Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid Review

Picture it: Raleigh, NC. 1993. Latchkey kid gets off school bus and walks home. He gets inside, plants himself next to his sister and cuts on the TV. A guitar riff rips through the living room. It’s time again.

As it stands, we are a long way from 1993. But Hasbro, Lion’s Gate Pictures, and BOOM! Studios have seen to it that the Power Rangers are more alive than ever, creating works of art (and enough action figures to float the plastic industry for another decade) in the process. A New Way To Play nWay Entertainment decided to combine our chromatic heroes with another 90s latchkey kid touchstone: the arcade fighting game. The result is Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. This is a three-on-three fighter akin to Dragon Ball Fighterz or Marvel vs. Capcom 2. In it, you choose your team of three rangers from throughout history then punch, kick, and fireball your way to saving the Grid that’s being battled over. The goal is to stop breakout comic book villain/rockstar Lord Drakkon from taking over the Grid and creating the events of “Shattered Grid” all over your TV screen. The combination of craft, source material reverence, and tight gameplay make the game a good time.

The game is tight, y’all. Between tightness in controls and being good on a tight budget, it really hits the mark. Mechanics are key in this game. It’s got a second nature feel while also making a game that feels new from the basics of team-based fighters. There are three basic attacks and a special. They stack…