Power Rangersdefined a generation of kids in the 90s and spawned dozens of spinoffs. This franchise existed way before 1993 in the West though asSuper Sentaibegan in 1975 in Japan. There was a new series nearly every year or two and it unbelievably took that long to get an official Western release albeit in a reformed state.
As was the case with many 90s shows aimed at kids, live-action or otherwise, there were tie-in games to the variousPower Rangersseasons and movies over the years. There were some exclusives in Japan as well.Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewindwas recently announced, so in honor of that let’s rewind time ourselves to check out somePower Rangershistory through video games.
6Super Tokusatsu Taisen 2001
A Tactical Homage To Tokusatsu
Super Tokusatsu Taisen 2001is not a strictlyPower Rangers-focused game. Instead, it is a celebration of Tokusatsu which is a Japanese term referring to a lot of live-action shows likePower Rangers.Kamen Rideris another example, but that franchise is not as familiar to Westerners.
Super Tokusatsu Taisen 2001is a lot likeSuper Robot Taisenwhich isa tactical RPGthat crosses over mech-based video games and anime.Super Tokusatsu Taisen 2001crosses over characters from variousKamen RiderandPower Rangersseasons along with other Tokusatsu. It’s a fan letter in the form of a tactical RPG which is rad. It’s a shame this PS1 hidden gem never got an official or fan translation into English but it is simple enough to figure out the menus.
5Genseishin Justirisers
An Enjoyable Super Samurai Brawler With Great Art
Genseishin Justirisersis a season ofPower Rangersthat was never translated into an English season. It’s based on samurai likePower Rangers Ninja StormorPower Rangers Samuraiwhich fans may be more familiar with. History aside, this GBA game also wasn’t released in the West but it’s another one that is easy to understand likeSuper Tokusatsu Taisen 2001.
The levels are relatively short, the action is solid, and players can initially choose between the Red, Blue, or Black Rangers. Each one can punch enemies or they can use their weapons. Black, for example, has a gun which is useful to stay away from enemies. The boss battles featuring the Megazord mech andthe Kaiju monstersaren’t as inspired as the ground-level gameplay but overall it is an enjoyable brawler.
Power Rangers: Battle for the Gridis cool from a pitch level alone because it is essentially a sequel to the originalMighty Morphin Power Rangersseason. In an alternate universe, Tommy kills Rita and most of thePower Rangersand forms a new band to wreak hell on Earth. He calls himself Lord Drakkon andPower Rangers: Battle for the Gridbegins with his invasion of the original season’s world.
It’s a three-v-three fighting game similar to theMarvel Vs Capcomseriescomplete with character assists. The core game was released without many characters, which didn’t help it review highly on Metacritic. However, as seasons went on, more characters and content were added, making a more full fan service experience. Players could even be Ryu or Chun-Li from theStreet Fighterseries which was weird but also fitting.
3Choujin Sentai Jetman
A Mega Man Styled Sentai Adventure
Choujin Sentai Jetmanis the 15th season of the show wherein all of the character costumes are based on birds. It was never made into a Western season either. The game, of the same name, is another Japanese-only title, this time on NES, but this hidden gem has an English translation from the fans. It’s not needed though because there isn’t much of a story.
Players could inhabit the roles of all five members of the team. Two had swords, two had guns, and one used their fists. Levels could be completed in any order, likeaMega Mangame, and the boss battle brought out the Megazord to finish the fight. These encounters were clunkier but there was a bit of strategy that helped them feel more engaging with blocking and countering. The music and pixel art are what truly help this game stand out though.
2Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
An All-Time Classic That Fires On All Levels
Mighty Morphin Power Rangersis a SNES game based on the original season. Players can be any of the five Power Rangers, like Trini or Billy, and most levels begin with the heroes in their street clothes. Characters transform automatically into their Power Rangers forms about halfway through a stage and boss battles are mostly fought on foot except for big climactic moments with the true Megazord.
The game was made by Natsume who was like the WayForward of their time. They made reliable tie-in games basedon other licenses. The art was always on par with the best out there along with their music. The same is true forMighty Morphin Power Rangerson the SNES. There were other entries based on the license on systems like the Sega Genesis or the Game Boy, but they were different interpretations of the original season. None of them hold a candle to this SNES classic.
1Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
As Good As Its Predecessor But With Co-Op
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movieis also best experienced on the SNES and it was also made by Natsume. Both games are interchangeable in terms of where they rank as they each have strengths and weaknesses. For example, one of the best things abouta classic brawler is co-opwhichMighty Morphin Power Rangerslacked.Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Moviehad two-player local co-op though which was necessary as the game was a lot harder.
For some, that extra challenge was a plus to put their skills to the test. Another plus was that players could transform anytime once they filled their meter up and all other chargers after that were character-specific attacks. The roster offered some returning heroes like Billy but some new ones from the movie and second season too like Adam who replaced Zach. Adam was portrayed in real life by Johnny Yong Bosch who anime fans may recognize asIchigo fromBleachor Vash fromTrigunamong many other roles.
