RETRO REBOOT | Power Rangers Samurai (Nintendo Wii)
Light on substance, but pretty entertaining
RETRO REBOOT
"ColonelFancy" Mike Lind
10/13/20264 min read
Developer: Inti Creates
Published by: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Release date: November 11th, 2011
Well, the last time I revisited a Power Rangers game, Super Legends on the PlayStation 2 ended feeling a little on the watery side. Power Rangers Samurai was the sentai team's debut under Nickelodeon's umbrella. I have wavering feelings on Power Rangers into my adulthood, some series told pretty good stories for a show that's aimed at kids around the age of 8 and 10. But back under the Haim Saban umbrella, some of the more grounded and serious story arcs were done away with, and it kinda returned to the silly romp adventures of the early Mighty Morphin days. That's fine, Power Rangers Samurai wasn't bad, I liked aspects of it. But it was pretty much the last time I would watch the series in full, as my nephew liked it.
I even enjoyed this game, which doesn't have a lot of substance, but there was some decent fun to be had with it. I'd say it's based roughly on the first season of Samurai, told in an abridged fashion. Since most of the Power Rangers games follow the arcade beat’em up style of gameplay, I can’t say that I was expecting revolutionary changes to its bread and butter, but given the Wii’s capabilities with the remote, PR Samurai did not particularly utilize it, yet still offers a solid game for those in need of pounding waves of Moogers.
Samurai boasts very good vibrant colors and fluid animation. The Rangers all look pretty good and when the action picks up, there’s little to no slowdown. Signature attacks have each Ranger use one of their two signature weapons to launch powerful strikes that are fun to use.
I feel the scenery could’ve been juggled up a bit as far as stage design goes, however. Areas mainly consist of running through wreckage in a factory, outside near the park, and a bamboo forest. Yeah, they pretty much fight in the same locations in the show, but every stage layout feels identical to the last, regardless of the progressing level. Without a map in the player HUD, it can be a bit annoying when going down alternate paths to find hidden extras, so it requires a play through or two take the path that doesn’t initiate a boss battle to get the item you seek.
The game’s soundtrack is pretty good, but the quasi-generic rock riffs might get a bit repetitive. Voice acting is sharp, with the actors from the series reprising all of their roles, including the Nighloks (I still think Jayden sounds like he has victims tied up somewhere). During Megazord fights, the show’s theme blasts in the background while the to titans duke it out. That’s always a win, right?
I found this game to handle very nicely. Attacks are quick, recovery time is spot on, and you move around very fast. As previously stated, I expected a little more in terms of use with the Wii motions. Shaking or waving the remote or the nunchuk does nothing, which in normal circumstances would be disappointing, but I gotta say that it makes up for it in spades with the ability to use the remote as a Samuraizer. You really do just wiggle it around and it registers. Sure, super gimmicky, but kind of a fun one for the kids.
Attacking enemies is efficient, and while I would’ve liked a target lock of some kind, hit detection is top-notch and you swing wide enough to nail Moogers that stray to the side. Objective is very straightforward. Crush baddies, avoid some mild obstacles, and defeat the boss. With the learning curve relatively low, PR Samurai is a pretty easy game. The Megazord battles can get a bit dicey, probably nothing you won’t be able to handle. Stronger versions of Moogers appear as you progress and they take more hits and come in bigger waves, but I never at any point felt hindered by them. Bosses have varying attack patterns, yet fight pretty much alike.
Simply dodge their big move and slide in and wallop them. The ability to counter out of a blocking stance is a great way to dish out extra damage and potential health and symbol power icons. If you find yourself dying, it might be out of losing focus from time to time, which can happen since few roadblocks will prove to be a threat. I'm amazed how spotty these Power Rangers games are with presenting interesting Zord fights. But alas. It's hard to be overly critical of a game that had a retail price of $20 at launch.
Power Rangers Samurai is a more than suitable game to quench your Ranger action thirst, but it isn’t as innovative to a degree that a modern game should be at that point in time. While it leaves a lot to be desired in what it would’ve been (wider range of attacks, a more engaging Megazord battle scheme, a couple of extra mini-game possibilities), it’s still a pretty formidable action game that’s got some fletting amusement to it.
It follows the television show well enough, though I felt it could've leaned in a little more to some of the core story points. it instead treats the subject matter more like a sample platter. It's probably more fun with friends as a multiplayer romp. I had poor luck getting anyone interested enough to give it a go. All things considered, it's probably the best Power Rangers I've reviewed thus far.
