With the launch of the Super Nintendo Capcom seemed to move on to their spin-off franchise Mega Man X. Why not? It was more popular than the base series, and it was an incredible re-invention of the mechanics. In a surprising move they later decided to return to the original Mega Man storyline with a single sequel on the Super Nintendo. When I became interested in the series I was surprised to hear this because, I mean, how many times does anyone even reference Mega Man 7? The past few sequels were met with lukewarm reception, but I guess they assumed this was because they were released on the original Nintendo when more powerful consoles were all the buzz. One thing is for sure; Capcom milked the ever loving heck out of the original Mega Man series and when I learned that the seventh game in the franchise was released well after the X spinoffs reared their head I was pretty concerned that it would be a major step back. After tracking down the cartridge release I discovered that my fears were not in vain. Fortunately the developers had learned a lot by this point from their newer titles and Mega Man 7 feels like a natural advancement to the franchise instead of a radical re-design like the X series. There’s definitely room for both of them.
Mega Man 7’s scenario picks up right from where six left us. Dr. Wily has been imprisoned after his scheme as Dr. X, and the world has enjoyed a period of peace. Unfortunately this is cut short as the mad professor had long ago made a contingency plan for his capture. In his absence several new robot masters have awakened and are programmed to rescue him from behind bars. This is where Mega Man 7 begins, and while it’s highly derivative for the series we’re introduced to a few new characters this time around. I’m speaking of course about Bass (another Mega Man clone) and Treble (Bass’ canine companion). I always liked these characters, and so part 7 gets some props from me for introducing them to the story. Now let’s talk about the gameplay. It should be said that right away that if you’re not a fan of the original series then Mega Man 7 won’t be able to sway you. This is classic Mega Man at its core, and even the new features are not all that significant. Part 7 plays just as the original franchise installments do. It’s a side scrolling action platformer where your basic goal is to move Mega Man from left to right as you shoot your way through enemies, climbing ladders, and jumping across chasms. Once again you start with just the mega buster weapon which fires pellet shaped projectiles and can be charged up for a more powerful attack like in the past installments. You can also slide which is less of a requirement here than previously. This is good because it always felt tacked on to me and there are less areas where you need to progress using it.
What’s interesting is that the developers took a note from the X series by featuring an intro stage that you can’t skip. I’m a fan of this method because it’s a good way to set up the scenario, and there’s actual dialogue here which is a pretty big difference from the releases on the NES. Capcom decided to do something different from both the original and Mega Man X series by only allowing you to challenge four robot masters in the beginning with the rest unlocking after you’ve beat the initial antagonists. I would prefer to be able to pick from all eight from the start because it always made it more technical to memorize boss weaknesses, but it’s not a big deal and adds a greater sense of progression to the experience. As I mentioned earlier you begin with just the mega buster in your arsenal, but each boss surrenders their primary attack after being defeated. This is a staple of the franchise, and it’s just as cool as it ever was here. The robot masters are weak against the weapon of another, and after you beat the initial opponent you will have the best chance of success by targeting the robot master that is dominated by the item you’ve just acquired. Rush makes his triumphant return and this old dog has learned some new tricks. Well, there’s one new one. The game ditches the ability to combine with Rush for more powerful attacks and returns to the classic powers for the canine companion. You can use him as a spring to reach new heights, the jet function allows you to ride him as he flies, and the one sole new functionality is Rush Search which has the dog reveal hidden items. Now the Rush abilities are hidden in the stages. This is nice because they’re not required, but the developers did such a great job that I struggled to find them which I found annoying.
Mega Man titles are only as good as the robot masters and weapons they contain within them. After completing the introductory level I mentioned earlier you’re given Cloud Man, Freeze Man, Burst Man and Junk Man to choose from initially. Unfortunately these are all pretty derivative. I mean… didn’t we already have Air Man and Ice Man previously? Junk Man is, as his name indicates; junk. He’s modeled after a garbage pile after all. Capcom was definitely running out of ideas, but the second half fares better than the first. After beating the initial bosses we’re met with Spring Man, Slash Man, Shade Man, and Turbo Man. These represent some of the most creative robot masters Capcom has ever came up with. While Spring Man is kind of laughable the theme makes for some pretty cool elements of his stage. Slash Man is a bit of a rip-off of Cut Man, but his short ranged attack is one of my favorites in the franchise. Shade Man is a legit vampire based robot master. It’s a crazy idea, but it works really well and I absolutely love his Halloween themed stage complete with a jack-o-lantern boss and robot zombies rising from the grave ala Ghouls ‘N Ghosts. Lastly we have Turbo Man. He’s based off of car racing and his stage features a junkyard with tires. It sounds boring, but it’s actually pretty cool as one of the most off the wall levels in the series.
Mega Man 7 is a little awkward graphically. Capcom tried to modernize the blue bomber’s appearance, and this character model has in my opinion aged worse than the original one. For starters Mega Man is larger here and takes up more estate on the screen. This might have been a good idea at the time of release, but it makes the gameplay a bit clunkier because everything is slightly more difficult to dodge and you can’t see as far ahead as in the past. The robot masters and enemies have seen similar upgrades, and these fare far better. Man of the boss characters are huge, and there’s a great use of rotational effects on many of them. Some of the background choices are a bit questionable though. For starters, why the heck is Spring Man’s stage pink? Also, the clouds blocking the screen in Cloud Man’s stage might be a decent concept on paper but I find them to be a little annoying to be honest. The graphics have their issues, but the soundtrack is one of the finest you’ll find on the Super Nintendo. Burst Man’s stage theme is on par with some of the best music in Mega Man X which is saying quite a lot. Then you have Cloud Man’s melancholic music that perfectly fits a level high up in the clouds. Somehow they were able to completely retain the classic up-beat flavor of Mega Man music and modernize it in a very meaningful way. Every single track here is incredible and I’m currently seeking out this soundtrack to add to my collection because it rocks.
Fans of the franchise generally seem to steer away from Mega Man 7. It is a bit of a black sheep because it was the sole entry in the main series released for the Super Nintendo. My opinion on it kind of flip flops occasionally, but I can never deny that this iteration has some of the best robot masters. Thematically it’s one of the most fun and diverse Mega Man games. Which other installment in the series has one boss based off of race cars, and another as a vampire robot? It’s cool, and the soundtrack is amazing. Those graphics though… but these aren’t a huge problem and it’s not too hard to get past them. The classic Mega Man formula translated well to the Super Nintendo. I just wish Capcom released more of them here.
