I want to like this more, but this game just has a lot that I don't like. So many levels are either boring, unmemorable, or uninteresting that I find this to be a chore to play sometimes. I'm not a fan of the new Zero Knuckle as most enemy weapons are pretty bad. I like the new ex skill system, but that's like the only positive change. The elf system is worse than 3's, only limiting you to a couple elf effects, some of which are largely the same, and the crafting system is awful. Unlike games with a proper crafting system, this game doesn't tell you the recipes of over 80% of the parts in this game. It's bad design and forces the use of a guide. I got every part in this game, and the grinding was honestly not that bad; it was kind of relaxing at times, but I also learned that a majority of the parts in this game are useless. Quick Charge, Double Jump, Rolling, and the Junk set are all you really need. If you're playing this game, look up how to get those, and you'll be fine.

Not a bad game. I enjoyed my time, but there were a lot of things that annoyed me. I honestly don't like this art style. I generally like 2.5d games(Bloodstained, Samus Returns, and Mega Man 11), but I feel that Powered Up's direction makes the game look really bland and boring. Moreover, some character designs just bug me. Yeah, they're cute, but they look strange at times, especially Mega Man. My next issue lies in Gutsman stage. It's way harder than the original, and it really annoyed me my first time through. The timing for that platforms isn't too bad, but there's this one jump that is so wide that you have to be on the edge of platform in order to make it. All that while you're on the yellow moving platforms. It led to many unfair deaths, and it made me want to stop. Then we have the final stages, and man are these the worst. The first stage isn't too bad, but holy shit is the yellow devil a fucking bore. Using the pause trick just to have a chance makes the fight take so long, and if you don't use that trick, then you're stuck with getting hit constantly unless you trial and error your way through which is not fun. The stage is already longer than it was in the original, so doing it over and over just to get a pattern down is awful. Next we have the stupid water robot, which is honestly unfair at times. It'll go so fast at times that you don't even have time to react, and you take damage. It doesn't help that before that you have a very dull water section where you just stand still and shoot while the current carries you. Then we have the boss rush, and holy shit, this is the worst boss rush in Mega Man history. You get NO HEALTH after each robot master, making this the hardest gauntlet in the entire series. Elec man is so annoying because you pretty much have to get hit because he's weak to the riding oil slide, and by doing that, you're making yourself weaker for the next few bosses. Why didn't they give you health after each fight? It sucked in Mega Man 1 and it's even worse here. At least in m1 you didn't fight all 8 of the fucking robots. The only way to make this bearable is to not take the checkpoint and keep getting the extra life over and over each time you die. It's monotonous, but it's the best way for a first-timer to beat the rush. The copy robot is easy. After that it's Wily, and he's not that bad. It's a very unique fight. His weakness switches, so you have to pay attention to the color of his head and what weapon he was using. It'd be cool if Mega Man 12 does something similar with its inevitable Wily fight. Overall, the game is good. It's worth playing, but it's not the best Mega Man game out there. The stages can be dull because of the art style, but they are made interesting with all the goodies you can find. I loved finding extra lives in this game. It was my favorite part about the stages because you had to use your weapons in creative ways to get a lot of them. Unlocking all the robot masters as playable characters was cool as well, but having to buster only all of them took away from what makes Mega Man. Also locking Roll behind dlc is stupid.

Final rating 3.5/5.