I'm conflicted on 5, because I really enjoy playing through it but there are some huge caveats. It lacks a lot of the frustrating bullshit found in some of the previous games; there is way less reliance on insta-spikes, pit enemies, and high health drones that force you to use your charge shot tediously. On the other hand, it has maybe the absolute worst weapons in the original hexology and the robot master skillsets are a little underwhelimng. The megabuster is the best weapon to use 99% of the time, charge shot or otherwise, and is even the preferred weapon for the lackluster final Wily boss.

The level design is also fairly bland and very "hold right to win" on some levels, very specifically Wave Man's. Cool concept, bad execution with the boat. There's also a way higher reuse of enemies, frequently just putting them in a vehicle that matches the robot master and filling a level with them.

Despite the misgivings, it's pace is quick, controls and gameplay from start to finish are consistent and tight, Proto Man being the "enemy" is cool, and most important of all, it still just feels fun to play. This ones Wily's Castle is one of my favorite ones as well. OST is better than 4's. It doesn't break new ground in the series, but it's an enjoyable and it's vastly over exaggerated how bad it is compared to some other entries.