It would be far too easy to focus on everything Mega Man 5 lacks. It still feels a bit like Zombie Simpsons, and I don't think that stink ever truly goes away, but coming off of the massive disappointment of Mega Man 4 I think MM5 deserves appreciation for what it does right, and how it (mostly) course corrects the franchise into something that feels more gameplay-oriented than MM4.
Sometimes it's the little things. Having the weapon get screens show a rotating version of the sprite you control rather than a large cartoon head makes it feel like the plot is shifted ever so slightly back. And it is. Whilst the "is Proto Man evil?" plot does drive things, it feels more like a straight run of fun robot masters followed by a couple of trench runs through two big bases. I'm still largely of the mind that having two bases to conquer is kind of needless padding, but you can forgive it a bit when the rest of the game feels tight enough.
The robot masters are mmmmmmostly good. Star Man is a joke, but at least he's a joke that's fun to take on. Charge Man is... theoretically fine, but using Stone Man's absolutely dogshit weapon against him is... embarrassing? It's embarrassing that any weapon could be as poorly designed as the power stone. Especially as most other weapons are decent! Gravity Hold is a big old nothing, but these two aside I actually really like the implementation of the other weapons, including the new, rideable Super Arrow, which renders the weirdly nerfed Rush Jet pointless while also being a versatile weapon that feels essential to at least one fight.
Actually, poor Rush eats a lot of shit this time out. Rush Coil has changed so that he jumps with you, and it sucks. Just 99% less reliable and prone to all sorts of glitches, a stupid change that gained us nothing. And that's... it. Two forms, both not very good at all. I'm glad that his big expansion is on the horizon, at least.
No, the real useful creature is he mid-game unlockable bird Beat, who allows you to just fire and forget, freeing the player up to focus on precision dodging while Beat chips away at enemy health. An inspired idea that's just a smidge too over-powered to feel fair, especially as the letters you have to collect to unlock the bird are far too sloppily placed.
The final run of levels are pretty fun. The bosses in particular are neat challenges that kept me on my toes (except whenever I had energy for Beat) with memorable enough designs, and the levels leading to them merged repeating challenges from the main stages with new ideas that made it feel like more than a long victory lap before Wily.
I don't know, I'm feeling positive here. It's a good time. Even the charge shot is useful now. But the game still suffers from the negatives MM4 had, just a bit less so, and brings new problems to the table just to make this hard to rate. Still, a solid 3 stars, and evidence that just because you've entered a safe pattern, you don't have to just wallow in mediocrity. Let's hope 6 keeps this energy up.
Sometimes it's the little things. Having the weapon get screens show a rotating version of the sprite you control rather than a large cartoon head makes it feel like the plot is shifted ever so slightly back. And it is. Whilst the "is Proto Man evil?" plot does drive things, it feels more like a straight run of fun robot masters followed by a couple of trench runs through two big bases. I'm still largely of the mind that having two bases to conquer is kind of needless padding, but you can forgive it a bit when the rest of the game feels tight enough.
The robot masters are mmmmmmostly good. Star Man is a joke, but at least he's a joke that's fun to take on. Charge Man is... theoretically fine, but using Stone Man's absolutely dogshit weapon against him is... embarrassing? It's embarrassing that any weapon could be as poorly designed as the power stone. Especially as most other weapons are decent! Gravity Hold is a big old nothing, but these two aside I actually really like the implementation of the other weapons, including the new, rideable Super Arrow, which renders the weirdly nerfed Rush Jet pointless while also being a versatile weapon that feels essential to at least one fight.
Actually, poor Rush eats a lot of shit this time out. Rush Coil has changed so that he jumps with you, and it sucks. Just 99% less reliable and prone to all sorts of glitches, a stupid change that gained us nothing. And that's... it. Two forms, both not very good at all. I'm glad that his big expansion is on the horizon, at least.
No, the real useful creature is he mid-game unlockable bird Beat, who allows you to just fire and forget, freeing the player up to focus on precision dodging while Beat chips away at enemy health. An inspired idea that's just a smidge too over-powered to feel fair, especially as the letters you have to collect to unlock the bird are far too sloppily placed.
The final run of levels are pretty fun. The bosses in particular are neat challenges that kept me on my toes (except whenever I had energy for Beat) with memorable enough designs, and the levels leading to them merged repeating challenges from the main stages with new ideas that made it feel like more than a long victory lap before Wily.
I don't know, I'm feeling positive here. It's a good time. Even the charge shot is useful now. But the game still suffers from the negatives MM4 had, just a bit less so, and brings new problems to the table just to make this hard to rate. Still, a solid 3 stars, and evidence that just because you've entered a safe pattern, you don't have to just wallow in mediocrity. Let's hope 6 keeps this energy up.