Hey now everybody, hope you're doing well, and welcome to my retro review of Mega Man 8! Just about everyone is familiar with the Mega Man series, and for most people it's one of their favorites. If you're like me than you probably grew up playing them on the Nintendo, and Super Nintendo. I'm very familiar with those ones, and I still enjoy playing them even today, but there are some titles in this franchise that have been overlooked. Playing through the recently released Legacy Collection on the Switch, I decided to give Mega Man 8 a try, and was surprised by how good it was. It was then that I realized, I had never played this one before, nor do I ever hear anyone reference it. So let me give you the rundown, as I tell you about this underrated gem.
Mega Man 8 is an action platformer developed by Capcom, and released in 1997 for the PlayStation 1, and the Sega Saturn. This was the first in the series to come out on either of those systems, and it has a very noticeable upgrade in the graphics department. I would probably say that this is the best looking Mega Man game in the original series, by far, and it holds up just fine even today. At the time of it's release the gaming landscape was changing, and these games had been around for a long time. I think people were just getting bored of this retro style by then, and it caused this title to become underappreciated. It doesn't do anything to revolutionize the franchise or anything, but it nails the fundamentals of a classic Mega Man game, and looks great doing it.
The biggest flaws this game has are very small nitpicky things, and really don't take much away from it's enjoyment. For instance, the games animated cutscenes look good, but the voice acting is awful. In fact, the voice acting all around is just terrible, and almost comedic. It also does not feature the use of your dog Rush in the same way people were used to. You don't get Rush Coil, or Rush jet, or any of the various moves the dog usually gives you, but he is in the game. I have to admit, I did miss having those abilities here and there, but that's such a small thing it really doesn't matter much. Honestly, I'm having a hard time finding any major flaws here.
The gameplay is tight, responsive, and fluid, featuring the ability to charge your cannon, and slide along the ground. It's not as ridged as some of the earlier games, making the combat, and platforming, more enjoyable. It has all the basic components needed for a great classic Mega Man game. Unlike earlier titles, where you could choose from one of eight robot masters right from the start, this one has an opening level, then lets you choose from one of four stages. After beating those you go to a special mid point level, then you gain access to the final four robot bosses. This is actually a good thing, because the last four levels really utilize the new weapons you've acquired by that point.
The levels themselves are very well done, each one having it's own distinct look, as well as a special section that's different for each one. For the most part it's classic Mega Man, running along blasting robots, collecting items, and jumping all over the place. But then you might find yourself riding along on toy trains, or snowboarding down a series of platforms at increasing speed, even riding through the air with Rush, and three other robot helpers, blasting waves of oncoming enemies. These types of things made this game more memorable, and helps it stand out from it's predecessors. Most of these sections were a lot of fun, and an unexpected bonus, while hardly ever becoming frustrating.
Most of the robot bosses are interesting, with typical battles featuring some kind of special gimmick that requires a couple tries to figure out. Luckily the game is very forgiving with it's continue system. After every stage you have the chance to save your game. No passwords needed, just save it, and come back to it whenever. You start with three lives for each level, but if you end up losing them all you can continue from your last checkpoint. This is something I really enjoyed about Mega Man 8, because sometimes you get caught up in a certain spot, and it gets frustrating having to go back through the entire level to try again. Let's face it, these games can get pretty difficult at times, and having a better checkpoint, and save system, helps a lot.
Throughout each level there are hidden bolts to collect, some of which require you to play through a level twice, coming back with new powers. These bolts can be used at the shop, which can be accessed in the level select screen, to purchase various upgrades for Mega Man. These range from more lives, to climbing ladders quicker, a faster shooting arm cannon, faster charging mega shot, and a bunch more. I think there's around a dozen or so abilities to pick from altogether. This gave me a good reason to backtrack, trying to collect as many bolts as I could. With all these new features, the tight gameplay, and the amazing art style, it's strange that this one gets so overlooked. Now that I've played it, this has become one of my favorites of the original series. I'm going to give Mega Man 8 a grade of...……………………….
B +
Thank you for reading my review of Mega Man 8, I hope you enjoyed it!
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Really !
this is one the past memory of mine.
well, thanks
It's such a fun game, I don't know how I missed it growing up. I'm glad you like it, and thanks for commenting!