| System: NES | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Capcom | Sound: |
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| Year: 1987 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Action-platformer | Rating: |
7/10 |
It’s a somewhat banal story of a humanistic inventor who created an army of overpowered monsters (for our collective good) and his megalomaniacal assistant, who imagined other applications…
In 200X, Dr. Light (or Dr. Right, or Dr. Wright depending on versions, a problem of Japanese phonetic transcription) built, with Dr. Wily’s help, eight robots (Rock, Roll, Cut Man, Guts Man, Elec Man, Ice Man, Fire Man, and Bomb Man) to perform specific everyday duties (sic). Shortly after, Dr. Wily reprogrammed them to conquer the world…
All? No! Rock & Roll (oh oh oh!) remained faithful to Dr. Light.
Rock, of his own will, became a combat robot: Mega Man was born!
And Roll? Well, someone had to handle the vacuuming.
Thus begin the first adventures of the blue robot, setting off to war against Wily’s minions. The range of possible movements is still restricted (jumping, shooting, climbing ladders), but the ability to use defeated bosses’ weapons brings a strategic dimension compared to traditional platform games (Ice Man’s Ice Slasher freezes enemies, while Guts Man’s Super Arm lets you hurl parts of the scenery as projectiles, and so on).
Mega Man didn’t yet feature a password system (not a common functionality back in 1987). I’ve read that the game is considered difficult. Compared to the rest of the series? Sure. On its own, not really—if only because you’re allowed to keep going after losing all your lives (unlimited continues). Countless games of that era were practically unbeatable (just look at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) due to their strict limit on retries.
I love this game (and the 2D series) for three reasons: the controls are impeccable; levels are cleverly designed (taking advantage of specific enemy choreographies and weapon variety), continuously renewing themselves throughout the game (new weapons, new enemies, new mechanics, such as moving or electrified platforms…); and finally, duels with robot masters have an epic character unlike any other boss battle in any game, perhaps because both fighters are of equal proportions, with identical energy bars.
Interestingly, this is the only entry in the series where points are awarded for collecting bonuses or defeating enemies. Another peculiarity: Mega Man only features six robot masters (versus eight in all its sequels).
Suggested order:
Bomb Man > Guts Man > Cut Man > Elec Man > Ice Man > Fire Man
