Review: POWER RANGERS: HEROES OF THE GRID Helps You Feel Like a Power Ranger
Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid is a cooperative board game designed by Jonathan Ying and published by Renegade Game Studios. While the game was fully funded on Kickstarter in 2018 and released in 2019, it still regularly gets new scenarios and expansions with fans constantly talking about the game. I finally purchased the game a few months ago and have enjoyed the games I’ve played.
Heroes of the Grid is a Power Rangers game which automatically scores big points for me. It’s also a cooperative game which once again scores points with me. The art is provided by Dan Mora who does an absolute fantastic job as he brings the style from the BOOM! Studios comic to the game. Plus, you get fantastic miniatures that are a blast to paint.
So, is Heroes of the Grid actually fun? In short, yes. You and up to four of your friends team up as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to defeat Rita and her army of Putty Patrollers and monsters like Knasty Knight and Bones. The trick is that each Ranger’s health is simply their deck of 10 cards that they need to use in order to attack or really do much in the game which creates a balancing act between drawing cards to improve your attacks or not in order to maintain enough health where you aren’t knocked out.
The game can get really hard, and you can feel overrun pretty quickly. I think it does a pretty good job of helping you feel like a Power Ranger. Monsters are constantly being spawned and you have to make sure Angel Grove doesn’t become panicked or Rita and her armies will rule the world. When do you attack, when do you retreat, which part of Angel Grove are you going to save? The game is very much about the balancing act.
I’m happy to report that the updated 2-player version of the game works pretty well, and even though my wife and I lost, it was still a fun experience and it felt challenging, not impossible. I never tried the pre-errata version, but I heard that it was impossible to win so I’m glad that the rules were updated.
If things aren’t hard enough for you, there’s also an Assault mode that ups the difficulty level by allowing monsters to attack the Command Center to destroy it. Also, if you’re more story driven, there are also free scenarios constantly being released to help the game from getting too repetitive. Most of these require expansions, but not all. In addition to more of a story feel, the scenarios also typically have some twist to the rules such as the fact that in Round 2 of Scenario #3, players swap cards around.
There’s a lot to enjoy about Heroes of the Grid. However, it does have a couple of problems. First, the insert is good until you paint your figures. If you paint your figures, the insert is too tight on them and can end up messing up your paint job even if you apply a clear coat or two. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it is a bummer. The other big downside is the cost. The game retails for roughly $90. Now, you get a lot for the money. You get the game as well as 34 plastic miniatures that are decent-sized. It all depends on how much you like spending on games or if you can find it on sale.
Expansions bring new Rangers, allies, and enemies to the table so you can play some of your favorite eras. Not all of the series are out yet, in fact, very few have been released. However, given enough time I’m sure that’ll change.
All-in-all, if you’re a Power Rangers fan, I highly recommend playing Heroes of the Grid. It’s a lot of fun, and you end up feeling like a Power Ranger. Plus, there’s constantly new expansions, new scenarios, and a thriving community if you have questions or problems.
