Being a geeky kid that grew up in the 90s, it is no surprise that I absolutely adore the Power Rangers. My love of video games always kept me wanting a really good Power Rangers game, one that captured the high-octane, albeit campy, action of the series. Not long ago, I reviewed Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, a 3v3 fighting game from nWay Inc. that fell more in line with the energy stirred up by the comics from Boom! Studios. Even though the game feels like it could’ve used a few more features, more unlockables, and generally just more stuff I really liked the simplified inputs for moves and the emphasis on learning timing and spacing. There is an active community around the game as well with fairly regular tournaments. The content keeps coming too as the game is in the middle of Season 3, which means it’s a perfect time to jump back in.
In Battle for the Grid Season 3, players are granted three characters, a new skin, and a new Megazord to summon. While having the Samurai Megazord is cool and the Phantom Beast King skin for Dai Shi of Power Rangers Jungle Fury makes the player-favorite character that much more scary looking, it is the three new characters that hold the most interest for me.
It is important to note that I stopped engaging with Power Rangers after Lost Galaxy and I really have only seen bits and pieces of Ninja Storm, which means by the time Jungle Fury and Super Samurai became the new hotness, I had mostly checked out of the series and only admired designs from afar. These days I have been checking out Tokusatsu shows that I missed such as Garo and various Ultraman series so I do plan on eventually coming back to these Power Ranger seasons and might even start seeing what the original Japanese Super Sentai has to offer. Know that these first two characters are from seasons I have no familiarity with so I am merely going to comment on their designs and how they feel to play.
We’ll start with Robert “RJ” James, the Purple Wolf Ranger of Jungle Fury. RJ uses a Muay Thai fighting style that many fighting games have featured in the past but it feels fast and powerful in Battle for the Grid. One of the things I love about this game is how moves feel like they hit hard and RJ was one that I immediately enjoyed having on my team. Several of his special attacks have a quick backup that is easy to pull off and fun to use in rushdowns. I also really enjoy his Dr. Strange-esque ring attack that is great for setting up further combos. I think RJ pairs extremely well with Jen Scotts, the Pink Ranger from Time Force, who also has fast attacks. Not to mention having a purple ranger is just damn cool.
Next in Season 3, we have Lauren Shiba, a Red Ranger of Power Rangers Super Samurai. Lauren has a fiery moveset with insane reach. Her special attacks are so good at prolonging combos, especially the one where she throws a patch of fire on the ground, almost like something Scorpion would do in Mortal Kombat. Lauren is notable as a character since her run as the Red Ranger was short-lived, plus she is one of the few women in the lead ranger role. I’m not sure exactly how her character is handled in the show but I really enjoy her being on this roster. I think she has some really excellent zoning potential, less from projectiles and more from her flaming slashes taking up so much of the screen. Her assist move, which throws a scattered handful of fire, is also a great move to keep opponents in the corner.
Now, take my takeaways with a bit of salt as I’m nowhere near a pro at Battle for the Grid and I don’t even study the metagame. As a casual player that enjoys playing ranked occasionally though, these two characters feel awesome to have. Between the two, I think Lauren Shiba is the most interesting, although I love RJ’s quick-footed style and rhythm.
The third and presumably last character of Season 3 is Scorpina, a villainess that would often assist Goldar in the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers series. Much of the footage featuring her was unfortunately recycled more than most characters but she was one that stood out as she was more humanoid than the rest of the monsters under Rita Repulsa’s command. We haven’t got to see any of her moveset but we do know that the character will be added on December 8th of this year. I hope to see her giant monster form in her ultimate attack.
Season 3 paired with the fact that Battle for the Grid is fully crossplay marks good things for the game as a whole. Personally, I would love to see a sequel with even more detailed characters and backgrounds with more features and historical data for the Power Rangers franchise. More likely we will see a Season 4, possibly a port to PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, but seeing this style of fighting game move forward would be a treat for fans.
All in all, Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is the best Power Rangers game ever made. Even though it is not perfect, it is a fun fighting game that is deep enough to entice fighting game enthusiasts with enough fan service to bring in Power Rangers fans. Now is a great time to pick it up.
For more information about Battle for the Grid be sure to check out the official website and follow their YouTube channel for the latest trailers. Moment to moment news such as updates can be found on their social media pages.
A digital copy of the game on PS4 and the DLC content was provided for coverage purposes. Screenshots come from official sources.
