Well, we knew we would find our way back here eventually.
I'm not sure if I've covered any series as much as I have Mega Man. I can't say I'm surprised. It's one of my favorites, the games aren't that long and they typically offer plenty to talk about. Heck, they even kind of fit into the whole theme I'm going for. Mega Man is incredibly well known, but it always feels like the series is just a notch below some of the more iconic gaming franchises in terms of recognizability. I guess that's why the blue bomber doesn’t see as many new releases as Mario, or other similar series'.
Mega Man 11 was something of a surprise for fans of the series when it was announced. It had been eight years since the previous entry in the franchise, Mega Man 10 in 2010, when MM 11 finally came out in 2018, a long but not excessive time between releases. But what was truly surprising about this new title was the new direction it took the series. Mega Man 9 and 10 were excellent games, but they essentially served as throwbacks to the NES era originals. The series hadn't drastically changed since Mega Man 7 hit the SNES in the mid 90's, so it was genuinely surprising to see how different MM 11 looked. And while the core gameplay was intact, there were plenty of major changes to how it felt as well.
But before we get into all of that, we have to get to the plot, which takes us all the way back to Dr. Light and Dr. Wily's days together at Robot University. The two are both presenting their research to the board of trustees, with Dr. Light having serious reservations about his associates' Double Gear system. The board agrees, electing to proceed instead with Light's research into sentient robots instead. This angers Wily, who swears revenge on his now rival, setting the events of the game (and I guess the whole series) in motion. The not so good doctor is awakens from a dream with a new idea: revive his long lost Double Gear tech and use it to defeat Dr. Light, and Mega Man, once and for all. I kind of like the flashback element to the plot, though I'm not sure what it means for the overall story? Have things been retconned? Because Light and Wily work together to build Proto Man before splitting off during the existing lore. All things considered, it's not a huge deal and I've never been a huge stickler for plot holes in a series like Mega Man.
At the end of the day, this is a 2D action platformer, so gameplay is what really matters. In this case, we do have the plot causing ripples in that department. In an effort to stop Wily, who has corrupted yet another set of robot masters to do his bidding, Dr. Light has reverse engineered the Double Gear system and equipped Mega Man with it. This gives him two new abilities, which can be accessed at any time during gameplay. First, Mega Man can slow down time, making it easier to hop across platforms and defeat fast enemies. Second, he can increase the power of his Mega Buster, allowing him to shoot through shielded targets and generally allowing him to be more deadly. Both powers are tied to an timer, which gives you about 10 seconds of your desired effect. Keep the gear on too long and it will overheat, preventing Mega Man from using it until it is fully cooled down. If he is low on life, Mega Man can activate both powers simultaneously, leading to an even longer power up time but also an increased cooldown once it runs out.
Even after playing through the game, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the Double Gear system. I guess it's nice that they decided to try something different. But I don't really know if this actually changes the gameplay for the better and I think the levels vacillate too much between being designed almost entirely around the system and not taking it into account at all. I guess we will start by talking about how the two systems impact the game. First, the buster powerup, which I really only found useful in boss fights. There were points in the stages where it was helpful, but they were few and far between. However, the powerup also applies to the robot master weapons, allowing Mega Man to unleash some powerful attacks. It kind of made this feel more like a Mega Man X game than an original series game. As such, it got the most use from me against the bosses.
While the buster powerup had its moments, it was the time manipulation that ended up with the most use. Simply put, it felt like the game was completely designed around this mechanic and it felt like it would have been impossible to beat without it. Many enemies move in such irregular patterns so quickly that it feels like it would be impossible to avoid or destroy them without slowing down time. There were several set pieces throughout the robot master stages where the time slowdown was absolutely needed. I kind of have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, you really want the game design to incentivize you to use its fancy new system. On the other, one of the things I have always liked about the Mega Man games is that you could complete them with just your basic abilities, but the other tools you gain throughout your playthrough can make them easier. That was kind of lost in MM11. There is a shop here, which you can use to upgrade the Double Gear System, and that allows for some gameplay variety. However, there is an upgrade that allows Mega Man to move at full speed when the slowdown is activated and it feels almost essential to complete the game, which I don't really like.
Of course, we also have to look at the more traditional aspects of Mega Man games, starting with the robot masters. This time around, we have:
Block Man - Fairly simple, though an interesting design
Fuse Man - An ok, if a bit generic, electric robot master
Blast Man - He's ok, I guess
Acid Man - Looks like Oil Man, but green
Tundra Man - Surprised it took this long for an ice skating robot master
Torch Man - Kind of like a better version of Burner Man
Impact Man - A pretty cool construction robot
Bounce Man - I hate it
I hate to say it, but I don't think it's a particularly great lineup of robot masters. I think they are pretty boring design-wise, with only Tundra Man really standing out. Even then, it's more down to how he moves than how he looks. Bounce Man may be a bottom 5 robot master of all time for me, I have to ask what they were thinking with that design. When you get to combat, things do get a little better. Most of them have tough, but fair, patterns that definitely take your ability to slow time into account. Again, it's almost essential to use here, for better, or worse. Blast Man was probably the biggest example, he runs and jumps around at incredible speed while filling the screen up with mines. This all feels exceptionally overwhelming at normal speed, but totally doable with the Double Gears. All of the weakness weapons make sense, and if they aren't thematically apparent they are logical based on the robot master's patterns.
Speaking of weapons, I think they did a much better job with that than they did with the robot masters themselves. It's a really strong group that of powers that are versatile and useful in a variety of applications. Block Dropper does exactly what it promises, providing pretty good damage over a wide area. Tundra Storm kind of behaves like Storm Eagle's power in Mega Man X. Scramble Thunder travels along the ground and walls, which is often useless but the projectiles are so big it's actually effective here. Acid Barrier is a great shield, Bounce Ball is a really good multidirectional shot and Chain Blast is nothing if not unique. Pile Driver is a dashing strike, which comes in very useful for platforming here. All of these powerups can be enhanced with the Dual Gear system, which leads to significant increases in effectiveness. As mentioned previously, the weakness order makes a lot of sense here based on these abilities. Fuse man is weak to the Bounce Ball, they are rubber and rubber doesn't conduct electricity. If the weaknesses don't make sense thematically, the make sense mechanically. Blast Man is weak to Blazing Torch, its arc perfectly hits him as he jumps. Rush Coil and Jet are also back, and they can be called with a touch of a button, no need to switch to them. It's a really strong set of powers that are incredibly universally useful.
If the robot masters are weak, and the weapons are strong, the stages are kind of right down the middle. There are some fairly interesting concepts, some of which are new and others are recycled. The sweeping currents in Acid Man's Stage and the exploding blocks in Blast Man's are all things Mega fans have seen before, but they are well executed here. Fuse Man has some interesting puzzle mechanics and the breakable blocks in Block Man's stage allow for different ways to attack the challenges at hand. Impact Man and Tundra Man's stages are solid, though a bit uninspiring. Bounce Man may have one of my least favorite stages of all time and Torch Man's stage is frustrating, though its largely down to being poorly laid out than having bad gimmicks. Layouts are a major problem here, all of the stages feel like they are either too long or too short, Acid, Block and Tundra feel like they go on absolutely forever. The check points are also in very inconvenient places, it feels like you have to run through boring parts of the stage hundreds of times to get back to the actual challenge. At least the mini bosses are solid, I think this may be the most creative the series has ever had.
My last issue, and It's kind of a major one, is that I just don't think the game is visually interesting. I don't particularly care for the art style here, it's kind of like it's trying to park itself half way between the original style and MM 7 and 8. But it just didn't land for me, too many of these levels look generic and lack color. Remember, this is Mega Man we are talking about, it's not supposed to be bleak and dark. You have a few nice looking levels, Torch Man's really evokes the foresty vibes it's going for and Blast Man's theme park setting is fun and unique, but the game just felt visually bland for the most part. The music was similarly generic, a few tracks stood out but the overall soundtrack paled in comparison to just about any other title in the series. Again, that's a high bar to clear. Mega Man has been known for great sound since day one, from the top notch chip tunes on the NES to the shredding guitars of the PlayStation era X titles and everything in between. This more techno-focused soundtrack just didn't do it for me, though I wouldn't be opposed to it them giving such a sound another shot. It was less the style and more it just not being done particularly well here, though Fuse and Blast Man's themes were strong efforts.
So, where does that leave Mega Man 11 in the grand scheme of the series? Well, we can at the very least continue saying that there are no bad Mega Man games. I think Mega Man 11 was a solid, if unspectacular effort in an outstanding series. I can say off the top of my head that I would take it over Mega Man and Bass, Mega Man 5 and probably Mega Man 8. I would definitely take 2,3,4 and 9 over it, and I don't think it quite matches the standards of 6 or 7 either. So that leaves 10 and 1. I think I put it below 10, but slightly above 1 based on more consistency. There was a lot to like here, and I appreciate some of the attempts at innovation, but a lot of the changes fell flat and the visual presentation left a lot to be desired. Still though, it was a solid game and another well done Mega Man title.
8/10
I'm not sure if I've covered any series as much as I have Mega Man. I can't say I'm surprised. It's one of my favorites, the games aren't that long and they typically offer plenty to talk about. Heck, they even kind of fit into the whole theme I'm going for. Mega Man is incredibly well known, but it always feels like the series is just a notch below some of the more iconic gaming franchises in terms of recognizability. I guess that's why the blue bomber doesn’t see as many new releases as Mario, or other similar series'.
Mega Man 11 was something of a surprise for fans of the series when it was announced. It had been eight years since the previous entry in the franchise, Mega Man 10 in 2010, when MM 11 finally came out in 2018, a long but not excessive time between releases. But what was truly surprising about this new title was the new direction it took the series. Mega Man 9 and 10 were excellent games, but they essentially served as throwbacks to the NES era originals. The series hadn't drastically changed since Mega Man 7 hit the SNES in the mid 90's, so it was genuinely surprising to see how different MM 11 looked. And while the core gameplay was intact, there were plenty of major changes to how it felt as well.
But before we get into all of that, we have to get to the plot, which takes us all the way back to Dr. Light and Dr. Wily's days together at Robot University. The two are both presenting their research to the board of trustees, with Dr. Light having serious reservations about his associates' Double Gear system. The board agrees, electing to proceed instead with Light's research into sentient robots instead. This angers Wily, who swears revenge on his now rival, setting the events of the game (and I guess the whole series) in motion. The not so good doctor is awakens from a dream with a new idea: revive his long lost Double Gear tech and use it to defeat Dr. Light, and Mega Man, once and for all. I kind of like the flashback element to the plot, though I'm not sure what it means for the overall story? Have things been retconned? Because Light and Wily work together to build Proto Man before splitting off during the existing lore. All things considered, it's not a huge deal and I've never been a huge stickler for plot holes in a series like Mega Man.
At the end of the day, this is a 2D action platformer, so gameplay is what really matters. In this case, we do have the plot causing ripples in that department. In an effort to stop Wily, who has corrupted yet another set of robot masters to do his bidding, Dr. Light has reverse engineered the Double Gear system and equipped Mega Man with it. This gives him two new abilities, which can be accessed at any time during gameplay. First, Mega Man can slow down time, making it easier to hop across platforms and defeat fast enemies. Second, he can increase the power of his Mega Buster, allowing him to shoot through shielded targets and generally allowing him to be more deadly. Both powers are tied to an timer, which gives you about 10 seconds of your desired effect. Keep the gear on too long and it will overheat, preventing Mega Man from using it until it is fully cooled down. If he is low on life, Mega Man can activate both powers simultaneously, leading to an even longer power up time but also an increased cooldown once it runs out.
Even after playing through the game, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the Double Gear system. I guess it's nice that they decided to try something different. But I don't really know if this actually changes the gameplay for the better and I think the levels vacillate too much between being designed almost entirely around the system and not taking it into account at all. I guess we will start by talking about how the two systems impact the game. First, the buster powerup, which I really only found useful in boss fights. There were points in the stages where it was helpful, but they were few and far between. However, the powerup also applies to the robot master weapons, allowing Mega Man to unleash some powerful attacks. It kind of made this feel more like a Mega Man X game than an original series game. As such, it got the most use from me against the bosses.
While the buster powerup had its moments, it was the time manipulation that ended up with the most use. Simply put, it felt like the game was completely designed around this mechanic and it felt like it would have been impossible to beat without it. Many enemies move in such irregular patterns so quickly that it feels like it would be impossible to avoid or destroy them without slowing down time. There were several set pieces throughout the robot master stages where the time slowdown was absolutely needed. I kind of have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, you really want the game design to incentivize you to use its fancy new system. On the other, one of the things I have always liked about the Mega Man games is that you could complete them with just your basic abilities, but the other tools you gain throughout your playthrough can make them easier. That was kind of lost in MM11. There is a shop here, which you can use to upgrade the Double Gear System, and that allows for some gameplay variety. However, there is an upgrade that allows Mega Man to move at full speed when the slowdown is activated and it feels almost essential to complete the game, which I don't really like.
Of course, we also have to look at the more traditional aspects of Mega Man games, starting with the robot masters. This time around, we have:
Block Man - Fairly simple, though an interesting design
Fuse Man - An ok, if a bit generic, electric robot master
Blast Man - He's ok, I guess
Acid Man - Looks like Oil Man, but green
Tundra Man - Surprised it took this long for an ice skating robot master
Torch Man - Kind of like a better version of Burner Man
Impact Man - A pretty cool construction robot
Bounce Man - I hate it
I hate to say it, but I don't think it's a particularly great lineup of robot masters. I think they are pretty boring design-wise, with only Tundra Man really standing out. Even then, it's more down to how he moves than how he looks. Bounce Man may be a bottom 5 robot master of all time for me, I have to ask what they were thinking with that design. When you get to combat, things do get a little better. Most of them have tough, but fair, patterns that definitely take your ability to slow time into account. Again, it's almost essential to use here, for better, or worse. Blast Man was probably the biggest example, he runs and jumps around at incredible speed while filling the screen up with mines. This all feels exceptionally overwhelming at normal speed, but totally doable with the Double Gears. All of the weakness weapons make sense, and if they aren't thematically apparent they are logical based on the robot master's patterns.
Speaking of weapons, I think they did a much better job with that than they did with the robot masters themselves. It's a really strong group that of powers that are versatile and useful in a variety of applications. Block Dropper does exactly what it promises, providing pretty good damage over a wide area. Tundra Storm kind of behaves like Storm Eagle's power in Mega Man X. Scramble Thunder travels along the ground and walls, which is often useless but the projectiles are so big it's actually effective here. Acid Barrier is a great shield, Bounce Ball is a really good multidirectional shot and Chain Blast is nothing if not unique. Pile Driver is a dashing strike, which comes in very useful for platforming here. All of these powerups can be enhanced with the Dual Gear system, which leads to significant increases in effectiveness. As mentioned previously, the weakness order makes a lot of sense here based on these abilities. Fuse man is weak to the Bounce Ball, they are rubber and rubber doesn't conduct electricity. If the weaknesses don't make sense thematically, the make sense mechanically. Blast Man is weak to Blazing Torch, its arc perfectly hits him as he jumps. Rush Coil and Jet are also back, and they can be called with a touch of a button, no need to switch to them. It's a really strong set of powers that are incredibly universally useful.
If the robot masters are weak, and the weapons are strong, the stages are kind of right down the middle. There are some fairly interesting concepts, some of which are new and others are recycled. The sweeping currents in Acid Man's Stage and the exploding blocks in Blast Man's are all things Mega fans have seen before, but they are well executed here. Fuse Man has some interesting puzzle mechanics and the breakable blocks in Block Man's stage allow for different ways to attack the challenges at hand. Impact Man and Tundra Man's stages are solid, though a bit uninspiring. Bounce Man may have one of my least favorite stages of all time and Torch Man's stage is frustrating, though its largely down to being poorly laid out than having bad gimmicks. Layouts are a major problem here, all of the stages feel like they are either too long or too short, Acid, Block and Tundra feel like they go on absolutely forever. The check points are also in very inconvenient places, it feels like you have to run through boring parts of the stage hundreds of times to get back to the actual challenge. At least the mini bosses are solid, I think this may be the most creative the series has ever had.
My last issue, and It's kind of a major one, is that I just don't think the game is visually interesting. I don't particularly care for the art style here, it's kind of like it's trying to park itself half way between the original style and MM 7 and 8. But it just didn't land for me, too many of these levels look generic and lack color. Remember, this is Mega Man we are talking about, it's not supposed to be bleak and dark. You have a few nice looking levels, Torch Man's really evokes the foresty vibes it's going for and Blast Man's theme park setting is fun and unique, but the game just felt visually bland for the most part. The music was similarly generic, a few tracks stood out but the overall soundtrack paled in comparison to just about any other title in the series. Again, that's a high bar to clear. Mega Man has been known for great sound since day one, from the top notch chip tunes on the NES to the shredding guitars of the PlayStation era X titles and everything in between. This more techno-focused soundtrack just didn't do it for me, though I wouldn't be opposed to it them giving such a sound another shot. It was less the style and more it just not being done particularly well here, though Fuse and Blast Man's themes were strong efforts.
So, where does that leave Mega Man 11 in the grand scheme of the series? Well, we can at the very least continue saying that there are no bad Mega Man games. I think Mega Man 11 was a solid, if unspectacular effort in an outstanding series. I can say off the top of my head that I would take it over Mega Man and Bass, Mega Man 5 and probably Mega Man 8. I would definitely take 2,3,4 and 9 over it, and I don't think it quite matches the standards of 6 or 7 either. So that leaves 10 and 1. I think I put it below 10, but slightly above 1 based on more consistency. There was a lot to like here, and I appreciate some of the attempts at innovation, but a lot of the changes fell flat and the visual presentation left a lot to be desired. Still though, it was a solid game and another well done Mega Man title.
8/10
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