Just finished playing through one route in Chroma Squad and it was a very fun game. The Sentai DNA is injected in every single part of the game and, in my opinion, it's super cool and very respectful to the source material, even when the game is making fun of the tropes of the genre. However, the game isn't very polished, and it starts to feel clunkier and clunkier the more you play, which is definitely a shame since the game starts off very strong.
The gameplay is pretty fun. It's a turn-based strategy game with a heavy focus on team attacks reminiscent of how the Power Rangers fight. While I would've liked a bit more skills that could mess with the characters and enemies' positions, I think this formula works fine enough in this game. Just like most Power Rangers episodes did back in the day, a lot of levels end with Mecha battles. They might not be more than a series of quick-time events, but boy are they cool to play through.
Presentation-wise, the game is very good. While the pixel-art graphics may not be the most impressive or revolutionary thing ever, they're still very nice to look at. It feels like the developers really cared about making the game look special with how much unique designs and animations the game has, for example every level has a unique boss. The in-game music might not be the most memorable thing ever, but the two vocal tracks they created for the game (serving as the opening and ending) are super cool.
However, it's the story and tone of the game that I have problems with. The game takes every chance it gets to point out the tropes of the Sentai genre of television, and while it does so in a very respectful way, it also tries to create its own Sentai story that the developers expect you to take seriously. The plot of the game changes dramatically as you reach the halfway point, and yet, the tone of the game remains the same. The fate of the entire world is at stake, but it's still not enough to stop the characters from saying "Wow isn't this video game's story a bit cliché, guys?"
As you're playing it, it feels like at some point the developers just gave up trying to add more stuff to the game. They had a really strong base, and while that works super well during the first few levels, the game start to lose some steam as you keep going.
For example, during one of the routes you will recruit Chroma Squad Citrine/Moonstone to your team as you reach the final chapter. This is cool! It immediately reminds you of how Power Rangers shows used to have that one super cool, mysterious and badass extra ranger that would join the team halfway through the show, complete with a unique design that will absolutely sell thousands of toys. However, there's not much you can do with them in this game. You can't modify their abilities, or their equipment. They don't even get added to your team, and just serve as an extra character that shows up during missions. It's a huge missed opportunity, and it feels like the developers shouldn't have missed something like this, considering how much effort other parts of the game have in them.
In conclusion: I liked the game
It's not as polished as I would expect, and the closer you get to the end the more these cracks start to show, but it's still a really fun time. I specially liked the energy of the game and the villain design, and while I wish it took itself more serious, the humor is still pretty great. 7/10
