It's finally here! After about 700 centuries of waiting, the prayers of Mega Man fans like myself have been answered with Mega Man 11, the latest entry in the storied franchise. I spent my entire evening playing this game (and beating it), and I'm just as excited to talk about it now as I was excited to play it earlier today! BACKGROUND: It's no secret that Mega Man is one of my favorite video game franchises of all time. Mega Man 8 was the first game I ever played, and in the many years since, I've gone on to play a good number of the Mega Man games, ranging from the classics, to a few in the X series, and even stuff like Battle Network or Star Force. With all this said, when Mega Man 11 was revealed on the Mega Man 30th Anniversary stream last year, my excitement couldn't be overstated. Last month, a demo for the game was released (which I talked about here). Playing the demo further bolstered my excitement for the game, and I pre-purchased it the second preorders went live on the eShop. PLOT: If you've played one Mega Man game in your life, you already know the story: Dr. Wily's a shithead, he assembles a crew of Robot Masters, you kick their asses, you go to his castle, wreck his shit, and Wily runs away or whatever. Rinse and repeat. It's been like this for ten goddamn games; if you were expecting the next Macbeth, you're in the wrong neighborhood. With that said, there's a bit more meat to the typical Mega Man formula this time around, integrating story elements from Dr. Wily and Dr. Light's past as university students. While it's not on the level of Mega Man 8, we get some good cutscenes that move the plot along. PRESENTATION: You know how, as a kid, you imagined shitty-looking 8-bit or 16-bit games as these amazing-looking cinematic masterpieces back when you first played them? Well, this is how I always imagined the older Mega Man games looked like when I was young. Sure, there's nothing distinct about the art style itself, but it's exactly what "Mega Man in the modern era" looks like in my mind. The level aesthetics, while nothing revolutionary, look colorful and tie in well with its corresponding Robot Master. They even go for motifs that are unique but still somehow fit into the video game level tropes (e.g. the ice level, the underwater level, etc.). Mega Man's design isn't much different from Mega Man 8 and the like, but the awesome thing they did with him this time is how drastically his design changes when equipped with a Special Weapon. Instead of just the typical palette swap, his helmet and arm cannon actually change in appearance, reminiscent of the Robot Master the weapon is from. The sound effects are solid (though a bunch of iconic Mega Man sounds are noticeably absent), and the music is enjoyable, but doesn't quite reach the heights of the best songs to come out of the franchise. Mega Man is very well-known for amazing soundtracks, so it's kind of a shame Mega Man 11 isn't on that echelon, at least in my opinion. GAMEPLAY: Run, jump, shoot. It's been that way since 1987, and the formula still works today. Mega Man 11 delivers on the fundamentals fans have come to expect from the series, with some new twists to spice things up. First, the big, new mechanic: the Double Gear system. Introduced as a pivotal plot point, the system give Mega Man two functions that completely change how you play the game. The Speed Gear slows down time, allowing you to dodge quick enemies, or navigate through tricky platforming segments. The Power Gear increases your Buster damage, as well as powers up your Special Weapons (like how charging Special Weapons in Mega Man X unleashes an enhanced attack/adds additional effects). If you're a seasoned veteran like I am, you might forget this mechanic is even in the game when you're playing. But once you condition yourself to use the Double Gears, it adds an entirely new layer of depth to a time-tested game. Surviving boss fights and conquering platforming segments was utterly satisfying with the Speed Gear, and wrecking absolute shit with the Power Gear is fun. It's not all fun and games, however; the Double Gears have a sort of overheat meter that increases the longer a Gear is in use. If the meter fills up, you won't be able to use either gear for a short while. This ensures that one uses the gears judiciously instead of having Mega Man be OP the entire level. In addition, if you're low on health, you get access to an overdrive mechanic, which allows you to use both gears simultaneously. This is a last-ditch effort kind of deal that you should only really activate when you're confident you'll survive, as overheating here will leave you incredibly vulnerable. With that said, defeating a boss with its help is rather cathartic. The Robot Masters aren't anything groundbreaking design-wise (I suppose that's hard when you're 11 games deep), but fighting them is great, because, like Mega Man, they have the Double Gear system equipped, too! As opposed to your typical Mega Man boss fight, they get a sort of second phase when you've damaged them enough. Besting them with your own use of gears as they try their damnedest to kick your ass makes for exciting boss fights. Of course, we can't talk about Mega Man without covering its bread and butter: the Special Weapons. As usual, defeating a Robot Master grants you the use of their respective Special Weapon, which you can then use to beat the shit out of some other Robot Master that's weak to it. While there have been a good number of Mega Man games where a lot of the Special Weapons are hardly useful/not fun, Mega Man 11 is thankfully an exception to this. Most of the weapons have some sort of utility, allowing you to deal with enemies that your Mega Buster can't quite reach or kill. The Block Dropper in particular was the MVP of my run with its incredible range and respectable damage. Part of the fun of a Mega Man game is figuring out which Robot Master is weak to which weapon, and Mega Man 11 makes it easier for the player by adding a purple spark effect when the weapon is (to borrow a term) super effective against a boss. The sparks even appear in regular enemies and minibosses, allowing one to optimize how they take down everything in a level. As someone who usually defaults to the Mega Buster, I really appreciated this, as it further incetivized me to use the Special Weapons. In true Mega Man fashion, each Robot Master level has a bunch of gimmicks that are in theme with the level design and the Robot Master that resides in it. Although they're nothing revolutionary, all the gimmicks they throw at you were fun to figure out, and dealing with a combination of them after they've been introduced in a controlled environment is classic Mega Man. The only gimmick I don't like is in Bounce Man's stage. Fuck those bouncy balls. If all of this sounds daunting, fret not, as Mega Man 11 has a Newcomer and Casual mode for the less platformer-inclined. If you're worried that this is gonna be another easy Mega Man game, don't worry; not only is Normal mode sufficiently challenging, there's also a harder Superhero mode. It's not for the faint of heart. After beating the main story, there's some extra challenge modes for you to play around with. Ranging from the typical time attack to the more unique Balloon Rush mode, you're bound to find something you like in there. It's perfect for those who want a little extra after kicking the shit out of Dr. Wily. And yes, a lot of tried-and-true Mega Man tropes make a return. Disappearing blocks, Wily's Castle, a boss rush, the Auto shop from Mega Man 7/8 (which allows you to buy items and upgrades), Eddie, Beat... with a few exceptions, you'll find it all here. VERDICT:
Mega Man is back in full force with a solid 11th installment, offering a new mechanic that adds a whole new flavor to the very familiar gameplay of the series. It's not a terribly long game (most Mega Man games aren't), and it's not exactly an evolution in the franchise the way Mario 64 was to Super Mario World, but it's still an enjoyable experience, especially for longtime Mega Man fans. Hopefully this game becomes a springboard to more bold, exciting Mega Man sequels! This game is out today on every current-gen console. For the folks of the PC persuasion, here it is on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/742300/Mega_Man_11__11/ - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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