Chroma Squad is a tactical RPG that follows five disgruntled stunt actors who quit their jobs to start a studio of their own. It’s a light-hearted, affectionate send-up of Super Sentai, a series that has run for nearly forty years and formerly produced shows that formed the basis of several seasons of Power Rangers. Chroma Squad also draws heavily from elements of tokusatsu — sci-fi and fantasy shows relying on special effects — in enemy design. Each stage of Chroma Squad involves shooting the action scenes from episodes that your stunt actors produce. This framing angle means that nobody stays in-character for more than a haphazard line here or there. Most parts of each stage are determined by anything but creativity — an early objective prompting you to finish a battle quickly is there because one actor has a dentist’s appointment to get to, for example. This in and of itself is a fun piece of commentary on how limitation can drive the creative process.
(…)
A standout moment occurred for me during one of the game’s earliest chapters. Due to a happy quirk of generation, a speech educating my heroes about feminism and media responsibility was given in part to a talking beaver. I laughed through my appreciative surprise. The characters were discussing filming a sequence where they would save a kidnapped girl. One of my heroes had a sister who was dying to appear on the show. Another challenged this — and fair enough, the idea of a damsel in distress is pretty well-worn cliche, even if it wasn’t their intention to tread down that road.
(…)
The crafting system is oddly satisfying. Crafting ingredients are dropped by defeated enemies during chapters. These are combined back in the studio for an item with a set effect and a wildcard one as well. Shop-brought items are stronger out of the box, but you’ll want to save your money at first in order to upgrade your studio. The satisfaction comes from combining some duct tape and bits and pieces in order to produce wonderfully low-fi gear. Chroma Squad really revels in the inherent cheesiness of the genre it lovingly parodies, and this love shines through in small details like these.
