Mega Man IV on the Game Boy is a surprisingly ambitious adaptation of its NES counterpart. While the smaller screen and hardware limitations lead to some simplifications in level design, it introduces new mechanics like the Mega Buster charge shot and the shop system. These additions offer fresh strategies and alleviate some of the difficulty spikes of its predecessor. Despite some occasional slowdown, Mega Man IV delivers a solid, portable Mega Man experience that stands out among the Game Boy entries.
Playing on the 3DS Virtual Console, collected all items and cleared the game. For future replays, I will use mGBA on my modded Wii instead.
I had heard from a few people on the Slack chat that this was the best of the GameBoy games, so I went into this one with high hopes. Granted, after my experience with just how rough the third Rock Man World game was, I was a little wary, but I went in hoping for something better at the very least. While I wasn't 100% overjoyed with what I found, I definitely understand why this game is held up above the other Mega Man games on the handheld. It took me around 2.5 hours to clear the Japanese version of the game.
As with the previous three GameBoy Mega Man games, this one's story is ultimately pretty simple and just boils down to stopping Dr. Wily as he tries to take over the world with four robot masters from Mega Man 4 (the four who weren't in the previous game) and four robot masters from Mega Man 5. There's even letters of Beat's name to collect to get him as a special weapon, just like in Mega Man 5~. You also have your E-tanks, slide dash, and chargeable mega buster, but with a few new twists this time. You can also collect mini-E-tanks, and four of them combine to make one normal (actually useable) E-tank, and there's even a shop you can collect money to buy powerups in, just like in Mega Man 7.
However, the most important basic mechanical change is how your charge shots work for your mega buster. Unlike in all of the other 8-bit Mega Man games, when you fire a fully charged shot, you get bounced into the air slightly with a bit of recoil. This is something kinda neat that makes the game unique, but also probably the thing I like about it the least, as it makes certain bosses not feel too great to fight, since you can't jump immediately after shooting a charged shot. It isn't so much an outright bad thing, so much as it forces you to learn a new way to play Mega Man in a way I didn't really wanna engage with.
That said, the bosses and stage design in this game are all really damn solid. The GameBoy rebalanced versions of a boss or two are just a bit too hard, such as Ring Man, and the end Wily Machine is also a bit too hard for its own good with how quick your reaction time needs to be, but the boss fights are overall really well done and fun. The stage design too is much more of the quality you'd expect from the NES entries to the series. They have the "Big Mega Man" sprite problem, but the stages are designed around that in much better ways than the past couple entries, and it feels more like "Mega Man" rather than just "Mega Man BUT on the GameBoy".
The presentation manages to be pretty darn good as well. It's still quite a pretty game, and while it doesn't manage to be totally free of slowdown, it's much better optimized than the third Rock Man World game was, and the gameplay is never made significantly more difficult due to the slowdown like what is so common in the third game. The music is also generally quite good, with fine new tracks as well as good GameBoy renditions of the NES tracks you know.
Verdict: Highly Recommended. This is definitely my favorite of the GameBoy Mega Man games. While I'm not super in love with the change to how the charged mega buster works, everything else about it is much more along the caliber of design you'd expect from the series, and it's a very welcome jump in quality after how rough the third game in the series was.
Oh, it's Mega Man 7! When I decided to detour into the GB series, it was because someone had told me MM7 was more like them than the NES games, and splitting of bosses in half aside I was beginning to think they'd gone loopy. But no, it's here, in GB MM4, where it is in fact just the prototype for Mega Man 7.
Mostly it's the shop. Being able to stop in between levels, visit Dr. Light, and purchase a bunch of different canisters or canister portions (think like heart pieces, but for a health restoration item. I'm ambivalent), or the very useful balancer, is a neat change, and gives enemies something to drop other than health and ammo. It can feel a little grindy, but being able to grab extra energy tanks actually fixes a major problem with the series: that 'maybe I'll need it later' fear that stops you using any limited item in video games.
The other aspect that sticks out as 7-like is the abundance of plot, fed to you via such innovative things as cut scenes (well, you have to push the dialogue along manually), and recurring enemies beyond the robot masters. Ballade is actually kind of neat, from your initial encounter straight through to his ultimate sacrifice.
The robot masters are fine, petite versions of their console counterparts, and I stuck to my plan to go buster only on the first encounter, and then exploit their weaknesses on the boss rush. Some ten games into this adventure, I can safely say this is The Most Fun way to approach them.
I don't know if it's the shop, the way levels are broken up, or just the smaller nature of the GB series, but this didn't outstay its welcome at all. In earlier reviews I lamented the insertion of a more cartoon-esque presentation, but this game's whole-hearted commitment to it actually kind of works. It's not classic Mega Man, it's Narrative Mega Man, and that's fine. A new path has been opened, and it's inexplicably immediately after the worst Mega Man game I've played (so far!). I'm excited for the future again, and that's a relief. Bring on V and all its weirdness!
Mostly it's the shop. Being able to stop in between levels, visit Dr. Light, and purchase a bunch of different canisters or canister portions (think like heart pieces, but for a health restoration item. I'm ambivalent), or the very useful balancer, is a neat change, and gives enemies something to drop other than health and ammo. It can feel a little grindy, but being able to grab extra energy tanks actually fixes a major problem with the series: that 'maybe I'll need it later' fear that stops you using any limited item in video games.
The other aspect that sticks out as 7-like is the abundance of plot, fed to you via such innovative things as cut scenes (well, you have to push the dialogue along manually), and recurring enemies beyond the robot masters. Ballade is actually kind of neat, from your initial encounter straight through to his ultimate sacrifice.
The robot masters are fine, petite versions of their console counterparts, and I stuck to my plan to go buster only on the first encounter, and then exploit their weaknesses on the boss rush. Some ten games into this adventure, I can safely say this is The Most Fun way to approach them.
I don't know if it's the shop, the way levels are broken up, or just the smaller nature of the GB series, but this didn't outstay its welcome at all. In earlier reviews I lamented the insertion of a more cartoon-esque presentation, but this game's whole-hearted commitment to it actually kind of works. It's not classic Mega Man, it's Narrative Mega Man, and that's fine. A new path has been opened, and it's inexplicably immediately after the worst Mega Man game I've played (so far!). I'm excited for the future again, and that's a relief. Bring on V and all its weirdness!
A competent Game Boy Mega Man title! Wasn’t sure that I’d ever see the day. Feels pretty great (other than the slowdown), and this one gets back to the action-platforming flow that Mega Man III was sorely lacking. I would’ve liked to have seen a new set of Robot Masters, but some of their levels are given thoughtful reworks (Napalm Man’s stage is no longer set in the Vietnamese jungle, for one) that have finally started taking advantage of the Game Boy’s limited screen size. I was also glad to see the final Robot Master gauntlet make its debut on the Game Boy, and the final stretch through Wily’s space fortress is among my favorites in the series so far. We also get the fourth “Mega Man Killer” here, Ballade, and he’s a lot of fun. A couple of weird things here, though—(1) Megaman’s charge shot has… recoil? That sure feels bad; and (2) to my complete surprise, it seems like this game introduced the upgrade shop to the series, not Mega Man 7. Anyway, yeah. This could’ve been a lot better, but points for being the first Game Boy Mega Man title that I’d actually recommend.
مب بذاك السوء
للآن ما اشوف في سبب تلعبها لكن على الاقل تنلعب
للآن ما اشوف في سبب تلعبها لكن على الاقل تنلعب
i really wanted to like this one but the game wouldn't stop sabotaging itself
final boss alone gives it half a star more tho
final boss alone gives it half a star more tho
the cutscenes and shop are neat additions to the series and that’s really the only good thing i have to say here
When it comes to the video game industry, there are always going to be things that are inevitable. There’s gonna be a new crappy sports game every year, even though many will still buy it anyway, companies will always overwork their staff and treat them like shit, even though that issue goes beyond video games, there will be plenty of big achievements and disappointments to be seen all throughout the year, and of course, Mega Man will get a new game. Or at least, that was an inevitability back in the day, but now it is a rarity more than anything. Yes, it really just seems like it wouldn’t have been a complete year back then without some kind of Mega Man product coming out, because if this didn’t happen, the world may end up exploding. At least, that could be what Capcom’s thought process was with the series back then, hence why so many of them came out, and while many people may have gotten sick of it, I wouldn’t say I fit into this category, as I continue down the line of these generic, yet still enjoyable titles with Mega Man IV.
One of the words you could use to describe the Game Boy Mega Man games wouldn’t be “innovative”. For every single game so far, while there has been some new elements seen here or there, such as a new character or new weapon, for the most part, they have been the same old games that many have expected from them at this point, reusing many different robot masters, weapons, and stages from the NES games to the point where it felt incredibly stale to most. However, thankfully, for the fourth entry in this sub-series, there was NEW STUFF!......... somewhat, which not only made for an interesting entry to jump back into, but also yet another enjoyable one as well. Sure, the new stuff that was introduced wasn’t too major, and the same gripes people would have about the previous games still applies here, but for those who don’t care about that, we have another fun romp to blast through and enjoy.
The story is a deep, complex narrative about the destruction of mankind, a study covering the world’s justice system, and a moral dilemma about what Mega Man is truly fighting for………………… nah, just kidding, it’s Dr. Wily trying to take over the world again and Mega Man has to stop him (you really expected anything else?), the graphics are Game Boy graphics, using the exact same sprite style as all the other previous games, which still looks good, so I’m not too bothered by it, the music is good, once again feature Game Boy renditions of previous themes, which all sound good here, and the original tracks aren’t that bad either, the control is the same as the previous games, so nothing to complain about there, and the gameplay is exactly what you have come to expect at this point.
The game is a 2D action platformer, where you take control of Mega Man once again, take on plenty of different levels to fight many familiar Robot Masters, jump and shoot your way through plenty of different enemies, environments, and obstacles, gather plenty of health and ammo pickups, cannisters, and extra lives to help you out along your journey, take down many different bosses from the Robot Masters to Wily’s machines, and gather plenty of different new weapons to use to your advantage in the stages that lie ahead. It is all what you have come to expect from a Game Boy Mega Man game, but I am happy to say that, for the first time in this series, there is actually some new stuff for once!
First of all, there is now a new type of item called the P-Chip that you collect throughout the game, and you can now use it at Dr. Light’s shop in between levels. You can use these chips to purchase things such as extra lives, E-Tanks and weapon tanks, getting the ammo of your weapons refilled, and even the Energy Balancer, which I didn’t think would be brought back this soon in the series. Sure, this isn’t anything all that special, and most of the stuff you can get from the shops you can just find in the regular levels, but the fact that it is there at all is a nice little addition. Alongside this, the collectibles from the NES games also make a comeback, with two sets of letters both spelling out Beat and Wily respectively. Of course, from the first set of letters, you get to use Beat once again, which is always nice to see, and as for the Wily letters, they allow you to….. beat the game. Kind of a waste if you ask me, but hey, the letters themselves are pretty easy to find and collect, so it isn’t really that big of a deal.
If all that doesn’t get you excited to jump into another one of these titles, nor does the inclusion of a new Mega Man Killer do that for you, then there is no real reason to justify you seeking this out then. It is, once again, your typical classic Mega Man game, which may satisfy the huge Mega Man nerds like myself, but for others, it would be seen more as a waste of time at the end of the day. When it comes to actual problems that I have with the game, I have one minor one that doesn’t ruin the experience, but it is worth mentioning nonetheless. In this game, whenever you fire off a charged shot, there is a bit of recoil that happens as a result, and for anyone who has played any other Mega Man game before, you would know that this doesn’t happen at all in any other entry. This makes firing the charge shot feel weird, and it can kinda throw you off in precarious spots, but this is only on a few occasions, and it doesn’t become too big of an issue, with you being able to adjust pretty quickly.
Overall, despite the recoil thing being odd, as well as not too many big changes to the main formula, Mega Man IV is still another very fun entry in this repetitious, yet enjoying sub-series in this franchise, and I had a great time revisiting it after not playing it since I initially did a long time ago. I definitely recommend it for big Mega Man fans, as well as those who enjoyed the previous Game Boy titles, as this game delivers plenty of the same fun gameplay to you, but with a little extra sprinkled in, and that’s always nice to see. Although, with all that being said, why does Mega Man’s face on the cover art of this game look kinda… off? It’s like he is in the middle of transitioning out of that dumbass face from the Mega Man 3-5 box art, and into the normal one he would have for the rest of the series. I could make an entire video series analyzing these obnoxious box arts, because they are truly something to behold.
Game #442
One of the words you could use to describe the Game Boy Mega Man games wouldn’t be “innovative”. For every single game so far, while there has been some new elements seen here or there, such as a new character or new weapon, for the most part, they have been the same old games that many have expected from them at this point, reusing many different robot masters, weapons, and stages from the NES games to the point where it felt incredibly stale to most. However, thankfully, for the fourth entry in this sub-series, there was NEW STUFF!......... somewhat, which not only made for an interesting entry to jump back into, but also yet another enjoyable one as well. Sure, the new stuff that was introduced wasn’t too major, and the same gripes people would have about the previous games still applies here, but for those who don’t care about that, we have another fun romp to blast through and enjoy.
The story is a deep, complex narrative about the destruction of mankind, a study covering the world’s justice system, and a moral dilemma about what Mega Man is truly fighting for………………… nah, just kidding, it’s Dr. Wily trying to take over the world again and Mega Man has to stop him (you really expected anything else?), the graphics are Game Boy graphics, using the exact same sprite style as all the other previous games, which still looks good, so I’m not too bothered by it, the music is good, once again feature Game Boy renditions of previous themes, which all sound good here, and the original tracks aren’t that bad either, the control is the same as the previous games, so nothing to complain about there, and the gameplay is exactly what you have come to expect at this point.
The game is a 2D action platformer, where you take control of Mega Man once again, take on plenty of different levels to fight many familiar Robot Masters, jump and shoot your way through plenty of different enemies, environments, and obstacles, gather plenty of health and ammo pickups, cannisters, and extra lives to help you out along your journey, take down many different bosses from the Robot Masters to Wily’s machines, and gather plenty of different new weapons to use to your advantage in the stages that lie ahead. It is all what you have come to expect from a Game Boy Mega Man game, but I am happy to say that, for the first time in this series, there is actually some new stuff for once!
First of all, there is now a new type of item called the P-Chip that you collect throughout the game, and you can now use it at Dr. Light’s shop in between levels. You can use these chips to purchase things such as extra lives, E-Tanks and weapon tanks, getting the ammo of your weapons refilled, and even the Energy Balancer, which I didn’t think would be brought back this soon in the series. Sure, this isn’t anything all that special, and most of the stuff you can get from the shops you can just find in the regular levels, but the fact that it is there at all is a nice little addition. Alongside this, the collectibles from the NES games also make a comeback, with two sets of letters both spelling out Beat and Wily respectively. Of course, from the first set of letters, you get to use Beat once again, which is always nice to see, and as for the Wily letters, they allow you to….. beat the game. Kind of a waste if you ask me, but hey, the letters themselves are pretty easy to find and collect, so it isn’t really that big of a deal.
If all that doesn’t get you excited to jump into another one of these titles, nor does the inclusion of a new Mega Man Killer do that for you, then there is no real reason to justify you seeking this out then. It is, once again, your typical classic Mega Man game, which may satisfy the huge Mega Man nerds like myself, but for others, it would be seen more as a waste of time at the end of the day. When it comes to actual problems that I have with the game, I have one minor one that doesn’t ruin the experience, but it is worth mentioning nonetheless. In this game, whenever you fire off a charged shot, there is a bit of recoil that happens as a result, and for anyone who has played any other Mega Man game before, you would know that this doesn’t happen at all in any other entry. This makes firing the charge shot feel weird, and it can kinda throw you off in precarious spots, but this is only on a few occasions, and it doesn’t become too big of an issue, with you being able to adjust pretty quickly.
Overall, despite the recoil thing being odd, as well as not too many big changes to the main formula, Mega Man IV is still another very fun entry in this repetitious, yet enjoying sub-series in this franchise, and I had a great time revisiting it after not playing it since I initially did a long time ago. I definitely recommend it for big Mega Man fans, as well as those who enjoyed the previous Game Boy titles, as this game delivers plenty of the same fun gameplay to you, but with a little extra sprinkled in, and that’s always nice to see. Although, with all that being said, why does Mega Man’s face on the cover art of this game look kinda… off? It’s like he is in the middle of transitioning out of that dumbass face from the Mega Man 3-5 box art, and into the normal one he would have for the rest of the series. I could make an entire video series analyzing these obnoxious box arts, because they are truly something to behold.
Game #442
It's finally a good one but still extremely bizarre choices. I don't know why the charge shot needs a negative with the knockback, it's relatively harmless and more strange than anything. That being said I do hold some fondness for it and after playing 3 abyssal handheld Megaman games it was a bit of a breath of fresh air
This one is my favorite of the Game Boy Mega Man titles and probably the one I've sunk the most time into. Like the other GB games, it follows the same formula of having four Robot Masters from the NES game it's named after and four from the next game in the series, broken up by a miniboss fight in between.
It's also obvious that Capcom and Minakuchi Engineering put a lot more effort into this installment as it has an actual opening cutscene, with other little cutscenes scattered throughout the game. There's also an item shop where you can spend "P-chips" on things such as E-tanks, W-tanks (a Mega Man first!) and an Energy Balancer (also a first!). I thought this was a pretty neat addition and it's one that would appear in later classic MM games. The Mega Man Killer in this one (Ballade) is also given a lot more prominence and he even does something rather unexpected in the ending, which was a neat little twist.
The stage design is pretty good, but Crystal Man's stage in particular feels like it drags on and is the one that caused me the most grief as a kid. Napalm Man's stage can also get a bit frustrating if you're used to how his NES stage went. The other Robot Masters' stages on the other hand feel very similar to their NES counterparts.
It's also obvious that Capcom and Minakuchi Engineering put a lot more effort into this installment as it has an actual opening cutscene, with other little cutscenes scattered throughout the game. There's also an item shop where you can spend "P-chips" on things such as E-tanks, W-tanks (a Mega Man first!) and an Energy Balancer (also a first!). I thought this was a pretty neat addition and it's one that would appear in later classic MM games. The Mega Man Killer in this one (Ballade) is also given a lot more prominence and he even does something rather unexpected in the ending, which was a neat little twist.
The stage design is pretty good, but Crystal Man's stage in particular feels like it drags on and is the one that caused me the most grief as a kid. Napalm Man's stage can also get a bit frustrating if you're used to how his NES stage went. The other Robot Masters' stages on the other hand feel very similar to their NES counterparts.
This game I hoped was better then the others and it is by a slight bit. The first half of IV is better then the other games with it being not to easy and not to hard, the perfect middle ground of difficulty. But then the second half either has Bullshit moments or goes for way too long. FUCK, CRYSTAL, MAN! The Wily Castle was fine until the escape which was BS. The Fortress was all over the place with how it's done. There is also a fetch quest you need to do to get to the wily fortress which is something that is not fun in games. But the bosses are fun to fight with a Buster only. One more GB Megaman Game Left.
This is the most recent mega man game I've beaten and yet I could hardly say anything about it. I suppose that's just the curse of the classic series. The game was fun, that's about it. Probably better than the NES original but it just doesn't really stand out.
Angel_Arle Rockman reviews
Part 1: Rockman for Famicom
Part 2: Rockman 2: Dr. Wily no Nazo for Famicom
Part 3: Rockman 3: Dr. Wily no Saigo!? for Famicom
Part 4: Rockman World for GB
Part 5: Rockman 4: Aratanaru Yabou!! for Famicom
Part 6: Rockman World 2 for GB
Part 7: Rockman 5: Blues no Wana!? for Famicom
Part 8: Rockman World 3 for GB
Part 9: Wily & Right no RockBoard: That's Paradise for Famicom
Part 11: Rockman 6: Shijō Saidai no Tatakai!! for Famicom
Part 12: Rockman's Soccer for Super Famicom
Part 13: Rockman World 5 for GB
Another Game Boy game? It feels like it wasn’t too long since I did World 3. I actually had a lot of appreciation for this one. I played it only once on 3DS VC and thought it was one of the best games in the series but oddly never played it afterwards. I was very curious about replaying it. Was I gonna praise this one massively? Was I going to talk about how underlooked it was? Well I only knew the answer once I finished playing.
Seems we have a more normalish plot this time around. Months after World 3, a new expo named the World Robot Expo begins with Dr. Right attending with Rockman, Rush, and Beat on his side. It was all going well until that pesky Dr. Wily comes in with his UFO to take control of Robots from the Expo thanks to the power of Radio Waves controlling them. Beat also loses parts scattered around and as for Rockman and Rush? Well they weren’t affected thanks to having…a strong sense of justice. What? Well okay it’s up to Rockman to save the day once more and there seems to also be a real threat ready to attack very soon. Now unlike past games there actually is an intro this time if you wait on the title screen. There’s no dialogue and it doesn’t even show this expo but it looks pretty nice visually.
We do have one change for Rockman this time. Not only is he sporting the Super Rock Buster from 5 but it also has seen a nerf. When you do a fully charged buster shot you now move a tiny bit backwards. Be careful where you shoot from because this can put you in danger if you’re not thinking but it’s also not something that’ll screw you over unfairly. You can also get a better version of it that charges faster if you game over too many times. The controls in the air have also been improved a little, it’s still a tiny bit off but now I don’t even notice it while I was playing it after a while.
How’s the stage design in this game? Well it has improved a lot since Rockman World 3. No more frustrating moments here and now we have the rest of the stages from Rockman 4. There’s also half of the stages from Rockman 5. The stages this time aren’t 100% copied from the past titles. One example being the falling rocks that move bit by bit every time you step on them. I’ll be honest, it’s fine as a Pharaoh Man gimmick but they use this in like 5 more stages and it feels like a little odd to use this that many times.One stage I found very interesting was Napalm Man’s stage where it not only removed the Jungle theme from the stage but it now has a very heavy focus on running away or riding the Rolling Drills. There’s even a couple of sections of running from exploding block floors. Bright Man’s stage has these platforms you jump from while in the dark, you even pull a switch like it’s the opposite of Drill Man’s stage. Crystal Man’s stage also has these weird platforms that move as you land on them and also has way better design on the falling crystals gimmick. There’s stuff like this and I really appreciate them trying to shake things up while still feeling like old stages. That said there is one flaw with them. Now look, I’m sure it has happened in past games and I just never paid much attention but this game has a big problem with copy and pasted rooms. There were a few times I said “Wait, wasn't I here already?” and for a few stages this is actually correct and it bothered me a bit when playing. I’m also not sure if I’m used to other games but some stages feel like they go on a bit too long. For the order of Robot Masters, I went Toad -> Bright -> Pharaoh -> Ring -> Napalm -> Stone -> Charge -> Crystal. There is good stuff here and it’s a lot more solid then what World 3 was doing but it still could be better especially for a couple of the stages from 5 which are still nothing amazing.
The Robot Master fights are practically the same fights as before with pretty much nothing interesting to say. Literally the only note I wrote down for these were “I hate Charge Man please never come back” and “I hate using Charge Kick for Crystal Man, I hate everything about Charge Man and his weapon.” Not really much to say here sadly.
With the weapons I was hoping they would buff the ones from 5 but let’s discuss the ones from 4 first. Rain Flush from Toad Man was both nerfed and buffed. You can now use it more and it also solidifies the sand in Pharaoh Man’s stages and puts out fires. The problem is they made the move weaker unfortunately. Flash Stopper from Bright Man is good but I found it less useful here compared to 4. Pharaoh Shot from Pharaoh Man is still very good and it even has that bug still where hitting a big enemy with the charged shot doesn’t consume energy if hit while still charging. I actually forgot to mention that in the 4 review. Otherwise the move still has its positives from that game. Ring Boomerang from Ring Man is about the same as last time except it was given a buff. You can now grab items with it that are in walls or are far from reach. Napalm Bomb from Napalm Man is still good at what it does though it did make me miss Drill Bomb. Power Stone from Stone Man is still garbage, seriously why did we bring this back? Charge Kick from Charge Man is also still garbage and I still can’t stand using it, screw this thing and screw Charge Man! Crystal Eye from Crystal Man is still decent but I really don’t care to use it most of the time. It’s a shame they had to borrow weapons from 5 because they still are mostly not that good and make the 4 weapons look even better. I should also mention that this is the first game to actually demonstrate the weapon for you after you beat a stage though it sadly doesn’t have any text so some aren’t the best shown like Beat and Flash Stopper. Still cool to see however.
Why do these games still make me have to get Rush Coil? Well it’s still here and thankfully it’s not like how it is in 5. There’s also Rush Jet and it’s used in the most basic level design you can imagine. Beat also returns if you unlock him and works the same as he did in 5. Eddie is oddly not here but instead Blues gives you items, I think this is his first appearance in these GB games. There is one thing I haven’t mentioned though. Dr. Right holds a shop in this game. That’s right this is a new thing in the franchise. You can find P-chips dropped by enemies or lying around in the stage to spend stuff in this shop. You can press select on the stage select or press the button the game asks when beating a stage to go there. You can buy stuff like 1-ups, E-tanks, the new mini E-tanks where getting 4 forms a new E-tank, W-tanks that restore a full weapon energy for one special weapon, S-tanks to fully restore everything, and a new item called the Energy Balancer which will restore a special weapon of the lowest amount if you have nothing equipped. It’s very helpful if you forget to switch or can’t pause fast enough before grabbing it. Though there is one other thing you can buy and this will lead to a rant I have with the game.
Now I noticed this when I was playing through the stages from 5. In most Rockman games up to this point, if you beat a stage that isn’t a fortress stage, you get your weapon energy restored for the next stage. The only game to not do it was Rockman World 2 but that was probably because of how they designed the area for how you did the Rockman 3 robot masters. I’m guessing because you go through the castle halfway to fight a boss and Ballade, they decided to change the rules. Beating a stage here doesn’t restore energy which means you have to spend 80 P-chips to restore everything up to full. P-chips aren’t something you get a lot of either. In a way I feel like this discourages using special weapons a lot and I almost gave them credit for letting me use Beat more only for the game to do this. But you wanna know the worst part, getting a game over has about as much punishment as previous games meaning it’s only booting back to the beginning of the stage. They also restore all of your weapon energy so what is even the point of this mechanic when I can just die multiple times in the beginning to get them back? It feels flawed and not well thought out in my opinion.
Halfway through the game you go through a Wily fortress to fight a Satellite Cannon and the new Rockman killer named Ballade who looks pretty cool and has a nice fight albeit pretty easy once you understand his pattern. Another cool thing to add is just how amazing the cutscene is before going in, Wily actually tries to attack Rockman before he enters and you get to see him shoot back and dodging with his slide before teleporting in. It’s a really cool thing to see especially when we’ve never seen this in the series. Though eventually you’ll go through more levels with a start against Ballade once again as Wily makes his escape. However make sure you grabbed the letters in the 2nd half of the stages because you can't progress further until you do. Thankfully they are very easy to get. Ballade is stronger this time but then you unlock Ballade Cracker and omg this move is amazing! It’s fast, it has the most ammo in the game tied with Ring Boomerang, you can throw it in 7 directions, it kills almost every enemy in 1-3 hits even the huge ones, and it explodes on contact. Easily a top 5 weapon in the franchise so far. The next section has you running and breaking exploding capsules as the level is breaking apart and you can daddle around. You finally then do the fortress up in space and this one is fun. I don’t have too much to say besides the first one being pretty straight line feeling and the other stages being pretty solid and fun to use Ballade Cracker in. One really cool detail is that stages are now done as a full one. Once you beat a boss, you go further instead of just teleporting out and teleporting back in. You’ll first fight a boss named Bridge and it’s a machine that can use special weapons that you have but Beat beats it pretty easily. Then you fight two different forms of Hunter which again isn’t too hard with Pharaoh Shot but fun regardless as you’ll have to dodge lots! Then you sigh have to rematch all the Robot Masters. Whyyyy? So boring. Then you’ll be ready for the final boss. You’re given a small cutscene just to see how huge this Wily Machine is. This time it’s Wily Robo Iron Golem! The first form is hard as you’ll be dodging projectiles along with his fast giant fists that can hit you in two different ways. Then once you think it’s over, now it’s time for the head. He’ll try to suck you in and even ram you so you’ll need to use Ballade Cracker for hits and buster for his charge. Finally we have his capsule as he’ll try to destroy the floor you’re on and throw projectiles as he flees. Why he doesn’t keep destroying the floor I’ll never know. Once you hit him enough it’s all over for Wily! Until he just gets away easily wow what a shocker who could have seen that coming?! Though we have trouble, Rockman can’t escape! It might be all doom and gloom for our hero. That is until Ballade comes in and actually sacrifices himself for Rockman as he finally gets out and drives back home with Rush as once again the day is saved for now. Surprisingly a good ending compared to previous titles, the fact it even had dialogue was really cool. Honestly it makes me like Ballade the most out of all the Rockman Killers. You also get to see Rockman fight all of the bosses optimally during the credits which is cool.
The presentation in this game is pretty solid for the Game Boy. Like I said before, it’s really cool that we got some cinematic cutscenes that weren’t just the intro. Even stuff like the logo has to show up with how it stretches out first when you begin the game. The stage select screen is also one of the best I’ve seen in the series yet, they didn’t try to copy what the Famicom games did. The only real bad thing I have to say about the presentation is the slowdown is pretty bad still and I’m guessing there really is just no way to fix this as spoiler alert, the next GB game has it too. The music is nice and I like that they do try new music for stuff like the Robot Master selection tune and beating a stage with new music. It even reuses that unused tune from World 3 and I finally realized, that was supposed to be the Rockman 4 credits theme! I don’t know how I made the mistake in my World 3 review. Overall it’s mostly good stuff even if a lot of it is reused from the console games.
Rockman World 4 is such a weird entry for me. It seems like Minakuchi Engineering really wants to improve the gameplay and this is easily the best game on the handheld so far. It’s just unfortunate that it’s held back by some of the issues I’ve stated before. If they had just not used Rockman 5 stages I’d guarantee this would be an 8/10 game. Even with that, it still has weird flaws like the weapon energy problem. I do think it’s worth playing but it sadly wasn’t as good as I remember it being. I want to like it more but it is what it is. I still think you should try it if you haven’t. It’s also just impressive that this entry managed to introduce some things that the Famicom games haven’t done yet. They still got one more try to make a great game and we will be seeing that sometime soon but for now it’s time to go back to the Famicom and end it all as I’ll finally be doing Rockman 6. See you soon!
Part 1: Rockman for Famicom
Part 2: Rockman 2: Dr. Wily no Nazo for Famicom
Part 3: Rockman 3: Dr. Wily no Saigo!? for Famicom
Part 4: Rockman World for GB
Part 5: Rockman 4: Aratanaru Yabou!! for Famicom
Part 6: Rockman World 2 for GB
Part 7: Rockman 5: Blues no Wana!? for Famicom
Part 8: Rockman World 3 for GB
Part 9: Wily & Right no RockBoard: That's Paradise for Famicom
Part 11: Rockman 6: Shijō Saidai no Tatakai!! for Famicom
Part 12: Rockman's Soccer for Super Famicom
Part 13: Rockman World 5 for GB
Another Game Boy game? It feels like it wasn’t too long since I did World 3. I actually had a lot of appreciation for this one. I played it only once on 3DS VC and thought it was one of the best games in the series but oddly never played it afterwards. I was very curious about replaying it. Was I gonna praise this one massively? Was I going to talk about how underlooked it was? Well I only knew the answer once I finished playing.
Seems we have a more normalish plot this time around. Months after World 3, a new expo named the World Robot Expo begins with Dr. Right attending with Rockman, Rush, and Beat on his side. It was all going well until that pesky Dr. Wily comes in with his UFO to take control of Robots from the Expo thanks to the power of Radio Waves controlling them. Beat also loses parts scattered around and as for Rockman and Rush? Well they weren’t affected thanks to having…a strong sense of justice. What? Well okay it’s up to Rockman to save the day once more and there seems to also be a real threat ready to attack very soon. Now unlike past games there actually is an intro this time if you wait on the title screen. There’s no dialogue and it doesn’t even show this expo but it looks pretty nice visually.
We do have one change for Rockman this time. Not only is he sporting the Super Rock Buster from 5 but it also has seen a nerf. When you do a fully charged buster shot you now move a tiny bit backwards. Be careful where you shoot from because this can put you in danger if you’re not thinking but it’s also not something that’ll screw you over unfairly. You can also get a better version of it that charges faster if you game over too many times. The controls in the air have also been improved a little, it’s still a tiny bit off but now I don’t even notice it while I was playing it after a while.
How’s the stage design in this game? Well it has improved a lot since Rockman World 3. No more frustrating moments here and now we have the rest of the stages from Rockman 4. There’s also half of the stages from Rockman 5. The stages this time aren’t 100% copied from the past titles. One example being the falling rocks that move bit by bit every time you step on them. I’ll be honest, it’s fine as a Pharaoh Man gimmick but they use this in like 5 more stages and it feels like a little odd to use this that many times.One stage I found very interesting was Napalm Man’s stage where it not only removed the Jungle theme from the stage but it now has a very heavy focus on running away or riding the Rolling Drills. There’s even a couple of sections of running from exploding block floors. Bright Man’s stage has these platforms you jump from while in the dark, you even pull a switch like it’s the opposite of Drill Man’s stage. Crystal Man’s stage also has these weird platforms that move as you land on them and also has way better design on the falling crystals gimmick. There’s stuff like this and I really appreciate them trying to shake things up while still feeling like old stages. That said there is one flaw with them. Now look, I’m sure it has happened in past games and I just never paid much attention but this game has a big problem with copy and pasted rooms. There were a few times I said “Wait, wasn't I here already?” and for a few stages this is actually correct and it bothered me a bit when playing. I’m also not sure if I’m used to other games but some stages feel like they go on a bit too long. For the order of Robot Masters, I went Toad -> Bright -> Pharaoh -> Ring -> Napalm -> Stone -> Charge -> Crystal. There is good stuff here and it’s a lot more solid then what World 3 was doing but it still could be better especially for a couple of the stages from 5 which are still nothing amazing.
The Robot Master fights are practically the same fights as before with pretty much nothing interesting to say. Literally the only note I wrote down for these were “I hate Charge Man please never come back” and “I hate using Charge Kick for Crystal Man, I hate everything about Charge Man and his weapon.” Not really much to say here sadly.
With the weapons I was hoping they would buff the ones from 5 but let’s discuss the ones from 4 first. Rain Flush from Toad Man was both nerfed and buffed. You can now use it more and it also solidifies the sand in Pharaoh Man’s stages and puts out fires. The problem is they made the move weaker unfortunately. Flash Stopper from Bright Man is good but I found it less useful here compared to 4. Pharaoh Shot from Pharaoh Man is still very good and it even has that bug still where hitting a big enemy with the charged shot doesn’t consume energy if hit while still charging. I actually forgot to mention that in the 4 review. Otherwise the move still has its positives from that game. Ring Boomerang from Ring Man is about the same as last time except it was given a buff. You can now grab items with it that are in walls or are far from reach. Napalm Bomb from Napalm Man is still good at what it does though it did make me miss Drill Bomb. Power Stone from Stone Man is still garbage, seriously why did we bring this back? Charge Kick from Charge Man is also still garbage and I still can’t stand using it, screw this thing and screw Charge Man! Crystal Eye from Crystal Man is still decent but I really don’t care to use it most of the time. It’s a shame they had to borrow weapons from 5 because they still are mostly not that good and make the 4 weapons look even better. I should also mention that this is the first game to actually demonstrate the weapon for you after you beat a stage though it sadly doesn’t have any text so some aren’t the best shown like Beat and Flash Stopper. Still cool to see however.
Why do these games still make me have to get Rush Coil? Well it’s still here and thankfully it’s not like how it is in 5. There’s also Rush Jet and it’s used in the most basic level design you can imagine. Beat also returns if you unlock him and works the same as he did in 5. Eddie is oddly not here but instead Blues gives you items, I think this is his first appearance in these GB games. There is one thing I haven’t mentioned though. Dr. Right holds a shop in this game. That’s right this is a new thing in the franchise. You can find P-chips dropped by enemies or lying around in the stage to spend stuff in this shop. You can press select on the stage select or press the button the game asks when beating a stage to go there. You can buy stuff like 1-ups, E-tanks, the new mini E-tanks where getting 4 forms a new E-tank, W-tanks that restore a full weapon energy for one special weapon, S-tanks to fully restore everything, and a new item called the Energy Balancer which will restore a special weapon of the lowest amount if you have nothing equipped. It’s very helpful if you forget to switch or can’t pause fast enough before grabbing it. Though there is one other thing you can buy and this will lead to a rant I have with the game.
Now I noticed this when I was playing through the stages from 5. In most Rockman games up to this point, if you beat a stage that isn’t a fortress stage, you get your weapon energy restored for the next stage. The only game to not do it was Rockman World 2 but that was probably because of how they designed the area for how you did the Rockman 3 robot masters. I’m guessing because you go through the castle halfway to fight a boss and Ballade, they decided to change the rules. Beating a stage here doesn’t restore energy which means you have to spend 80 P-chips to restore everything up to full. P-chips aren’t something you get a lot of either. In a way I feel like this discourages using special weapons a lot and I almost gave them credit for letting me use Beat more only for the game to do this. But you wanna know the worst part, getting a game over has about as much punishment as previous games meaning it’s only booting back to the beginning of the stage. They also restore all of your weapon energy so what is even the point of this mechanic when I can just die multiple times in the beginning to get them back? It feels flawed and not well thought out in my opinion.
Halfway through the game you go through a Wily fortress to fight a Satellite Cannon and the new Rockman killer named Ballade who looks pretty cool and has a nice fight albeit pretty easy once you understand his pattern. Another cool thing to add is just how amazing the cutscene is before going in, Wily actually tries to attack Rockman before he enters and you get to see him shoot back and dodging with his slide before teleporting in. It’s a really cool thing to see especially when we’ve never seen this in the series. Though eventually you’ll go through more levels with a start against Ballade once again as Wily makes his escape. However make sure you grabbed the letters in the 2nd half of the stages because you can't progress further until you do. Thankfully they are very easy to get. Ballade is stronger this time but then you unlock Ballade Cracker and omg this move is amazing! It’s fast, it has the most ammo in the game tied with Ring Boomerang, you can throw it in 7 directions, it kills almost every enemy in 1-3 hits even the huge ones, and it explodes on contact. Easily a top 5 weapon in the franchise so far. The next section has you running and breaking exploding capsules as the level is breaking apart and you can daddle around. You finally then do the fortress up in space and this one is fun. I don’t have too much to say besides the first one being pretty straight line feeling and the other stages being pretty solid and fun to use Ballade Cracker in. One really cool detail is that stages are now done as a full one. Once you beat a boss, you go further instead of just teleporting out and teleporting back in. You’ll first fight a boss named Bridge and it’s a machine that can use special weapons that you have but Beat beats it pretty easily. Then you fight two different forms of Hunter which again isn’t too hard with Pharaoh Shot but fun regardless as you’ll have to dodge lots! Then you sigh have to rematch all the Robot Masters. Whyyyy? So boring. Then you’ll be ready for the final boss. You’re given a small cutscene just to see how huge this Wily Machine is. This time it’s Wily Robo Iron Golem! The first form is hard as you’ll be dodging projectiles along with his fast giant fists that can hit you in two different ways. Then once you think it’s over, now it’s time for the head. He’ll try to suck you in and even ram you so you’ll need to use Ballade Cracker for hits and buster for his charge. Finally we have his capsule as he’ll try to destroy the floor you’re on and throw projectiles as he flees. Why he doesn’t keep destroying the floor I’ll never know. Once you hit him enough it’s all over for Wily! Until he just gets away easily wow what a shocker who could have seen that coming?! Though we have trouble, Rockman can’t escape! It might be all doom and gloom for our hero. That is until Ballade comes in and actually sacrifices himself for Rockman as he finally gets out and drives back home with Rush as once again the day is saved for now. Surprisingly a good ending compared to previous titles, the fact it even had dialogue was really cool. Honestly it makes me like Ballade the most out of all the Rockman Killers. You also get to see Rockman fight all of the bosses optimally during the credits which is cool.
The presentation in this game is pretty solid for the Game Boy. Like I said before, it’s really cool that we got some cinematic cutscenes that weren’t just the intro. Even stuff like the logo has to show up with how it stretches out first when you begin the game. The stage select screen is also one of the best I’ve seen in the series yet, they didn’t try to copy what the Famicom games did. The only real bad thing I have to say about the presentation is the slowdown is pretty bad still and I’m guessing there really is just no way to fix this as spoiler alert, the next GB game has it too. The music is nice and I like that they do try new music for stuff like the Robot Master selection tune and beating a stage with new music. It even reuses that unused tune from World 3 and I finally realized, that was supposed to be the Rockman 4 credits theme! I don’t know how I made the mistake in my World 3 review. Overall it’s mostly good stuff even if a lot of it is reused from the console games.
Rockman World 4 is such a weird entry for me. It seems like Minakuchi Engineering really wants to improve the gameplay and this is easily the best game on the handheld so far. It’s just unfortunate that it’s held back by some of the issues I’ve stated before. If they had just not used Rockman 5 stages I’d guarantee this would be an 8/10 game. Even with that, it still has weird flaws like the weapon energy problem. I do think it’s worth playing but it sadly wasn’t as good as I remember it being. I want to like it more but it is what it is. I still think you should try it if you haven’t. It’s also just impressive that this entry managed to introduce some things that the Famicom games haven’t done yet. They still got one more try to make a great game and we will be seeing that sometime soon but for now it’s time to go back to the Famicom and end it all as I’ll finally be doing Rockman 6. See you soon!
For a game boy game it's pretty good
This review contains spoilers
A great and fun game, mechanically felt like it could hold its ground beside the NES titles. However I think that towards the end it overstayed its welcome.
I predicted that every subsequent handheld adventure featuring the Blue Bomber would be better than the last, and that remains to be true. Mega Man IV Game Boy (Rockman World 4) is a major improvement over the first three games, sticking to what worked before and implementing elements from the NES games that weren't featured in the GB predecessors like the typical boss rush, while adding in new features that became staples in future mainline entries. We have new items such as the Weapon and Super Energy Tanks, the Energy Balancer which makes its debut here, and the most notable feature of all, the shop. Predating Mega Man 7 in about two years, this uses P Chips as currency that can be obtained in levels or by defeating enemies and can be spent on 1-Ups and the items I've alluded to earlier.
For the returning Robot Masters, we have Bright Man, Toad Man, Pharaoh Man, and Ring Man from Mega Man 4, and in the second half, we have Stone Man, Charge Man, Napalm Man, and Crystal Man from Mega Man 5 with the Mega Man Killer this time being Ballade. That's cool and all, and I do like Ballade's design, but I want to give a shout-out to its presentation. It's gorgeous and a huge step up from before, and I can visually see it in its opening cutscene and Wily Battleship. My favorite has got to be the cutscene before we fight Dr. Wily where we see Mega Man running in an isometric view before he stops dead in his tracks and looks up at Wily's giant mech in the background in another angle; very impressive for a 1993 Game Boy game. I do think the levels inside Wily Battleship drag on a bit, and the recoil after Mega Man releases his Charge Shot is a bit strange; nothing game-breaking, just found it to be weird that this is the only game so far where he has a bit of kickback.
Mega Man World 4 is a solid experience that is definitely worth your time if you're a fan of the series. It improves on its predecessors and at the same time provides new features that became mainstays for console entries to come, and that's something I can appreciate. I hope the fifth and final entry in the pentalogy will continue with the pattern by improving over what came before.
For the returning Robot Masters, we have Bright Man, Toad Man, Pharaoh Man, and Ring Man from Mega Man 4, and in the second half, we have Stone Man, Charge Man, Napalm Man, and Crystal Man from Mega Man 5 with the Mega Man Killer this time being Ballade. That's cool and all, and I do like Ballade's design, but I want to give a shout-out to its presentation. It's gorgeous and a huge step up from before, and I can visually see it in its opening cutscene and Wily Battleship. My favorite has got to be the cutscene before we fight Dr. Wily where we see Mega Man running in an isometric view before he stops dead in his tracks and looks up at Wily's giant mech in the background in another angle; very impressive for a 1993 Game Boy game. I do think the levels inside Wily Battleship drag on a bit, and the recoil after Mega Man releases his Charge Shot is a bit strange; nothing game-breaking, just found it to be weird that this is the only game so far where he has a bit of kickback.
Mega Man World 4 is a solid experience that is definitely worth your time if you're a fan of the series. It improves on its predecessors and at the same time provides new features that became mainstays for console entries to come, and that's something I can appreciate. I hope the fifth and final entry in the pentalogy will continue with the pattern by improving over what came before.
This review contains spoilers
It's pretty cool that this game is the origin of the Screw Shop feature from later games. Dr. Right has you collect P-Chips as a currency to buy lives, E/W/S-Cans, the Energy Balancer, and other useful upgrades.
I loved the new take on the revolving stage selection screen, and how it keeps track of the BEAT/WILY plates. I'd love for a hypothetical Rockman 12 to do something like this rather than the traditional grid.
The stages in the second half of the game are really good. Like, "makes me go 'wow, that was cool' after I notice it" good. Crystal Man's stage had a section with a branching pathway that I thought was interesting, and then I used Rain Flush to put out a fire in Napalm Man's stage and found a hidden stash guarded by Blues with an E-Can and a P-Chip. In Stone Man's stage roughly halfway through, there's a branching path where you can either take a ladder down to continue on through the stage, or you have to figure out a way to slide through a one-block-tall hole above the Tatepakkan. I used Rush Jet to quickly slide through before Rush hit the side of the wall and vanished, and it led me to a free E-Can! I love levels that reward both your curiosity and your understanding of how to utilize the tools at your disposal.
The Wily Station level was really challenging and fun, exactly how I like my Rockman games. But it is the funniest shit that you can game over AFTER you beat the final boss. For some reason the screen starts scrolling before the boss is officially dead and I got caught off-guard, missed a jump, and had to redo the whole boss over again. Dying in between each phase of the Wily Golem gives you a checkpoint, though, so I didn't have to do the whole thing over again, thankfully.
I wasn't expecting this game to have so many cutscenes and so much dialogue. Especially the final cutscenes of the game, when Rock first sees the Wily Golem and the sequence where Ballade sacrifices himself to help Rock escape Wily Station. The only other game I can think of that's close to this level of quality in terms of cutscenes on the Game Boy is the Dragon's Lair port, and maybe Link's Awakening. At least for this franchise, where the previous 3 Rockman World titles on Game Boy had little to no conversations or cutscenes, this was a big step up in story and presentation that I wanted to acknowledge.
Though I'm not sure how I feel about the recoil on the Charge Shot (it hardly affects me, but it's still an odd inclusion), this is a really impressive Game Boy game. Far from the best game on the system, but they do some really cool stuff in this game!
I loved the new take on the revolving stage selection screen, and how it keeps track of the BEAT/WILY plates. I'd love for a hypothetical Rockman 12 to do something like this rather than the traditional grid.
The stages in the second half of the game are really good. Like, "makes me go 'wow, that was cool' after I notice it" good. Crystal Man's stage had a section with a branching pathway that I thought was interesting, and then I used Rain Flush to put out a fire in Napalm Man's stage and found a hidden stash guarded by Blues with an E-Can and a P-Chip. In Stone Man's stage roughly halfway through, there's a branching path where you can either take a ladder down to continue on through the stage, or you have to figure out a way to slide through a one-block-tall hole above the Tatepakkan. I used Rush Jet to quickly slide through before Rush hit the side of the wall and vanished, and it led me to a free E-Can! I love levels that reward both your curiosity and your understanding of how to utilize the tools at your disposal.
The Wily Station level was really challenging and fun, exactly how I like my Rockman games. But it is the funniest shit that you can game over AFTER you beat the final boss. For some reason the screen starts scrolling before the boss is officially dead and I got caught off-guard, missed a jump, and had to redo the whole boss over again. Dying in between each phase of the Wily Golem gives you a checkpoint, though, so I didn't have to do the whole thing over again, thankfully.
I wasn't expecting this game to have so many cutscenes and so much dialogue. Especially the final cutscenes of the game, when Rock first sees the Wily Golem and the sequence where Ballade sacrifices himself to help Rock escape Wily Station. The only other game I can think of that's close to this level of quality in terms of cutscenes on the Game Boy is the Dragon's Lair port, and maybe Link's Awakening. At least for this franchise, where the previous 3 Rockman World titles on Game Boy had little to no conversations or cutscenes, this was a big step up in story and presentation that I wanted to acknowledge.
Though I'm not sure how I feel about the recoil on the Charge Shot (it hardly affects me, but it's still an odd inclusion), this is a really impressive Game Boy game. Far from the best game on the system, but they do some really cool stuff in this game!
Took the strengths of MMW3 and polished everything. The levels are harder and more engaging versions of 4 and 5 NES's content. The shop, Energy Balancer, alternate routes, secrets, and collectibles add wonders to this game's quality. The only downsides are again the frame drops, brutal checkpoints, and long levels.
Goddamn, fourth time's the charm, we finally reached the level of the worst numbered console Classic Mega Man titles!
Mega Man IV has some actual production values with full on cutscenes, the debuting inclusion of the shop mechanic, and a really neat escalation of the game taking you into space for the climax. It's just unfortunate that it has to contest with half of its weapons being from Mega Man 5, and specifically having motherfucking POWER STONE of all weapons. There's also some really weird choices like the full power charge shot giving Mega Man an annoyingly noticable small pushback every time you shoot it, which killed me a few times. The game also loses a point for deciding to break the Game Boy series' tradition of using the next NES game's boss roster in place of the usual boss rush, so it sure was fun having to fight the same 8 bosses again, that's so cool. Not much to say beyond that it's just another pretty forgettable Game Boy Mega Man title.
Ballade goes fucking hard, though, shoutout to him.
Mega Man IV has some actual production values with full on cutscenes, the debuting inclusion of the shop mechanic, and a really neat escalation of the game taking you into space for the climax. It's just unfortunate that it has to contest with half of its weapons being from Mega Man 5, and specifically having motherfucking POWER STONE of all weapons. There's also some really weird choices like the full power charge shot giving Mega Man an annoyingly noticable small pushback every time you shoot it, which killed me a few times. The game also loses a point for deciding to break the Game Boy series' tradition of using the next NES game's boss roster in place of the usual boss rush, so it sure was fun having to fight the same 8 bosses again, that's so cool. Not much to say beyond that it's just another pretty forgettable Game Boy Mega Man title.
Ballade goes fucking hard, though, shoutout to him.
Better than Mega Man III, but that's a low bar. So far, I'd say this is the best of the Game Boy Mega Mans. Again, though, they're really just "small" versions of the NES games, and I'm still unsure if that works in their favor or not.
By far the raunchiest megaman game. Not only does a guy commit suicide in this one but megaman fucks his dog on the cover
I feel this is less pick up and play than the NES Games, probably because there are less stages to choose from at the beginning and also most Stages are rather long. Sad because as a Gameboy Game it should be more suitable to play in short bursts.
Other than that, they clearly put alot more effort into this one than the previous three gameboy games so this is definitely a great one. Crystal Man's Stage is a pain though. They nerved the falling crystals but came up with a new gimmick thats even worse.
Other than that, they clearly put alot more effort into this one than the previous three gameboy games so this is definitely a great one. Crystal Man's Stage is a pain though. They nerved the falling crystals but came up with a new gimmick thats even worse.
Yeah it's alright. It's more Game Boy Mega Man, which is just slightly remixed versions of Robot Master stages from the NES games, but the game feels a bit better. The game still feels slower and clunkier than its NES counterpart, but at least it's enjoyable playing through the stages, and the cutscenes are pretty fun to watch. Shame we never got any of those in the NES games.
[Mega Man World IV] This game is horrible. Terrible levels, the weapons are useless, the Wily stages go on forever. They also added fucking knockback to charge shots. The only thing I can hope is whoever the fuck made that decision is no longer of this Earth. Because holy shit, I hated it.
The only redeeming thing in this game is the cutscenes, but they deserved a much better game. I am so ready to be done with this Game Boy series.
The only redeeming thing in this game is the cutscenes, but they deserved a much better game. I am so ready to be done with this Game Boy series.
Finally a GB Mega Man game that isn't ass.
Here's something interesting: This one was one to actually innovate back to the main Mega Man series! That's right, this is the first Mega Man game to ever have an item shop, before Mega Man 7 would 2 years later! Not only that but they managed to pack even more meat into this one: Now there are two Wily stages instead of a mini stage and a boss, and a full scale Boss Rush to boot! Now it can really call itself a Mega Man game.
Another thing it does that's interesting, and partially to justify the shop, is that your weapons aren't automatically replenished between Robot Master stages. I wish the main Mega Man games would try this as while it never really becomes an issue, it's an extra thing to keep in mind as you go. If you get a Game Over you'll get all of it back, so it can't softlock you which makes it safe to experiment with. I liked it.
The final boss's first phase is bullshit and the game lags like hell, but I admire that 4 games in (well, this developer's third) they're still innovating on making Game Boy Mega Man the best it can be. It just needs to accept that it's not an NES game and remove that pesky lag, then it'd ascend from a footnote in Mega Man history to one of the best games on the Game Boy!
"The Wily Tank Fortress" is a cool as shit idea too like goddamn that goes hard.
Another thing it does that's interesting, and partially to justify the shop, is that your weapons aren't automatically replenished between Robot Master stages. I wish the main Mega Man games would try this as while it never really becomes an issue, it's an extra thing to keep in mind as you go. If you get a Game Over you'll get all of it back, so it can't softlock you which makes it safe to experiment with. I liked it.
The final boss's first phase is bullshit and the game lags like hell, but I admire that 4 games in (well, this developer's third) they're still innovating on making Game Boy Mega Man the best it can be. It just needs to accept that it's not an NES game and remove that pesky lag, then it'd ascend from a footnote in Mega Man history to one of the best games on the Game Boy!
"The Wily Tank Fortress" is a cool as shit idea too like goddamn that goes hard.
I have nothing to say on this one. Ballade's redemption is cool i suppose
This is the final Gameboy Mega Man to take stages from its NES counterparts. This time around, you got four stages from Mega Man 4, and four from Mega Man 5. What do you know, it's still fun! It's Mega Man! It's... more Mega Man.
One interesting aspect of this entry is that it marks the first appearance of what would go on to be a staple feature of later classic Mega Mans: The shop. From now on, enemies have a chance of dropping P-chips. It's a currency that comes in small and big variants, which you can then spend in-between stages for E-tanks, extra lifes, and other items to help you along. As it is the first instance of a shop in Mega Man, this feature is pretty barebones. But it does include one permanent upgrade, that makes it so as you pick up weapon refills, you no longer need to switch to the appropriate weapon for them to work, and instead, they automatically recharge a weapon with the lowest amount of ammo. This upgrade would also go on to be featured in later Mega Man games.
Point being, Mega Man IV introduces an actually pretty decent amount of QoL for the series through its shop system, and the addition of currency through enemy drops makes for more interesting gameplay, and better incentives to shoot down every enemy you see.
That being said, not a fan of the Dr. Wily fortress here. It's nearly the exact same problem as the fortress from the 1st Gameboy title, it's too long, and the difficulty spike is too much. That sequence with the destructible missiles as the level behind you is falling apart, that one in particular is pretty bad. You are not given enough time to figure out the puzzle behind it before the insta-kill death trap catches up to you.
Overall, I'd rate Mega Man IV just as alright of a time as Mega Man III was, if not a little more thanks to the shop system, but the game kinda falls apart during its final stage. Save states may be recommended there. As with all of these Gameboy titles, only give it a peep if you're a big Mega Man fan.
One interesting aspect of this entry is that it marks the first appearance of what would go on to be a staple feature of later classic Mega Mans: The shop. From now on, enemies have a chance of dropping P-chips. It's a currency that comes in small and big variants, which you can then spend in-between stages for E-tanks, extra lifes, and other items to help you along. As it is the first instance of a shop in Mega Man, this feature is pretty barebones. But it does include one permanent upgrade, that makes it so as you pick up weapon refills, you no longer need to switch to the appropriate weapon for them to work, and instead, they automatically recharge a weapon with the lowest amount of ammo. This upgrade would also go on to be featured in later Mega Man games.
Point being, Mega Man IV introduces an actually pretty decent amount of QoL for the series through its shop system, and the addition of currency through enemy drops makes for more interesting gameplay, and better incentives to shoot down every enemy you see.
That being said, not a fan of the Dr. Wily fortress here. It's nearly the exact same problem as the fortress from the 1st Gameboy title, it's too long, and the difficulty spike is too much. That sequence with the destructible missiles as the level behind you is falling apart, that one in particular is pretty bad. You are not given enough time to figure out the puzzle behind it before the insta-kill death trap catches up to you.
Overall, I'd rate Mega Man IV just as alright of a time as Mega Man III was, if not a little more thanks to the shop system, but the game kinda falls apart during its final stage. Save states may be recommended there. As with all of these Gameboy titles, only give it a peep if you're a big Mega Man fan.
it is a mega man game on the gameboy