At the beginning of the new millennium, Masahiro Yasuma and Keiji Inafune had a brilliant intuition: to reinterpret the Blue Bomber, practically the mascot of Capcom - in the form of a role-playing game. So far nothing strange, except that this RPG with Mega Man as the protagonist had to be played... with cards. At that time, card games like Yu-Gi-Oh! and the like were very popular, and Inafune wanted to serialize a title aimed primarily at younger people in tone and atmosphere: something similar to Pokémon and perhaps more like Digimon. Mega Man Battle Network (Rockman.EXE at home) hit its mark and enjoyed temporary success, enough to justify an anime of about two hundred episodes that ran until 2006, while the video games reached their sixth iteration.
In our area, Mega Man Battle Network gained a hard core of fans, but could not count on the media presence it had in Japan. Despite this, it represents a cornerstone of the Game Boy Advance library and, now that it can be considered vintage in all aspects, Capcom has thought of condensing it into a nice compilation: in this Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Review We will explain better what it includes, how it works and if it is really worth recovering these titles after almost twenty years.
Volumes 1 and 2
As happened with previous compilations, on this occasion Capcom also offers two volumes in digital download- In the first you will find the first three Mega Man Battle Networks for a total of four games, while in the second the other three Mega Man Battle Networks are included for a total of six games. Doesn't it fit? Well, it's normal, because from the third episode onwards the series begins to divide itself in Pokémon style: each version of the same game is differentiated from its counterpart by the presence or absence of certain content in the gameplay or narrative, while remaining fundamentally equal. , identical title. This would justify the it is not a very cheap price of each volume: 39,99 euros, with a more advantageous offer of 59,99 euros for the package that includes the two volumes together.
On paper it is a price that makes sense; However, as we said, the second volume has six titles, but it is also true that, in concrete terms, we are talking about three divided games. In this sense, the weight that this aspect has in the purchase must be individually assessed. If you intend to play each title in both versions, then the price for the volumes, and especially the bundle, is more than fair. However, if you count on playing only one alternate version of each Mega Man Battle Network, the cost becomes more questionable. Only you can evaluate Capcom's offer based on your needs and intentions.
However, it's worth noting that Capcom has packaged this build with additional content and features Really interesting, starting with what was previously removed in the original Western versions. In Mega Man Battle Network 6, for example, content tied to Konami's strange collaboration with Boktai was restored, along with a large number of chips that at the time could only be unlocked in Japan and only through e-readers and the like.
For the occasion, Capcom has also added brand new features including a robust interface to connect to the network and download additional content, challenge other players to a duel or exchange tokens and other collectibles; a large gallery of illustrations inspired by the entire series; a jukebox mode to listen to more than a hundred songs; as well as a stage for casual players, called Buster MAX mode, which exponentially boosts Mega Man's basic attack to overcome combat much more easily and focus above all on the narrative. In short, they are standard additions for this type of compilations, but always welcome.
What is Mega Man Battle Network?
As we have already said, Mega Man Battle Network is a Japanese-style RPG, set in an unspecified future in which the network has become the main means of communication and technology has evolved to the point that it is possible to explore it as if they were a real place and precisely with the help of ships, avatars that users can control through the so-called Personal Information Terminal or PET. The game features young Lan Hikari, a teenager who often finds himself fighting crime syndicates who try to exploit the Internet for their own sinister purposes - needless to say, Lan's Navi is called Mega Man and is very special, but only you will find out. reason playing.
Strengthened by a cast of colorful and well-characterized secondary characters, Mega Man Battle Network can also count, and above all, on a fictional consolidated. In the different titles, many characters appear in traditional Mega Man, although with new appearances or recontextualized roles. Despite being a series designed mainly for the youngest, the different titles reserve quite a few surprises in terms of narrative and will undoubtedly attract even the most astute adults who will be able to accept not exactly refined writing and once again. in English, since this compilation has not been translated either.
The gameplay of Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection
The experience is basically divided into three game moments. As Lan we can explore the city, interact with NPCs and customize Mega Man and his paraphernalia. Then it's time to go online and take control of Mega Man in virtual settings, often labyrinthine dungeons to explore far and wide. During these movements, random combats occur: at that time the action moves on a grid made up of 18 squares and divided into two halves of 9 squares each. Mega Man moves on one half, his enemies, the viruses, on the other. The player's goal is to defeat the viruses, either by attacking them freely with mega destructor, both through the use of the Chips previously placed in the so-called folders: basically cards and decks.
Mega Man Battle Network's combat system is what we could practically call one strategic in real time. The player must dodge enemy shots by moving over the nine available squares which, with the help of certain Chips, can increase or even decrease, if the enemy takes them. It goes without saying that you need to keep your eyes open and react quickly to attacks, especially those that target multiple squares and often represent the bosses' arsenal. At the same time, you will have to wait for the right moment to open the folder and choose the best Chips for the occasion based on a series of rules that multiply from episode to episode.
Il combat system It remains more or less the same in each Mega Man Battle Network, but each new chapter of the series introduces dynamics such as the Elemental Styles in the second episode, the Double Soul in the fourth or the Cybeasts in the sixth and last. While combat becomes more complicated with the addition of various parameters that impact chip selection and possible synergies and combinations, the number of secondary activities increases both in the real world and on the Internet: if the first title in the series may seem rather sparse, the following ones are much richer in content, optional missions, alternative paths and more or less secret bosses that require some effort. to be defeated. We are talking about fairly long-lasting games, which can be completed in about 20 hours each.
In this sense, Mega Man Battle Network has not aged too well. They are still old RPGs, in a way, that suffer to some extent structural naivety especially in the first iterations. It is a naivety with a certain purity, however, and by playing them or playing them in order you can feel their progressive maturation: some rough edges are smoothed out in the transition from one episode to another, the gameplay is significantly simplified and becomes more agile. and modern iteration after iteration.
Unfortunately, Mega Man Battle Network carries someone's weight on its shoulders. repetitiveness, which in the past was diluted in the time that passed between one release and another, but which is felt more clearly when played closely. Beyond the additional mechanics and changes made to the combat system from one iteration to the next, all six games really feel like very similar in the structure and in the narrative: the enemies change, but the scheme remains the same, with the continuous passage from the real world to the virtual one, the alternation of dungeons and primary and secondary tasks that too often require important comings and goings, weighted . reduced by the frequency of random combat and designed to artificially prolong the duration of the adventure.
Old School
Accepting what is clearly a proven build, the quality of these is unquestionable. Old school role-playing game that still manage to attract with their simple but genuine stories, well-characterized characters, creative and attractive combat system that, above all, effectively recalls the characteristics of Mega Man as Capcom's trademark.
Even today, Mega Man Battle Networks are small triumphs of 2D graphics: very colorful and full of details and details, carefully animated especially in the fights and virtual scenarios that sometimes seem almost psychedelic, thanks also to a colonna sonora become an icon over the years. The Collection also offers a setting that softens the pixelated edges, but in our opinion it only ends up making the image dirty and which we therefore recommend only to those who play on large panels where the sprites would look more awkward.
Conclusions
Tested version Nintendo Switch digital delivery Nintendo eShop Price 59,99 € Holygamerz.com 7.5 Readers (5) 7.9 your voteMega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is a somewhat particular compilation because a good half of the games offered, especially in the second volume for those who resort to digital download, are in fact redundant. We are quite sure that most players will hardly complete the same episode in one version and another, and in this sense the cost of what is actually an excellent remake, both in form and content, may seem inadequate. However, it is a compilation that brings together six long-lived and well-finished RPGs that we recommend diluting over time so as not to despair of the feeling of repetitiveness due to the strong similarities in gameplay.
PRO
- Six role-playing games that marked the history of Mega Man and Game Boy Advance
- Lots of extra content even for those who played the first releases.
AGAINST
- The price clashes with the dual nature of some titles, especially Vol. 2
- They are old school RPGs with all the rough edges
