Fantasy Developer – Power Rangers Musou

It’s that time again when one of us at VGU decides to give free ideas to developers and publishers. So if you read this Koei Tecmo, this idea is directly for you. Take that musou gameplay and put another property in it as you did with Hyrule Warriors. But this time….do Power Rangers.

Power Rangers is a franchise just ripe for the musou pickings. I would argue, that there are very few series that would work as well as Power Rangers. As someone who has barely touched musou games not because I find the gameplay boring, but because the property doesn’t interest me, Power Rangers solves that dilemma.

Not only does it solve it, but it exceeds what musou games deliver in spades. So here I am to pitch ideas why a Power Rangers musou game would work.

Cannon Fodder Enemies

A musou game isn’t a musou game unless you’re handily dispatching armies of weak fodder. You know what? Power Rangers has plenty of that.

From the very beginning, Power Rangers have always had some sort of weak troops thrown against them. Whether it is the Putty Patrol, the Quantrons, or even the Putrids; the series has no shortage of foot soldiers to throw out. This allows for a number of various weak enemies not only for nostalgic purposes but also as a means to keep the enemy look/type fresh.

Literal decades of trash mobs at disposal to pick from, Koei Tecmo. And if you play your cards right, you can find a story that incorporates all of them.

The Story

Let’s be honest, the story doesn’t really matter in musou games, right? They are mainly mindless hack-and-slash action games. But if you have a story worth paying attention to, even in the slightest, it may make the games a bit better I would say.

And this is Power Rangers! While there is certainly lore there, the series’ mostly runs on the monster of the week shenanigans. All that needs to be done between each chapter is one small inkling of progress in the story, and then send another wave of monsters down to fight the Power Rangers. It practically writes itself.

For the sake of throwing something simple out: you have a brand new villain who can traverse dimensions or time. They go through and gather enemies from all across the Power Ranger series/comics in their quest to rule. Or just redo the United Alliance of Evil. What do I care? Right there, you have the means to pull in everything from playable characters to enemies.

Playable Power Rangers

There are…what…20 or so “groups” of Power Rangers? Do you know the number of possible characters one could play with that many options? Each one has a weapon at their disposal, potentially variations on their move-set, and so much more.

Now imagine if Koei Tecmo were to include multiplayer in the game! Being able to gather a group of friends to play as their favorite generation of Rangers. They could even mix and match based on how they see the story playing in their head.

Like the enemies, the Power Ranger franchise allows for a wide range of playable characters. While I can’t imagine everyone being fit into the game, there are enough characters there to pick and choose in a manner to mix up combat. A bigger question though would be…

ZORDS

Now, this is where things can get tricky. To my knowledge, there aren’t any giant kaiju battles in a Koei Tecmo musou game. But, there’s a first for everything. Because there is no Power Rangers game without bringing in the big guns.

Part of the allure for Power Rangers was the big robots vs monster fight. So it’s only fair to have them here. Perhaps during each mission or level, the player will go through waves of fodder enemies. However, there will also be one major monster like there would be in the show. So each level in this game would have a number of these more serious monsters.

Then, in the end, you make those monsters grow. The Rangers call in one of the Zords and you have one major fight against multiple of the giant-sized enemies. If multiplayer, you dial up their difficulty and allow each player to call in their own beast. Odds will still be in their favor and the difficulty can be boosted if multiplayer is used.

Whatever the solution to this is (stepping on hordes of enemy troops would be fun too), the Zords must be in the game.

Just Make It a Love Letter to Power Rangers

It’s cheap to say, but fans adore a game that wears the love of the franchise on its sleeve – warts and all. Even if this feels like another by-the-numbers musou game, I feel that most people have some sort of memory of the Power Rangers. Utilizing that in smart ways would be a great move.

This can be in the form of certain locations being incorporated, sound effects, and callbacks to things throughout the series; people love those sorts of things. Seeing fan favorite zords and villains are one thing, but the small intricate easter eggs are a nice touch that can really point out the love and attention a game has for a franchise. Or imagine hearing some of the original actors back to voice their roles. Little touches can go a long way.

As long as the attention to detail is there and doesn’t feel like a cash grab, the game will be better because of it. Except if the most recent live-action movie is incorporated somehow. Not sure if anyone is aching for more of that.

In Conclusion…

IT’S POWER RANGERS! Everything you could want and need in a musou is so apparent with this series. You have a large cast of characters and enemies to choose from, a property people hold fondly, easy and acceptable combat reasons, and plenty of ways to include action. Forget Dragon Quest or The Legend of Zelda, this is the property to shoot for Koei Tecmo.

So do the world a favor, and reach out to Hasbro, Toei Company, or whomever, and get this game made. It exceeds age boundaries as it is still a popular show and a musou game is a wonderful fit for that series.