Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue review

Originally released in 2000, Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue did a remarkable job of reminding everyone just how terrible video games can be. Nearly 20 years later, this game is still – unsurprisingly – complete and utter garbage.

Despite being based on the popular children’s television series of the same name, we think it’s inaccurate to say Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue is aimed at kids. It’s so mind-numbingly dull that no child could possibly find any enjoyment in it.

Told in the form of a very low-budget comic book, Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue’s story involves the renowned superhero squad facing off against Diabolico, a demon-like being intent on destroying Titan City.

The game comprises three different activities: on-foot missions, vehicle segments and head-to-head battles using the Power Rangers’ Megazord. Despite this variety of gameplay styles, Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue is a torturous and repetitive slog from start to finish.

The entire game only takes around an hour to beat the game, but even that feels far too long.

On-foot missions typically task you with rescuing civilians by “collecting” them. Enemies frequently spawn in a bid to stop you, yet don’t pose any challenge – you can just keep walking and they’ll never catch up to you.

Your Power Rangers can shoot an attack orb in front of them with the A-button or behind using the B-button. That’s it. Aside from the back attack being only ever so slightly quicker to perform versus turning around to shoot, both actions are identical.

You can collect power-ups, although these are hardly game-changing when enemies only take one to two hits to defeat. Moreover, the invisibility power-up doesn’t even work most of the time.

Vehicle-based missions are more or less the same thing: rescue civilians, put out burning cars using the PyroRescue-01 Zord or find crates.

The Megazord battles are different, but that doesn’t make them any better. These head-to-head fights adopt a combined first- and third-person perspective, and involve engaging in ranged or melee combat with an enemy.

Despite having two options at your disposal, trying to punch an enemy is pointless as your Megazord becomes fixed in place the moment you try it – by which point your AI opponent has moved out the way.

You play through these three same scenario types over and over again – and they’re virtually identical each time – until you hit the end credits screen. It doesn’t require any challenge or skill, making Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue one of the most boring games you could ever play.

Playing through the story mode unlocks additional characters for the two-player Megazord mode, which in terms of gameplay is identical to the single-player version. Adding another player doesn’t make this mode any less appalling.

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue’s concept and premise is a veritable goldmine of potential gameplay ideas, and yet the developers opted to deliver the absolute bare minimum (and, dare we say, barely managed to even do that).

Terrible graphics, laughably bad character animations and low-quality, recycled voice clips only serve to reinforce just how truly shit this so-called game is.

It’s worrying to think there are people in the world who paid full price for this game back in the day. Because even downloading the Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue ROM for your EverDrive 64 feels like a complete rip-off.

Save yourself an hour and put it towards virtually any other N64 game instead.