Not sure if I'm getting better at Mega Man or if Mega Man 5 is the easiest game in the series as of its release.
The game is surprisingly generous with its 1-Up drops, and a majority of the bosses are a complete joke. Like, why is there a post-Robot Masters boss whose only attack pattern is walking back and forth? Mega Man 5 also has the easiest set of Robot Masters as of yet, with only a few of them posing a considerable challenge, at least when you understand their attack pattern.
The game has a few cheap "gotcha"-moments within its levels, but I honestly thought that the level designs were all-around pretty good in this one. A bit on the simpler side perhaps, but they were nice to plow through. Gravity Man's stage was a real highlight with the gravity flipping mechanic.
There was only one optional upgrade this time around in the form of Beat the bird. Collecting letters in each stage in order to unlock him was not as compelling as trying to find hidden routes like in Mega Man 4. Most of the letters are placed in plain sight, while the one in Stone Man's stage was hidden behind a breakable wall. I honestly wish that all of the letters were hidden in a similar manner, but oh well.
However, I didn't find much utility in using Beat -- or any of the unlockable weapons for that matter -- which was a bit disappointing. One of the great joys of a Mega Man game for me is discovering how the weapons and upgrades can make my life easier during a stage or a boss. I tried to experiment with my new weapons, but ultimately came to the conclusion that they were more effort than they were worth, and that the Mega Buster is simply better 90% of the time.
Mega Man 5 is simply more Mega Man, for better or for worse. Nothing major is added, but nothing major is lost either. It's a fine game, and I think I would recommend this one as an entry point for people who are curious about the classic Mega Man games. However, I personally prefer 4 over this one.
The game is surprisingly generous with its 1-Up drops, and a majority of the bosses are a complete joke. Like, why is there a post-Robot Masters boss whose only attack pattern is walking back and forth? Mega Man 5 also has the easiest set of Robot Masters as of yet, with only a few of them posing a considerable challenge, at least when you understand their attack pattern.
The game has a few cheap "gotcha"-moments within its levels, but I honestly thought that the level designs were all-around pretty good in this one. A bit on the simpler side perhaps, but they were nice to plow through. Gravity Man's stage was a real highlight with the gravity flipping mechanic.
There was only one optional upgrade this time around in the form of Beat the bird. Collecting letters in each stage in order to unlock him was not as compelling as trying to find hidden routes like in Mega Man 4. Most of the letters are placed in plain sight, while the one in Stone Man's stage was hidden behind a breakable wall. I honestly wish that all of the letters were hidden in a similar manner, but oh well.
However, I didn't find much utility in using Beat -- or any of the unlockable weapons for that matter -- which was a bit disappointing. One of the great joys of a Mega Man game for me is discovering how the weapons and upgrades can make my life easier during a stage or a boss. I tried to experiment with my new weapons, but ultimately came to the conclusion that they were more effort than they were worth, and that the Mega Buster is simply better 90% of the time.
Mega Man 5 is simply more Mega Man, for better or for worse. Nothing major is added, but nothing major is lost either. It's a fine game, and I think I would recommend this one as an entry point for people who are curious about the classic Mega Man games. However, I personally prefer 4 over this one.