Last night was the third episode of Power Rangers Hyperforce, and it was easily the best episode thus far.
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The show kicked off with the answer to last week’s big cliffhanger, and throughout the next three hours managed to keep the momentum with a series of epic battles and hilarious character interactions between the Rangers. Everyone seems to be getting comfortable with the system, and that translates onscreen.
Spoilers incoming for Power Rangers Hyperforce episode 3, so if you would rather wait to see it for yourself you can feel free to hit the next slide for some highlights.
After Jack was back amongst the living, which can probably be credited to Chloe waking him with candy corn (OK, probably not), the team finds itself in a difficult situation. It’s trying to take down another ship without causing an avalanche that could destroy Angel Grove, though to be fair it gets destroyed every day by the regular Rangers, so they’re probably just used to it by now.
One of the coolest parts about the setting (currently in 1994), is that the story works in elements from Mighty Morphin. Finster, Rita Repulsa, Scorpina, and the Rangers themselves get name-dropped throughout and are worked into the plot in some interesting ways. It also produces some delightful comedic moments in getting used to 1990s technology and style, like when Eddie grabs backwards baseball hats for everyone with multicolored overalls.
The Rangers end up facing the Alliance’s general, and the story ends up taking an unexpected turn. Perhaps someone is not taking away the Rangers from the timestream, but is instead removing the villains, causing Rita Repulsa to vanish from history. It’s a surprising take that could yield some fruitful storylines and is a great hook going forward. It is also pointed out that the Mighty Morphin Rangers are off planet at the moment, and that the Time Force Cadets need to be gone by the time they get back, implementing a running clock so to speak on their adventure in this time period.
Hit the next slide to see what we loved from episode 3 of Hyperforce!
The Great
The overall structure of the show just flows so much better now, and Malikaย seems to really be hitting her stride.
The cast is also becoming more comfortableย in their roles and character, and this episode had the most organic interactions between the members of any episode thus far. Things like Marv and Chloe’s battle simulation and Eddie and Vesper’sย best buds wrench just happen because they are figuring out who they are, and it only bodes well for future sessions.
The minds behind the show are also making improvements with every episode. Small things like the iconsย by the character name showing if they are morphed or unmorphedย go a long way, as do the unmorphed and morphed character descriptions that flash up on the screen throughout the show. Any new viewerย can easily latch onto who is talking and what their personality is, and that goes a long way in an adventure like this.
Malikaย is also starting to interact more with the chat, answering questions onscreen that are asked in real time. Things like describing the Alliance leader in detail give some context to this world for those watching, and help immerseย people even more.
Also Vesper’sย running gag of “Karate Chopping” everything is still hilarious, as is Marv and Chloe’s inability to use theย Instakitchenย 3000. And Eddie’s jealousyย over Chloe befriending Marvย was also an episode highlight.
Oh, and Jack’s not dead, so that’s always a plus.
The Meh
Honestly, this episode was a home run, and there wasn’t much to even nitpick here.
Aside from no one possessing the ability to pronounceย defibrillatorย — to be fair, it’s kind of a difficult word to pronounce quickly — there wasn’t really anything that was lacking here. The show got off to a much smoother start this time around, with announcements handled quickly and Malikaย smoothly transitioningย into the session.
The Hyperforce game extension did get stuck early on, so folks had to just forget about it and watch the show. If that’s the only negative to take away, Hyperforceย seems to be heading in the right direction.
Get to Know the Team
So throughout the night, Hyperforceย displayed character descriptions for each of the Rangers, including their various abilities. We thought we would put that information in a handy dandy place for you, so you can find the details for the unmorphed Rangers below.
Jack D Thomas
Time Force Officer, No Nonsense, Wise.
Abilities: +01 to Intimidation
Basic Attacks: Strike, Sweep, Kick
Advancedย Attacks: Ram Rush –
Full Speed Body Check (Launches enemy into the air).
ย
Vesper Leigh Vasquez
Mysterious, Aggressive, Brilliant Technician
Abilities: +01 to Tech
Basic Attacks: Strike, Sweep, Kick
Advanced Attacks:
Triple Threat: Combo of all three basic attacks (Plus +1 to damage result, has 1 turn cooldown).
ย
Chloe Ashford
Clever, Does What’s Right Even If It Means Bending The Rules, Loves Food.
Abilities: +0 to Stealth
Basic Attacks: Strike, Sweep, Kick
Advanced Attacks:
Phoenix Burst – Creates Distance From Target.
ย
Edward “Eddie” Banks
Happy Go Lucky, Team Player, History Nerd
Abilities: +01 to Teamwork
Basic Attacks: Strike, Sweep, Kick
Advanced Attacks:
Serpent Strike – Precise Attack (Stuns enemy for 1 turn, has 1 turn cooldown)
ย
Marvinย “Marv”ย Shih
Guarded, Decisive, Caring
Abilities: +01 to Charisma
Basic Attacks: Strike, Sweep, Kick
Advanced Attacks: Lunging Strike – +1 to attack if from a hidden position
Get to Know the Team Part 2.
You can find the Rangers’ morphed stats below.
Hyperforceย Red
Guarded, Decisive, Caring
Abilities: +01 to Charisma
Advanced Attacks:
Lion’s Bite – Two-handed open palm strike
Lion’s Claw – Barrage of open-handed slashes (Rolls two attacks – has 1 turn cooldown)
ย
Hyperforceย Pink
Clever, Does What’s Right Even If It Means Bending The Rules, Loves Food
Abilities: +01 to Stealth
Advanced Attacks:
Eye Of Phoenix – Targeted one finger attack
Hurricane Whirlwind – Spinning sweep that knocks down all opponents within melee distance
ย
Hyperforceย Yellow
Time Force Officer, No Nonsense, Wise.
Abilities: +01 to Intimidation
Advanced Attacks:
Ram Rage – Berserkerย onslaught of melee attacks (Cost 1 energy to use, makes two attacks in one turn)
Headbuttย – Throw opponent using helmet horns.
ย
Hyperforceย Black
Mysterious, Aggressive, Brilliant Technician
Abilities: +01 to Tech
Advanced Attacks:
Cerberus Maul – Ground takedown
Hound of Hades – Ground pound (Advantage to prone enemies)
ย
Hyperforceย Blue
Happy Go Lucky, Team Player, History Nerd
Abilities: +01 to Teamwork
Advanced Attacks:
Python’s Ambush – Binds enemyย (Traps enemy for 1 turn – causes 2 Damage)
Cobra HP – Barrage of targeted pressure point attacks (Rolls two attacks – Has 1 turn cooldown)
