I definitely left the game liking it more this time. However, gonna be up front there are serious problems I have. Switching to model A automatically for every boss and warp station you activate slows a LOT down. Pseudoroids are slow, with limited as hell use once you get the biometals. Since the story is part of a very incomplete whole, it’s basically gibberish. And due to this the other four Mega Men in the story feel like totally wasted antagonists, who you literally only fight once. Pseudoroids don’t get enough gameplay use and are mostly slow and cumbersome to use. The voice acting is on the tier of X7, where it’s dragging down an already bad story. I don’t play Mega Man for the story, but when you throw a heavily voiced story at me, and it’s bad, I’m calling it out. ZX worked because it really was just a fanservice bomb, and the plot held no weight. Not so much the case here. However, the game’s fun as hell. It’s still fun to explore and control, though the way the Metroidvania aspects have been heavily stepped back is very odd to me? Was this not ZX’s entire thing? Ashe is especially fun to use; you can do some damn nasty tricks with the laser shot. Soundtrack is fun, and stage design is good as well, sometimes mandating you use powers you previously gained, so it does benefit from the linearity. There’s potential here, and a good deal hits, but a good deal also doesn’t. I’m glad quests aren’t labeled as missions though, holy shit. Found myself doing far less of them but that’s a vital QoL change. Generally, this feels less like a step forward or backward but moreso a sideways one. I just happened to click more with what ZX did than its sequel. Prometheus and Pandora are shining gems amidst the story, but again, they’re part of an unfinished narrative, so kinda punished for giving a damn lol.

Holy kino. If you ignore the story drop off, this plays incredibly. It’s also really fun fanservice. I just mention the story as this is a direct sequel to the Zero games, which have a very good overarching narrative. Wouldn’t mention otherwise; playing a Mega Man platformer for the story is like watching porn for the setpieces. But this game is stellar. I don’t really get the complaints about the minimap, if only for the fact that it’s one of the most straightforward Metroidvanias I’ve played, with 3 warps that serve as central hubs so it’s impossible to get lost. Could the map be labeled better? Yeah, but doors are also kind of loudly screaming zone locations at you, so there’s that.

Okay, so. I’ll get out of the way that it simplifies things a bit much, and that does lessen how I feel on it versus 2 and 3. And the OST is notably a tad off, some tracks are just not good. Others still totally hit. I did an EX skill run this time, and something clicked that previously had not. The weather system dares to ask, what if X6’s nightmare system actually functioned, and had a reward to it, whilst providing a fun way of using the weapon chain in a game you don’t really need it in. Similarly, I think this can make up for the loss of the recoil rod and a lot of 3 and 2’s customizability, as it’s far easier to get a Zero loaded up on Z skills that you can chain together. Didn’t really think much of the system until this run, and it really improved how I feel on the game. It turned from something I thought was pretty great to something I fucking loved. Again, I don’t love the simplified Elf system or how it handled parts, and the knuckle, while cool, is situational, but yeah. I like the game a lot. Finale is still utterly perfect and the story is once again, really good. It’s the only time Mega Man really contributed to a narrative-based series, (as ZX was canned before tying up its loose ends), and it’s great for it. I just can’t make myself do anything but love this game in spite of its faults; my experience was so purely good.

Kind of incredible how a game manages to use the Doc Robot concept from MM3, yet actually use it well through unique stage designs and new, fair boss patterns for the returning bosses, without managing to feel bloated. There’s just so much player control and customizability between all the chips and ex skills here too. Not only is the game fun on a first run, but it is on every subsequent one. This is my second run through this week because I find this so gripping gameplay wise. It just doesn’t get old. New Game+ without the hiccups of Zero 1’s life system, Zero1 and 2’s weapon exp system, or X8’s stage design. Fuck yeah man. Love this game. Also the story’s great, too. Though it’s in the Zero sub series so that shouldn’t be a shock. But hey, fantastic video game where you just so happen to bash the fash.

“Ciel.
Trans me now.”
Congrats Zero 🏳️‍⚧️!

Only docking a half star because the forms are a cool feature but getting some of them is just asking to get your rank docked.

Okay, maybe I was a bit hard on it initially and I teeter between 3/5 or 3.5/5 for this, but yeah. Grinding your weapons so slowly still sucks. The lives system is total penis. The fact you can fail missions and lose access to a part of the weapon chain is abominable. There are so many instances where it feels like you’re doing leaps of faith jump-wise. Wayyyy more common here than in any other one. Grinding crystals for your health or tanks sucks. And yet, the foundation is there. Once upgraded Zero controls like butter. Bosses are a fun challenge, and if you get that grind done early, you’re going to enjoy yourself far more. That said, if you think this is better than any of the sequels, seek God. Foundations for a good story are here but it isn’t until 2 expands upon them a lot that the groundwork can be laid for the climax of the series. It’s a good start and I enjoyed it but it’s caked in first game syndrome, despite starting my favorite sub-series. I understand much of the grind does contribute to gameplay-story integration, with how desperate the circumstances are. I just don’t think it’s needed? Zero is a legendary hero, and the tone would still be melancholic as your victories would remain miniscule at first. Two missions in this game are literally about rescuing a single nobody. They are phyrric victories. Those would be emphasized without a grind, IMO.

Cringe culture is such a bitch because it keeps people from experiencing genuinely great art. Admittedly I don’t think 14 year old was emotionally mature enough to do a pacifist route, and so I’m glad in some ways I didn’t play this until 2019. Anyway, this is like my 3rd replay? I played originally on Switch and wanted to clear my Steam file. We talk a lot about a “cringe culture,” and I can’t really further add to condemnation of such or praise the game in any way which hasn’t been accomplished, but rather I’m just astounded to see an indie game truly get such a large following and spot in our culture, even if the part most everyone knows is the No Mercy. And beyond that, an indie game that really stays that way and doesn’t go the route of say, Minecraft.

Dude was this game always this fucking solid? Jesus christ. I always loved it for the OST and Pharaoh Man but like. Dude, the weapon selection here’s good (Pharaoh Shot being my favorite it’s so cool), and the stage design is superb. Holy hell man. This is really good. I had always written this off as just “good,” and idk why. Maybe it’s that 2018 me struggled really bad on Ring Man due to not knowing how Pharaoh Shot worked, so I took a break and had a disjointed run. I did it in one sitting today. And it was awesome. Good to be wrong about some things, give that 7.5/10 game a replay and it may shoot to a 9/10.

Replayed on PC trying to catch up to where my old 360 and Switch files are so I don’t weigh my friends down when I play. What am I supposed to say here. PC has all of remastered’s refinements, and still felt as cozy as it was when I was 10 in 2011. I miss it. It’s a simple little game but it embodies moments that you’ll always treasure with friends. Beating the shit out of them with a foam sword over who could play the Red Knight (my main), or finding the poop jokes and clown funny back then. Maybe those jokes don’t hit now but they really get me remembering WHY they did when they did. Source of many memories with friends, and hopefully more of those memories can be made in the future.