Sentai Strike

How to play

Sentai Strike is a side-scrolling hero brawler inspired by classic Japanese color-squad shows. You control a team of three heroes, Red Striker, Blue Gale and Yellow Titan, and can swap between them at any time. Heroes waiting on the bench slowly recover their health, so rotating them keeps your team alive.

Each stage has three parts. First, monsters invade the city: hold them off while citizens run for safety, and the blue city gauge fills. Then the boss appears. Beat it and finish it with a team finisher. Finally the monster grows giant and you fight it again in the Sentai Robo.

Combos, specials and tag combos

Press attack repeatedly for a combo; the last hit launches enemies into the air. Hitting things fills the yellow special gauge, and each special uses one bar: a ranged blast, a rising uppercut, a ground slam, a rushing dash strike (double-tap forward then special) or a counter stance (double-tap back then special) that strikes back when you are hit.

Swap heroes right after landing a hit and the incoming hero flies in with a tag combo dropkick. Launchers, slams and tag kicks also break through shells and guards.

Rescuing citizens

Grunts don't only attack you: some grab fleeing citizens and carry them off. Knock that grunt down and the citizen escapes. Every citizen who reaches safety fills the city gauge and adds to your score, and every one taken costs you.

The bosses

There are seven monsters: Shellshock Turtle, Gale Eagle, Spiny Puffer, Drill Mole, Widow Spider, the Dark Striker and Queen Hornet. Each has its own attack pattern. A red glow means an attack is coming. Jump over rolling charges and ground shockwaves, step away from the marked spot when something dives from the sky, and use specials from range against the Dark Striker's counter stance.

Giant robot battle

In the robot you attack, hold special to charge a big hit, guard, and hop on your thrusters. The hero piloting decides the robot's weapon: Red uses a giant sword, Blue twin blasters and Yellow a drill fist that breaks guards. The twist: any attack you dodge hits the city behind you. Guard to protect the buildings, because each one still standing at the end is worth bonus points.

Monster of the Day, squad and secrets

Every day a new mash-up monster combines the moves of two bosses, and everyone fights the same one for the daily leaderboard. The arcade leaderboard ranks full seven-stage runs; sign in on rank-game.com to put your score on the board. You can name your squad and pick its catchphrase and emblem, which appear in every transformation pose. And there's a secret fourth hero: try clicking the title logo a few times.

Tips

• Swap heroes before one gets low: benched heroes heal over time.
• Tag right after a hit for a free dropkick and extra special gauge.
• Shells and guards can't stop launchers: use ↑+X, ↓+X or a tag combo.
• Chase grunts carrying citizens first; a lost citizen drains the city gauge.
• In the robot, guard instead of dodging when a building is behind you.