I don't think that there's anyone who'd be surprised if I said that this game is very similar to the last few just with a few bits and pieces added, after all, it's Mega Man, it sticks to its formula insanely close. Mega Man 5 also represents why this isn't an inherently bad thing to make a game that can feel like just more of the same, because this one is one of the better ones in the series for sure. I think a big reason for this is that the additional offensive and mobility avenues for Mega Man to take are no longer new, they've been here long enough that the level and enemy design is finally able to be better balanced around these additional moves. This is the first time in the series where the encounters don't feel unfair to compensate for the potential of increased player speed, nor simple enough to make these additional tools feel redundant, and as such it also feels insanely cohesive in how it's all put together to make for the most consistent experience in the franchise up to this point.
The game also feels way easier than anything prior, and while some people could see this as a bad thing if they're looking for a more crushingly difficult experience, I really appreciate this game's difficulty for the way that it's not only smoother, but is less full of the total unfair nonsense that the series (and NES games in general) is known for which makes for a game that can still feel challenging while eschewing the frustrating elements. That said it's not really perfect, there are definitely some moments where it felt like the game was specifically trying to get the player killed in some really stupid, cheap ways, it was just a far less common occurrence this time around and made for a good time. The level design itself is a bit all over the place for me in terms of what I think of it, as from a mechanical standpoint they often feel a bit on the barebones side, while the aesthetic and setting itself is the best it's ever been. Each area feels really fun and distinct while bringing new ideas to the table, whether it's travelling through a crystal cave, making your way through a ship and across wide expanses of the ocean, or even getting on a train and making your way through the carriages, occasionally jumping on top of them, there's just a lot of creativity that allows every stage to feel like its own little journey.
This is especially elevated by the way it shows this encroaching industrialisation to each piece of the world, having this stark juxtaposition between these beautiful organic landscapes being interspersed by these harsh, unpleasant pieces of machinery is absolutely amazing at being able to contribute that tiny bit more to a sense of storytelling, which I think is neat. The one other big thing I noticed when playing this is that I found myself even more disinterested than normal in actually playing around with all the weapons I had at my disposal, and I think that it was a twofold issue. Not only do the weapons mostly feel fairly average and very situational (which I do honestly like as opposed to a direct upgrade) with some of them being hilariously terrible and/or hard to use, but I feel like Mega Man's buster cannon is just way more powerful this time around. While on one hand I feel like
I could criticise the way this de-incentivises experimenting with the other weapons, I think that the decision to make the default weapon decently strong is actually a really good idea, with the mechanics and designs surrounding it being a more pertinent thing to change rather than the design of the weapon itself. It now actually feels good to run through the levels with the basic weapon, but it's not flawless either, due to how you can only shoot in a straight line in front of you and nothing else. Because of this, rather than your basic weapon feeling weak and something in need of changing, it now feels closer to a powerful weapon that lacks versatility and the ability to comfortably deal with certain situations. This not only improves the general feel of the game, having something powerful, but it also can actually make the player less likely to want to conserve all of their ammo for their other tools, as they know that their basic weapon could still be very easily used for the most part. It also has the benefit of making the early game way more fun when it feels like there are so many ways to start the game rather than always choosing the same 1 or 2 Robot Masters because they're the only ones it feels possible to win against at base equipment.
Overall, Mega Man 5 might be more of the same in certain regards, and in some ways it's actually pretty mediocre, especially in the music department, (like, seriously the OST in this one is by far the worst in the NES series and it's not even close) but this does a lot right and is one of the best games in the series. This and Mega Man 2 are easily the best places to start off with if you want to tackle the series yourself, both for being on the easier, more manageable side, but also for being pretty damn good for the most part.
The game also feels way easier than anything prior, and while some people could see this as a bad thing if they're looking for a more crushingly difficult experience, I really appreciate this game's difficulty for the way that it's not only smoother, but is less full of the total unfair nonsense that the series (and NES games in general) is known for which makes for a game that can still feel challenging while eschewing the frustrating elements. That said it's not really perfect, there are definitely some moments where it felt like the game was specifically trying to get the player killed in some really stupid, cheap ways, it was just a far less common occurrence this time around and made for a good time. The level design itself is a bit all over the place for me in terms of what I think of it, as from a mechanical standpoint they often feel a bit on the barebones side, while the aesthetic and setting itself is the best it's ever been. Each area feels really fun and distinct while bringing new ideas to the table, whether it's travelling through a crystal cave, making your way through a ship and across wide expanses of the ocean, or even getting on a train and making your way through the carriages, occasionally jumping on top of them, there's just a lot of creativity that allows every stage to feel like its own little journey.
This is especially elevated by the way it shows this encroaching industrialisation to each piece of the world, having this stark juxtaposition between these beautiful organic landscapes being interspersed by these harsh, unpleasant pieces of machinery is absolutely amazing at being able to contribute that tiny bit more to a sense of storytelling, which I think is neat. The one other big thing I noticed when playing this is that I found myself even more disinterested than normal in actually playing around with all the weapons I had at my disposal, and I think that it was a twofold issue. Not only do the weapons mostly feel fairly average and very situational (which I do honestly like as opposed to a direct upgrade) with some of them being hilariously terrible and/or hard to use, but I feel like Mega Man's buster cannon is just way more powerful this time around. While on one hand I feel like
I could criticise the way this de-incentivises experimenting with the other weapons, I think that the decision to make the default weapon decently strong is actually a really good idea, with the mechanics and designs surrounding it being a more pertinent thing to change rather than the design of the weapon itself. It now actually feels good to run through the levels with the basic weapon, but it's not flawless either, due to how you can only shoot in a straight line in front of you and nothing else. Because of this, rather than your basic weapon feeling weak and something in need of changing, it now feels closer to a powerful weapon that lacks versatility and the ability to comfortably deal with certain situations. This not only improves the general feel of the game, having something powerful, but it also can actually make the player less likely to want to conserve all of their ammo for their other tools, as they know that their basic weapon could still be very easily used for the most part. It also has the benefit of making the early game way more fun when it feels like there are so many ways to start the game rather than always choosing the same 1 or 2 Robot Masters because they're the only ones it feels possible to win against at base equipment.
Overall, Mega Man 5 might be more of the same in certain regards, and in some ways it's actually pretty mediocre, especially in the music department, (like, seriously the OST in this one is by far the worst in the NES series and it's not even close) but this does a lot right and is one of the best games in the series. This and Mega Man 2 are easily the best places to start off with if you want to tackle the series yourself, both for being on the easier, more manageable side, but also for being pretty damn good for the most part.