Nintendo completely blindsided me with this month's Switch Online releases by unceremoniously dropping all five GB Mega Man games on the Game Boy emulator. You're about to get five whole weeks of me talking about each one, starting now. BACKGROUND:
Now, I knew there were Mega Man games on the Game Boy, but I've never played them at all. I also didn't know they made five of them (I only knew of this one and the GB Mega Man 2), which was part of why I was so surprised when they all dropped in the Switch Online emulator. Lastly, I know that these games reuse the Robot Masters from the original NES games, so I'm coming into these games wondering how much is derivative and how much is completely unique. Speaking specifically on the classic Mega Man series, I've played all six NES games, plus 7 (which was originally on SNES), 8 (which I first played on the original PlayStation), and 11 (which I talk about here). As you can probably tell, this is one of my favorite classic game series ever, so I know exactly what I'm getting into as I dive into the GB games. SUMMARY: Dr. Wily's Revenge plays largely identical to the NES Mega Man titles, so the general idea of jumping and shooting as well as going through the level until you get to the boss is pretty much intact here. Mega Man himself functions exactly as he did in the originals, with the Mega Buster as his default weapon (minus the Charge Shot), and mostly identical movement (minus the slide). You also get the same story formula, as Dr. Wily is back on his bullshit, and it's up to Mega Man to stop him. The game's structure is a little different from the usual formula, which has you select which of the eight stages you want to start on. You still get a choice at the beginning, but the choice has been reduced to four, after which you go to the usual Wily Castle phase of the game (of which there are only two levels). Oddly enough, you do still fight eight Robot Masters, but the other four are fought in the traditional boss rush section of the first Wily Castle stage instead of their own stages, which I was quite surprised by. As far as level design goes, the layouts themselves are completely unique from what I've played before, but they also feel familiar with their use of various enemies and hazards from across the NES Mega Man series. There are fairly unique gimmicks as well, like melting blocks, fans that push you away, and falling icicles that can be used as platforms, all of which I thought were neat. I was worried coming in that this game would just port over the NES levels wholesale, but I'm glad that the levels here are distinct for the most part. In terms of difficulty, I found the levels mostly on par with what I'm used to in terms of classic Mega Man, with a decent mix of tough, but fair rooms with tricky enemy placement, simpler rooms that pose no challenge if you just take your time, and a few sections that will punish you for not knowing the future (falling sections with instant-death spikes, or everybody's favorite disappearing blocks over bottomless pit). It's nothing I haven't dealt with before, so I managed just fine. The eight Robot Masters you fight in this game are taken from multiple NES games, with four coming from the original Mega Man (Elec Man, Cut Man, Fire Man, Ice Man), and the other four being Mega Man 2 bosses (Flash Man, Quick Man, Bubble Man, Heat Man). Their fights are pretty much identical to their original incarnation, and they award you the exact same weapons when you beat them. Hell, they have the exact same weaknesses, so I immediately figured out what order to beat them in. Of course, it would've been neat to get a unique set of Robot Masters, but I still had fun facing off against these classic foes all over again in a different setting. The bosses in the Wily stages are somewhat unique in contrast, with the first being a character named Enker (a robot designed specifically to defeat Mega Man, because those usually succeed), who actually rewards you with a weapon when beaten (Mega Man getting weapons outside of Robot Masters is quite rare in this series). The weapon itself is unique as well, as the Mirror Buster is basically just a projectile reflector. Mega Man also gets the Carry item halfway through the game, which serves as his one platforming tool here. Utility weapons that are purely for getting around are a staple in the series, even allowing you to reach optional pickups. In this case, Carry is the most basic type of utility item (it just spawns a stationary floating platform), and while it would have been nice to have more, it's really the only one you need for the levels in this game. This game even looks and sounds like the NES titles, with the sprites only really missing the colors, and some of the music being pulled straight out of the older games. I really felt the lack of color in this case, as part of the fun of Mega Man has always been seeing his color palette change depending on the weapon he has equipped. VERDICT: Dr. Wily's Revenge is standard fare for a Mega Man game, as everything from the presentation to the overall level design feels like something I've experienced with the original series. There are some unique elements like the actual level layouts and the addition of things like Enker and the Mirror Buster, but a lot of the game feels largely familiar. I did find fun in experiencing old bosses in a different context (like using Mega Man 1 weapons on Mega Man 2 bosses), but I did find myself wishing there were more new things like the Mirror Buster instead of the game just reusing stuff I've already seen. Outside of that, I had a decent (albeit short) time with this game, and I'm looking forward to playing through the rest of the Game Boy series. I would recommend playing the NES games (which are bona fide classics that absolutely count as "essential" games) first before even considering touching this one. They have more levels overall, so you both have more choices in terms of what order you want to tackle levels, more opportunities to try your special weapons on a larger assortment of enemies and bosses, and a more definitive boss rush experience where you actually fight all the Robot Masters again. As a bonus, you'll know what the boss weaknesses are for this game if you play the original Mega Man 1 and 2 first. - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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