Rendering Ranger R² [Rewind] Nintendo Switch Review 7.5/10 "SH'MUP & RUN ANYONE?" 🔥🏃‍♀️‍➡️🛸 @playziggurat @LimitedRunGames #IndieGame #GameDev #Retrogaming

"George wasn't a fan of the new stand up tanning booths"

Rendering Ranger R² [Rewind] is a revival of a video game from the Super Famicom / Super Nintendo era of 1995, originally released in Japan. Developed by Manfred Trenz, the game combines two distinct gameplay styles: run-and-gun action reminiscent of Contra and also side-scrolling shoot-'em-up sequences akin to R-Type. 

While most people point to Contra as their fave retro run and gun from their childhood, mine was always Midnight Resistance. Specifically Midnight Resistance on the Commodore 64. There was a demo tape on the front of a C64 magazine back in the early '90s that I couldn't get enough of and me and my mate Johnny would endlessly play this demo tape in awe of the run n gun gameplay and the beautiful looking Commodore 64 graphics. 

Eventually I actually located a Midnight Resistance Arcade cabinet in the local Kebab House (which also had a pool table) and once again I fell in love with the run and gunnery of Midnight Resistance.

"Landing at LAX nowadays was a risky business"

I never played Rendering Ranger in the mid '90s but I'm glad I finally got to play it in 2025 on my Nintendo Switch as it's a blast to play and it's fair to the player who invests a bit of time to work out how to blast your way through the levels.

The game has a nice variety with alternating platforming and shoot-'em-up stages which offers refreshing diversity between each part of the overall game. Both gameplay styles are well-executed, with exciting weapons and power-ups. The game in 1995 clearly pushed the limits of the 16-bit hardware with plenty of impressive sprite animations and large-scale levels. The shoot-'em-up stages, in particular, stand out for their speed and complexity. These graphics and presentation stand up well today and drew me in immediately.

"Shooting Lightning is not a good tactic"

The [Rewind] edition includes features like screen adjustments, CRT filters, and a rewind function, making the game more accessible to modern day players.

The only parts that I had a slight niggle with were occasions where the graphics can be a little muddy, especially in platforming sections, leading to occasional annoyances. There is also an interesting design choice that means that the rewind feature even records while the game is paused which is odd. Also, don't forget that the game defaults to Hard mode and can be challenging even on Normal so you got to "get gud". One final thing is that the password system surely doesn't need to be still in the game does it?

SUMMARY
Rendering Ranger R² [Rewind] for me is a testament to the ingenuity of 16-bit game design from the mid '90s and i'm gutted that I never played it first time around. 

It's definitely a must-play for all the run n gun maniacs out there and for less than a tenner this is absolute steal for your Nintendo Switch!

7.5/10

🆒COOL🆒

"Right, I'm off to RUN, GUN & SHMUP EM UP!"