this game is basically all story, so having not been able to experience it in its intended form and context shouldn’t be the biggest deal, hopefully, but i do really think people misjudge and don’t give this game the credit it deserves. the very essence of Mega Man is a sort of tragic fight for justice, a yearn for true peace that can never fully be achieved, and by the fourth game it already had plot twists and kidnappings, so the big deal about how “dark” and “unfitting the series” this game is never made sense to me, especially considering how out of touch the man most people cite for validation, Inafune, is known to be with the series and game industry as a whole. this plot elaborates on the extraterrestrial themes of 3 that would also (later?) be explored with the Stardroids, forces Wily into a reluctant heroic role for the first time if only briefly, and gives a glimpse at what a completely new type of main antagonist to the series could look like, something that takes advantage of the very nature of the trademark robotic characters to threaten the entire globe at once. basically, it’s just rad as hell and i think people need to get over themselves thinking that Classic is exclusively ‘mega man for babies’ or something.