Capcom began as a developer focused mostly on the arcade scene. They released console titles, but they consisted almost entirely of home versions of their most famous coin-op games. Mega Man (Rock Man as it’s known in Japan) was one of this developer’s first console exclusive releases, and it made big waves right out of the gate. Bear in mind this came at a time when most developers were throwing out mascot based platforming titles and few were able to make a name for themselves. Mega Man came after Mario, but before Sonic the Hedgehog, and it had more than a few features that make it stand out. It was an action side scroller where you shoot projectiles, yet it was significantly more focused on platforming elements than something like Contra. It’s not as unique so many years later, but Mega Man still holds up wonderfully.
This story takes place in the distant future. Mega Man is an humanoid robot created by a friendly scientist named Dr. Light. This is the kind doctor’s greatest invention, but he has also created several robots that perform services in various industries. One day his colleague Dr. Wily goes haywire and reprograms most of these androids to do his evil bidding and take over the world. Light is left with just Mega Man, and thus sends him out to stop the very robots that he created for the sake of good. Obviously you play as Mega Man, and all of the enemies you encounter are robots. Many are shaped like animals, and there are several different designs. In the beginning you are armed with a single shot arm cannon called the mega buster. What sets this title apart from most others of its time is the fact that from the onset you can choose which order you would like to tackle first six stages. The boss characters are called robot masters and each are focused on a single themed weapon. You have Ice Man who shoots arctic blasts, Fire Man who attacks with flame, Bomb Man who uses timed explosives, Elec Man who uses electric shots, Guts Man who picks up blocks and throws them, and Cut Man who uses boomerang blades.
The robot masters are very basic, but it’s forgivable because this is the first title in the franchise. What’s interesting is the fact that upon defeating them Mega Man actually gains their primary weapon that you can use freely during gameplay. These are limited only by an energy meter for each of these individually, and this can be refilled by collecting energy capsules. The weapons each have their own uses mostly because the various shots have different movement patterns. Most are quite useful and they’re all more powerful than the standard buster shot, but there are two in particular that just don’t function that well outside of when they’re required. The super arm, which you acquire from Guts Man, allows you to pick up and throw special blocks but these are uncommon and the concept just isn’t particularly interesting. The bomb is also quite ineffective because it takes time to explode and simply lands stationary on the ground. The weapons are mostly useful against the other robot masters. Each is weak to another’s weapon, and when you figure out their weaknesses they become easier and can be taken out in only a few attacks.
Level design is challenging and intelligent. Enemies fire projectiles in all directions, platforms move, and you’re required to make some very precise timed jumps. Enemies frequently get in the way, and being hit will knock you back slightly which can lead to death by falling down pits on a pretty frequent basis. Mega Man is challenging, but it’s not nearly as bad as something like Ninja Gaiden. What’s cool is that particular weapons make some of the stages a lot easier. In Fire Man’s level you can freeze the flames that shoot up from the ground with Ice Man’s tool. The magnet beam is the only weapon not obtained from a robot master, and it’s also the only one that isn’t purely offensive. It instead allows you to create platforms, and though it appears optional it’s required to find in order to beat a specific area within Dr. Wily’s fortress. The magnet beam allows you to make shortcuts for yourself through some of the more treacherous areas, and it’s best to get it as soon as you can. Another aspect of the level design I really like is that many areas are hard to reach and feature energy capsules, life, and 1-Ups. Often times there are treacherous obstacles you risk coming in contact with, and only the skilled players will want to try their luck.
Mega Man isn’t the prettiest 8-bit title, but it looks decent by the standards of its time. The characters and enemies feature only a few frames of animation apiece, but they’re well drawn and have a certain charm to them as well as a memorable style. I’ve always enjoyed the fact that Mega Man changes colors to signify which weapon he currently has equipped. I especially enjoy the backgrounds in each stage; there’s that weird retro futuristic look to many of them, and it adds several layers of sci-fi b-movie atmosphere to the title. Unfortunately the robot masters’ designs are quite bad in this title because they are so basic. Ice Man is simply given an eskimo hood to convey his element, and Guts Man is especially bad because it’s hard to tell exactly what the designers were going for with this one. Mega Man also suffers a number of technical issues. Flickering and slowdown are typical in NES games, but it can be especially distracting here. Unfortunately you can barely see the platforms created by the magnet beam, for example.
The soundtrack is enjoyable and fairly memorable, but it’s not as iconic as in the sequel. Each stage has its own theme (including the Wily levels) and most of them are pretty decent. I’m not a fan of that for Guts Man, or Bomb Man but they’re competent pieces of music and aren’t bad by any means. Elec Man and Ice Man stage themes are really good and stand up with the best in the series. Each piece of music has the same psuedo futuristic appeal as the graphics, and I’m a really big fan of the style overall. The sound effects fare pretty well also with simple bleeps and blips for each different weapon. I particularly like the samples used for collecting energy tanks, and the chime for gathering an extra life is also iconic and very pleasant. They are all generally pleasant. The audio is really good, and the style is carried over to the NES sequels.
Mega Man is notable among many of the different side scrolling games on the platform. The difference is mostly in the unique level designs, but the unique weapon system is what makes this game amazing. Capcom didn’t really get into a groove until the next game, but this is still one of the best installments in the franchise. It’s also worth noting that this is the only mainline Mega Man title that has a high score system. This is one of those must-have NES games that should be in everyone’s collection even despite its ugly and now entirely comical cover art.
