Review: POWER RANGERS: BATTLE FOR THE GRID Feels Incomplete but Gives Me Hope

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of nWay’s console game Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. I have been getting back into Power Rangers lately and this seemed like a solid game. I heard BOOM! Studios was behind the story for the game. This was a game that I love every part of the idea behind it. This was also the first game I had ever pre-ordered to play on launch day. This game has been a big deal for me.

Before I go into the imperfections with the game, I want to highlight what I think is fantastic. I think the game looks great. I know a lot of people gripe about the graphics, but I think they look fine. Second, all the buttons work, and it is easy to jump in and feel like you have some potential (until you play online that is). The modes that we got at launch have worked well too. This is a solid base that nWay can build on.

My complaints can all be summed up in one statement. The game feels incomplete. The game feels like nWay cut content so they could rush the release date in order to launch a few weeks ahead of Mortal Kombat 11. If I had to guess, they were planning to launch around the same time as MK 11, but then realized that would be a bad move and so they moved the release date of Battle for the Grid up before it was really ready. I wish they had instead waited a month and released the game in May.

Why does this game feel incomplete though? Well, for starters, they’ve hyped the Story Mode, but that game mode is nowhere in sight. Second, there are no dialogue lines. This creates very awkward moments at the beginning and end of fights as well as when a player goes to use their Super Moves. In those moments, it’s cinematic and looks like the character is supposed to be saying something, but we’re met with silence. Third, we only have nine characters even though it seems 11 were prepared already.

In the pre-order art book, we see that Zeo Gold and Mystic White are going to be in the game. They have banners already made and everything. Having these two other characters would’ve really helped the roster feel fuller. Nine characters is not that many (especially in a 3v3 game) and interesting enough there are no Blue Rangers included in the roster.

Also, only 4 (5 if you count the comics as separate) series are represented. This game is supposed to celebrate 25 years of Power Rangers, yet it currently celebrates very little. While I understand that more characters are coming via DLC, I certainly hope that there will be characters released for free as well. Fourth, there are only five stages available. While the stage doesn’t matter too much for me, I know that five is laughable. I think many would love to have additional stages added as well like Ernie’s Juice Bar or maybe onboard the Megaship.

Why do I think this game was rushed? First, as I’ve mentioned, the game feels incomplete. Second, nWay has not handled the release of the game very well. People were sent codes the day of release and had a lot of problems actually redeeming their codes. People had a lot of concerns about the roster size as well and the lack of representation from different series and colors along with concerns about no online lobby and other legitimate concerns.

The response many fans got was simply a “we’ll talk about it later.” That’s not very reassuring to fans. At least you could explain that you will address the concerns during the first stream after the game has launched on all consoles or something like that. That way, fans know to tune in to that stream in order to learn more. The current approach tells me that they weren’t ready.

While I may have seen a lot of problems with the game, I do enjoy it and I see a lot of potential for it. I’m glad I have it and for $20 it can be a fantastic game eventually. Unfortunately, right now the game feels incomplete in a couple of ways. If nWay addresses any of the concerns I have listed, the game will for sure become a great game instead of a slightly fun one for Power Rangers fans.