It's a very solid foundation for the series but sadly it hasn't aged the best. It has some gameplay quirks like different physics or stage design but the core of the series is in here. I think my biggest issue with the game is the bosses: 4/6 robot masters are really easy and the other 2 are absolutely busted (Elec Man's projectile deals so much damage it's unreal.) The Wily stage bosses are also pretty bad: Yellow Devil is the pinacle of this game's rushed production, Copy Robot is just Elec Man but worse (literally they have the same AI) and that bubble thing is the actual fucking devil when you're doing a buster-only run. As implied just now I can beat this game buster-only thanks to experience but that really helps in visualizing the flaws this game has. It's not a very difficult game when you have experience but unlike some other NES games it really feels like you can master "The Mega Man Gameplay (TM)" rather than the game alone, so the whole series has very strong fundamentals and this game, being the first in the series, really proves that. Gameplay aside, the graphics and sound are good for the time but nowadays it kind of pales in comparision to the rest of the series. Not a bad game but it's the first in the series and it was rushed and all of that shows. Despite it all I love it to death.

Mega Man has a lot going for it. The graphics and colourful work well in any situation they are tasked with. Whether Mega Man is in the futuristic city of Bomb Man's stage or traversing the dark mechanical halls of Wily's Castle, they are great at setting the mood. The music, like the rest of the NES hexalogy, has a bunch of bangers, with the Guts Man theme being my personal favourite. The game

However, there are a number of things that hold the game back. Firstly, the point system. It has literally no meaningful effect on the player. This wouldn't be a problem if they also did not appear as drops from fallen enemies. I for one do not appreciate being low on energy, only for the next three enemies in a row to drop useless points instead of health or weapon capsules. I'm glad that they completely scrapped this for the sequel.

Then there's the poor level design. In terms of the whole game, I would say the difficulty is actually fine. My issue is certain sections of levels that feel like Capcom sacrificed an enjoyable experience for more challenge. The biggest offender is by far Ice Man's stage. The section with the flying platforms that shoot at you is psychotic, and the large capsule in the middle of it all almost makes it seem like the Magnet Beam was the intended strategy by the devs (and God have mercy if you don't have it when you play the level).

While a flawed game, Mega Man did help create one of the best and funnest series in Nintendo's history, and set the ground work for many more to come.

Another case of a game that gets pretty universally panned under "first game syndrome," yet I actually really respect and genuinely enjoy replaying! Sure, there are plenty of MM sequels with better polish and more features, but honestly, I don't think this first entry does anything substantially worse to the core gameplay that other entries have sinned against either.

With that said, this is a super impressive foundation for the appeal, and potholes, of Mega Man gameplay: sidescrolling shooting combat with a rock-paper-scissors twist to both bosses and level design. Putting together the right special weapons and boss orders that work best for you is pretty satisfying once you crack the code on your own. It can sometimes feel like getting good at Mega Man means cheating or snapping the system in two, but my favorite parts of the game are when there are multiple solutions to fighting a boss or tackling an enemy, which I feel the game really nails in its final Wily levels.

Perhaps not the absolute best Mega Man game it could've been, but is probably the best quintessential essence of the series: effortlessly showing the highs and lows of this gameplay in just the first entry alone. And it's just all around awesome that some elite minds at Capcom thought up an action game concept this cool and holistic on the first go.