| System: Super Nintendo | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Capcom | Sound: |
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| Year: 1993 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Action-platformer | Rating: |
8/10 |
The story picks up after Mega Man 6. Wily is behind bars. However, it seems he had a secret base tucked away, inhabited by an army of robots. After a brief six-month spell of soul-searching, these clever little one, realising their master wasn’t coming back, began to search for him…
The transition from NES (8-bit) to Super Nintendo (16-bit) occurred seamlessly. The recipe hasn’t changed one iota, and we couldn’t be happier. The token system for exchanging items, introduced on Game Boy, makes a welcome return. Visually, everything is more vibrant, and the staging proves particularly refined. The action is interspersed with little cutscenes highlighting a broadened cast of characters (Bass, Treble, Auto) and punctuated with just the right amount of dialogue. It gives the game a distinct personality. In fact, while the ending sticks to the usual formula, it does show us a very irate Mega Man, on the verge of violating the first law of robotics.
But what really sets this game apart is the secrets—plentiful and genuinely hard to uncover. So much so that I’d recommend playing it a second time, accompanied by a detailed walkthrough.
Lastly, keep an eye out for the many nods to previous entries (and even to other Capcom games…).
Suggested order:
Cloud Man > Junk Man > Freeze Man > Burst Man > Slash Man > Spring Man > Shade Man > Turbo Man
This is the optimal order to make the boss fights easier, though you’ll need to revisit some levels to collect all the hidden upgrades.
And don’t forget to press “select” on the level selection screen to spend your bolts (the aforementioned tokens).
