MMPR's Rita's Rewind Ties to 'Once and Always'

The upcoming brawler Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind will contain countless references to the classic franchise, including last year’s Once and Always reunion special by featuring Robo Rita as its main antagonist. One of the biggest surprises to come from Summer Games Fest 2024 was the announcement of a retro-style beat-em-up starring the original five Power Rangers. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind will offer five-player co-op, tons of enemies pulled from the first three Power Rangers seasons, and even 3D rail-shooter segments when it launches on PC and consoles later this year.

The past few years have been a roller coaster for Power Rangers fans, as the show itself has gone into limbo following the release of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always and Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury. The former saw the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers team reunite to stop a robotic reincarnation of their original enemy Rita Repulasa from traveling into the past and helping her younger self conquer Earth using her future knowledge. The special also contained plenty of Easter eggs and emotional moments crafted for die-hard Power Rangers fans, even ending with a touching tribute to deceased actors Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank.

Robo Rita will return from the Netflix special Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always to serve as the main villain of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind. Digital Eclipse content editor Dan Amrich revealed during an interview with Time Express that the decision to use Robo Rita came about due to Once and Always having the mechanical sorceress attempting to use a time portal to prevent the Power Rangers from ever existing. This gave Digital Eclipse an in-universe excuse to connect elements from across the franchise.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Revenge Pits Players Against Robo Rita

Dan Amrich also described how his team approached Power Rangers owner Hasbro with the pitch for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind after hearing that the company was looking to expand upon its famous franchises. From there, both Hasbro and the developers drew inspiration from the classic licensed 2D brawlers that were all the rage during the heyday of MMPR, as well as making sure there were plenty of fun Easter eggs for longtime fans to notice while playing.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind looks to be a similar love letter to the long-running Power Rangers franchise, from its gameplay paying homage to the older Power Rangers games to its plot tying into more recent lore by bringing back the dreaded Robo Rita its main antagonist. MMPR: Rita’s Rewind isn’t set to launch until later this year, but fans of the original series can suit up in ARK: Survival Ascended thanks to a recent crossover.