super Legends was released on both the Playstaion 2 and PC, as well as having a slightly different version on the Nintendo DS, as part of the 15th anniversary celebrations.
Despite a set up that promises to explore the entirety of the Power Ranger franchise, Power Rangers Super Legends doesn’t cash in on this, with characters from Power Ranger Zeo, Power Ranger Turbo, Power Ranger In Space, Power Ranger Lightspeed Rescue, and Power Ranger Dino Thunder missing as playable characters. In addition to this, those series that do appear in the game only have two or three Rangers from each version playable, often missing out half the team or more.
Whilst the game may be lacking on the number of characters on offer, it does at least allow you to play through a number of different eras of the Power Ranger franchise, with levels set in Angel Grove, Terra Venture, and the Wind Ninja Academy. The levels all manage to look different from each other, and vary the aesthetics, with the Power Rangers Ninja Storm levels looking particularly pretty.
The game play itself is a very standard side scrolling beat em up, letting players fight through hordes of enemies alone or in two player co-op. Each iteration of the Rangers that appear in the game get two levels to play through before the action shifts to another time period and a new group of Rangers.
Luckily, each Ranger plays exactly the same as the others, meaning that you don’t have to lean a whole new way of playing each time the action shifts to another Power Rangers series. Other than a cosmetic change, the Rangers do differ in their super attacks, big finisher moves that destroy most enemies on the screen whilst the Rangers perform their iconic poses in front of coloured explosions, much like on the show. Again, this is purely cosmetic, but it’s nice that the developers took the time to give each Ranger their own poses to differentiate them a little.
The game also includes a variety of monsters from throughout the Power Rangers mythos, with Putties and Stingwingers making up standard enemies, whilst also featuring some of the more iconic villains such as Trakeena, Goldar, and Icthior in boss roles at the end of levels.
At the end of each level the game shifts the action as you find yourself in control of the iconic Megazords. Whilst this might sound like an exciting proposition, this is the place where the game drops the ball, completely ruining the action as it removes control of the Megazords. Instead of being able to control these giant battle robots in the same way that you were able to the Rangers, you’re given button prompts and quick time events in order to execute attacks.
Whilst the game still presents Megazords fighting giant versions of the monsters it lacks any real punch and spectacle as it feels more like watching a cut scene rather than taking part in the game.
Power Rangers Super Legends is not a perfect game, it actually falls quite far from that title. However, it is a competent and enjoyable game, which isn’t something that can be said of every Power Rangers game on the market. Whilst they didn’t include every Ranger in the game, it still has enough variety that it will keep players entertained and engaged as they fight through hordes of Power Rangers villains as some of their favourite heroes.
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