So, with Natsume absent for the GBA (They were busy with one of their... uh... "masterpieces"), Vicarious Visions takes the role as developer for the Game Boy Advance game for Power Rangers Time Force. Regardless of the quality of the game (Although I'll leave you with the fact this was the only Power Rangers game they developed), it's easy to see that an American dev resulted in a completely different beast compared to one by a Japanese dev.
Whereas the GBC version is about finding the most optimal way to plow through enemies, finessing around the janky terrain, managing your energy bar, and picking whether to pick the red ranger or the yellow ranger for the level, the GBA version is about the most optimal way to leap over enemies, maximizing the amount of dash momentum, and finding the route with the least ranger swapping and most energy gains.
To start, here are some basics: By pressing select, you can swap between any ranger that is currently alive. Each ranger has a set of different stats that help with defeating enemies or traversing the levels. Health, Power, and Speed (and unlike the GBC version, speed actually makes you move faster. Yeah what a concept). However, not shown on the character select screen is a fourth stat; Jump. Yes, each ranger has a different jump height, and the difference is staggering. For example, the pink ranger is the best jumper in the game, and while the blue ranger beats her in speed, he is actually one of the worst jumpers in the game, making it hard to leap over multiple enemies at once. Energy is also a crucial part of the game. While every ranger starts with none, lightning bolts are scattered EVERYWHERE within the levels. The smaller onces fill a small portion of energy, while the larger onces max out the bar. The ranger's energy reserve is stored, even when switched out, and once full, holding down B allows the rangers to charge up a screen nuke. Having several of these stocked up allows you to quite literally nuke a boss into oblivion (although in Power Ranger speak, that means pushing the button that makes them grow.)
In terms of advance techniques, one of the biggest abilities used in this TAS is dashing, a technique that is done just by double-tapping forward. Seems simple enough, right? ...Yeah it is. However, you will first need to get a running start to do so, so every dash takes several frames to start up. Thus, you'll need to maintain as much dash momentum as possible. The first, RTA-viable one is the dash punch, which is done just by pressing B as you propel forward. This is a pretty normal move, but, when used near the end of your dash, can be used to give yourself a bit more distance. The other technique is the flying kick. This game has two jump kicks, depending on when in the jump you press B. When you are going up, you'll do the flying kick. This is usually unremarkable, and jumping kills your momentum. However, pressing B the VERY FRAME AFTER pressing A will start the kick before your momentum is lost. This will let you shoot forward in the air at a greater speed. This, because of the frame perfect input, is also TAS-only. You also cant change the trajectory of your flying kick, so the only control you have is how long you hold A for.
The dive kick, executed by pressing B while falling or double jumping, will send you going straight down at a diagonal. This actually doesnt make you fall any faster than just... falling... (as a matter of fact it kills your falling momentum) but it does nudge you forward a bit faster than just letting the ranger fall. More importantly, it'll stop your jump completely and let you land for another jump faster.
Another, much more baffling technique is the "triple-jump". For some reason there's a weird quirk in the physics where pressing A a third time during a specific window in your jump gives you a small but potentially useful boost upward. This, in some parts of the TAS, allows me to clear certain jumps I couldnt otherwise, like over an enemy or onto a particularly high edge.
Finally, in megazord battles, you have a dash attack along a regular attack, but because of some very poor design choice, the dash attack has a much shorter wind-up than the regular attack, making it much better.
This TAS is rough, and I probably could've plotted out a better route, and perhaps executed some techs better to gain time saves, but this will likely be improved upon once I write a final draft.