Power Rangers Legends Review

Has it really been almost 20 years since we first saw Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on TV? I know that it has been a very long time since I've seen the disembodied face of Zordon. Either way, this franchise hasn't died the lonely death of many '90s kids shows, and instead has stuck around in one form or another. The latest incarnation of the technicolor masters of outlandish Kung Fu comes in the form of an iOS game. Does Power Rangers Legends live up to the dynasty of the movies and TV shows, or is it as flimsy and forgettable as a Putty? What's a Putty you ask? Exactly.

From the first moment you tap open Power Rangers Legends you're made privy to one hell of a loading time. Even on the newest of hardware, you'll be spending a decent amount of time staring at a logo with a spinning lightning bolt. But, at least you'll get to listen to that sweet power metal soundtrack that you remember from the show. I considered playing air guitar while I waited.

After you make it past the loading screens and somewhat sketchy menu system, you'll get to pick your ranger. You have your choice of the Green Ranger or Pink Ranger, and then a level to select. There is some sort of story involving most of the Ranger's most heinous enemies, but like most of their stories it is so ridiculously contrived that you could almost care less.

The main thrust of this game is combat. To be completely honest, it is essentially an Infinity Blade knockoff, and not a very good one at that. Infinity Blade excelled at creating an entire world to explore and a number of unique and challenging enemies to fight. The soul of Infinity Blade was an absolutely perfect sword fighting system that took full advantage of the touchscreen.

Power Rangers Legends doesn't do any of this. You fight the same group of literally gray Putty henchmen all wielding the same sort of weapons. They telegraph their attacks in weeks ahead of time so they can politely give you a chance to duck slowly out of the way. This is very kind of them since the controls are so horribly laggy that the game feels like it is interpreting your input through a Ouija board. Sword fighting on a touch screen should be a free form artistic expression instead of an exercise in frustration.

Power Rangers Legends is a game that had a decent amount of potential. It could have been a spectacular street brawler where you take down dozens of Putties then go after that silly skamp Goldar. But sadly, it is just a broken and boring knock off of a far greater game. It is a game that makes you want to give up on all the wonderful childhood dreams of learning Kung Fu and wearing a plastic helmet. No, Power Rangers Legends, I don't want to "Buy Revive."

I guess that if you have a vested interest in Power Rangers and are an avid toy collector and fan of the series, then this game might be worth a look, but for the rest of us, you might want to pass. Power Rangers Legends could be a bit better if they release some firmware to make the controls more responsive. But I'd rather make out with Rita Repulsa than wait for that to happen.

App Store Link: Power Rangers Legends for iPhone & iPad | By Saban Brands LLC | Price: Free | Version: 1.0 | 256 MB | Rating 9+