Review #694: Megaman 11

 Alright Man strikes again.

 I grew up with Megaman 3, so trust me, I love Megaman. I prefer X, Zero and ZX, but I'm always up for some classic Megaman. While Megaman saw two NES-style revivals with 9 and 10, Megaman 11 makes graphics 3-D, while gameplay remains firmly in 2-D, it's like a prettier version of PSP's Megaman Powered up.

 Mighty No.9 received a lot of flak for its story, but Megaman 11 isn't far behind. The story has Willy having a flashback dream to an invention from his past, the double gear, and so he builds it again in the present day. As luck would have it, Professor Light kept Willy's original version and installs it in Megaman, because why the hell not, so that he can tackle all eight robot masters. The dialogue is absolutely cringeworthy, with a ton of dumb puns that seemed ripped straight out of Mighty No.9. The game has 10 stages plus the annoying, but mandatory, boss gauntlet as well as a final battle with Willy. The game, on the normal difficulty setting, took me close to four hours, although I spent an entire hour on the dreadful ice level. There are a few bonus challenges, if you are so inclined, but disappointingly no unlockable bonus characters. You do, however, unlock infinite use of subweapons and the gear system, so you can just cruise through the game on repeated playthroughs. On the other hand, the game features 4 different difficulty settings, two below the Normal difficulty setting, so it definitely accommodates for more casual players, which is always good in my book. As for the normal difficulty.... it's tough, man. I cursed a lot, but the game is fairly fair, for the most part, so those looking for a challenge are in luck.

 Gameplay is standard Megaman: Jump and Shoot, defeat bosses to earn their weapon, each boss being weak to a specific weapon. New to the series is the double gear mechanic. L button uses the Speed Gear and R button uses the Power Gear. Both abilities share the same small gauge, so you can' use them any time you want. Ideally, you'll be tapping in and out of either gear, so as not to fill the gauge and overheat, since when you overheat you have to wait until the entire gauge goes back to 0 before you can use either again. Power makes your shots stronger, also strengthening your subweapons, while Speed makes everything move slowly. Honestly, Speed is much, much better and more versatile, since you can use it to aid you with platforming or avoiding enemy attacks, while Power Gear seems very situational. Like, it actually works against you if you use the basic Mega Buster, since the powered-up chargeshot makes Megaman root to the ground for a little while as he fires off two shots, 90% of the time you're better off using Speed Gear. On another note, I love the fact that earned boss weapons now change Megaman's helmet and buster! It's a small little detail, but I adore it.

 If the going gets tough, and it gets tough, you can always visit the shop to spend bolts on chips to make Megaman better and stronger. Initially I thought that chips became available as you defeated bosses, but that's not the case, it's all about fulfilling certain, hidden conditions. For example, you can purchase a 'spike-resistor'(One time use!) after falling into spikes one time. Not only can you buy chips that make you stronger(Move at normal speed while under Speed Gear, larger shots, less slipping on ice) but you can also buy extra lives, up to 9, and even healing items, also up to 9. It doesn't matter how hard it gets, you can buy your way through your problems! Bolts are pretty generous, so I never found myself grinding for bolts, although, to be fair, I must've retried most stages twice, so that might account for why I had bolts to spare. But then again, if I had to retry stages it means that I needed the extra help, so it all works out in the end!

 Level design is fine, for the most part. Most of my deaths felt fair, I couldn't deal with the obstacle in the proper manner so I got damaged in return. That said, the Ice level is downright awful. Even with the chip that makes Megaman less slippery he still slips a bit. Then there are also platforming sections with air currents that might mess up your jumps. I was 2:30 hours into the game, by the time I finished it I had 3:30 on the clock. This stage is a mess, and feels very unfair. I spent over 15 lives on this single stage, no other level in the game was this hard, heck, it's the only stage I had to attempt more than twice. And it's nasty, because the more you try, the angrier you get and the sloppier you become, which is horrible considering Megaman's movement is already sloppy due to the ice! Luckily, once you are done with Tundraman, the worst is left behind. Bounce Man's level can also be a bit annoying, but not because of unfair deaths, but because sometimes getting the bounce right can be a bit tough. On one final note, I almost felt like boss weaknesses didn't really feel like weaknesses. On a few times it was even hard to tell if I was actually dealing extra damage. Previous games, games like Megaman X, would add alternate animations when bosses got hurt with their weaknesses, heck, I seem to remember classic Megaman would make the damage animation a bit longer if hit with their weakness, but, for whatever reason, this game wasn't giving proper audiovisual feedback that the boss was hit with its weakness.

 I've seen a ton of praise thrown Megaman 11's way, but... I mean, it is good, y'know? It's a fun time, it really is.... but it's nothing special. Most of the game is really fun, tough but fair, and it has a very cute art style, even if the dialogue is horrible. However, I just can't help but feel like something's missing. Challenge rooms are fun 'n all, but look a Megaman Powered Up, it came with playable bosses, playable characters(Protoman, Roll, alternate versions of Megaman), as well as two ways to play the game(Original and Arrange) as well as challenges! And it was a simple handheld game! Megaman 9 and 10 made Protoman and Bass playable, even if by DLC. Basically, I think it's a decent game, but I would've liked to see more content and more fun stuff. The Gear system is a decent addition, yes, but it works mostly as a get-out-of-jail-free card and Power feels like a handicap when compared to Speed. Hopefully the next Megaman can try a few more things. More characters, game-changing chips(Sacrifice the charge shot for doubled shooting speed, add a second jump but lose the ability to restore your health with pick ups, let Megaman get a second-charge level or store his chargeshot, etc), but then again, hopefully the next Megaman we get is X9!
 6.5 out of 10