In the year of 200X, a super robot named MegaMan was created. Dr. Light created MegaMan to stop the evil desires of Dr. Wily. However, after his defeat, Dr. Wily created eight of his own robots to counter MegaMan. Cue iconic intro music and thus begins your journey to save the world from Dr. Wily’s nefarious plans again. Dr. Wily’s attempt at taking over the world includes a new cast of robots to stop you. Once again, you must journey as MegaMan and navigate eight stages each headed off by an adversary that matches the stage’s theme, followed up by a gauntlet of obstacles as you storm Dr. Wily’s fortress. MegaMan 2 brings innovation through new powers, brilliant level design, and new obstacles to navigate.
The presentation of the game remains largely the same. The innovation lies within level design and the various abilities MegaMan obtains. Each level has a distinct set of themes with a matching robot boss at the end. Levels range from a factory setting to traversing the skies. These levels contain a collection of enemies waiting to stop you from progressing forward. With fewer hazards flying through the air, it’s easier to identify an enemy and work towards a solution given the environment. Some enemies are skippable while others demand you destroy them first. Certain enemies are reminiscent of their origin and give you an unnecessarily hard time. Still, overall the game is much less hostile towards the player and is more encouraging to approach.
The bosses you face off against at the end of each level are fun and engaging. I faced off against MetalMan and his saw blades to begin the gauntlet and was not disappointed. With MegaMan’s copy ability returning, gaining MetalMan’s power was the most useful ability in the kit. The saw blades deal heavy damage to three of the other robots. Other powers available are unique and offer distinct advantages over other robots and can influence the different stages too. What’s more, the additional abilities you obtain outside of defeating your adversaries are automatically obtained after clearing specific stages. No more searching for missing abilities after reaching an obstacle you are ill-equipped to handle. All of this adds up to a unique experience with banger soundtracks to accompany.
The music of MegaMan 2 is worth noting as it includes some of the most well-known tracks in the series. Each stage has a tune that is unique and fits the present theme. Dr. Wily’s stage theme and the intro themes are easily the most recognizable tracks you will experience. The themes that stick out for me are CrashMan and AirMan. Each track is memorable and will worm its way into your head like it did for me. I believe a lot of soundtracks go unnoticed as they usually do exactly what they need to do to accompany the game (and that’s a good thing!) but it’s always worth mentioning when a soundtrack goes above and beyond that and I firmly believe that MegaMan 2 accomplishes this.
MegaMan 2 is the follow-up you hope to play in a series like the MegaMan. Building off the foundation of core ideas and propelling the series forward with innovation and intrigue was likely to be one of the more gratifying moments for the developers working at Capcom at the time. MegaMan 2 retains its visual and musical aesthetics while giving you a dozen new stages that benefit from greater design and a fantastic soundtrack. Navigation of these stages is improved by great margins and engaging with the bosses provides a thrilling experience. The theming of these levels and bosses work remarkably well with each other. If any game should be used as an example of what it means to make an outstanding sequel, it’s MegaMan 2.
The presentation of the game remains largely the same. The innovation lies within level design and the various abilities MegaMan obtains. Each level has a distinct set of themes with a matching robot boss at the end. Levels range from a factory setting to traversing the skies. These levels contain a collection of enemies waiting to stop you from progressing forward. With fewer hazards flying through the air, it’s easier to identify an enemy and work towards a solution given the environment. Some enemies are skippable while others demand you destroy them first. Certain enemies are reminiscent of their origin and give you an unnecessarily hard time. Still, overall the game is much less hostile towards the player and is more encouraging to approach.
The bosses you face off against at the end of each level are fun and engaging. I faced off against MetalMan and his saw blades to begin the gauntlet and was not disappointed. With MegaMan’s copy ability returning, gaining MetalMan’s power was the most useful ability in the kit. The saw blades deal heavy damage to three of the other robots. Other powers available are unique and offer distinct advantages over other robots and can influence the different stages too. What’s more, the additional abilities you obtain outside of defeating your adversaries are automatically obtained after clearing specific stages. No more searching for missing abilities after reaching an obstacle you are ill-equipped to handle. All of this adds up to a unique experience with banger soundtracks to accompany.
The music of MegaMan 2 is worth noting as it includes some of the most well-known tracks in the series. Each stage has a tune that is unique and fits the present theme. Dr. Wily’s stage theme and the intro themes are easily the most recognizable tracks you will experience. The themes that stick out for me are CrashMan and AirMan. Each track is memorable and will worm its way into your head like it did for me. I believe a lot of soundtracks go unnoticed as they usually do exactly what they need to do to accompany the game (and that’s a good thing!) but it’s always worth mentioning when a soundtrack goes above and beyond that and I firmly believe that MegaMan 2 accomplishes this.
MegaMan 2 is the follow-up you hope to play in a series like the MegaMan. Building off the foundation of core ideas and propelling the series forward with innovation and intrigue was likely to be one of the more gratifying moments for the developers working at Capcom at the time. MegaMan 2 retains its visual and musical aesthetics while giving you a dozen new stages that benefit from greater design and a fantastic soundtrack. Navigation of these stages is improved by great margins and engaging with the bosses provides a thrilling experience. The theming of these levels and bosses work remarkably well with each other. If any game should be used as an example of what it means to make an outstanding sequel, it’s MegaMan 2.