Mega Man Zero Review

Mega Man Zero was released in November of 2002 and was the first MM game on the Gameboy Advance and the start of what was to become the 5th series in the Mega Man Universe. Much ado was made about the game's unrelenting difficulty, with many reviewers calling it the hardest MM game there was. Was this the case, and if so, does that make it only for hardcore Mega Man fans?

MM Zero takes place 100 years after the Mega Man X series and finds the player in a very new world. In this world, humans live in the paradise of Neo Arcadia and reploids, both peaceful and otherwise, are indiscriminately accused of being Mavericks and systemically terminated. Due to the draconian policies of Neo Arcadia and its leader, Mega Man X (?!), a resistance has formed, being led by a former NA scientist named Ciel.

As the game begins, she and her few remaining soldiers are fleeing through some ancient laboratory in search of Zero, the legendary hero who fought alongside X in the Maverick Wars. They discover a powered down body suspended near an old power reactor. Ciel calls for Zero's help and her Cyber Elf revives him. Cue Zero's theme and start kicking ass! Oh and the game begins too...

The graphics in Mega Man Zero set the standard for 2D handheld excellence. The GBA was always thought of as a portable SNES early in its life, and it is games like MM Zero that show the graphical connection even more. Zero animates with familiar fluidity, from his dash to his Z-saber, this is the Zero we all loved playing in the X series. His new look, similar to a Power Ranger, is something to wonder about, but being that it is a key plot point of the series, I can't comment on it here. I mostly just went: "That's Zero?, ok..." and proceeded to cut the enemies down. Good times!

The rest of the visuals are great as well. From the base structure of the resistance to the expressive attacks of the many bosses you'll fight, Mega Man Zero is a visual marvel. My favorite graphical element is the disconcerting familiarity to many of the enemies that Zero fights. You will be left wondering just what is going on in this world... Oh, don't think I hesitated to chop them to bits, regardless of how they looked. Overall, it is a great thing indeed to see a 2D MM game back and looking better than ever!

Speaking of enemies, using the Z-saber in this game allows you to see an awesome graphical effect. If you finish them off with the Z-saber (bosses included!) you can see foes fall apart. The effect is most apparent against bosses due to their extended death sequences. Anyway you slice it, it's very cool!

Music has never been the Game Boy Advance's strong suit; of the one area that was perhaps the most important to copy from its forbearer, the SNES, the GBA didn't duplicate its sound chip system. Consequently, sound and music quality is barely better than what the GB Color was capable of. This is especially noticeable in SNES ports. MegaMan Zero, being an original game, doesn't have that standard to live up to, so let's look at it more carefully.

The music in Zero has a tinny quality to it, but is still enjoyable. I like the Theme of Zero that kicks off the action, despite its lower sampling. Neo Arcadia's theme is epic and works great to symbolize Zero's struggle against the dominion of the oppressor in this new universe. It seems Zero never gets a break in his struggles against evil forces. I also favor the theme of the Resistance; a simple sounding tune.

Sound effects are highlighted by the return of the Z-saber. It was always fun to hear the slashing and whooshing of the blade as you cut foes to pieces. The other weapons sound fairly typical, but that's just me being biased.

Gameplay in Mega Man Zero takes the traditional system of previous Mega Man series and adds some unique twists. Before this, I will say that if you know how any Mega Man works, you will know how this one does. Kill enemies, kill more enemies, defeat big bosses, earn new powers, avoid obstacles and so on. This seems like most any action/adventure game ever created, but it is HOW the Mega Man series has done this that makes it unique. The original MM adage of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" for finding your foe's weakness is still the basis of the gameplay, though you don't have to rely on it as much these days. Now for the new additions.

Firstly, this game's world runs on a hub system, in which you need to make your way through areas of the resistance base to reach new areas. More of these new areas become available as you make your way through the game (let's hope you remember where what area is!)

While you have missions in Zero, there are fairly typical tasks and almost always involve saving people or defeating certain enemies. The biggest addition is the Cyberelf system. Cyberelves are basically this game's Pokemon. Just like Pokemon, many of them need to be found and leveled up before they can be used; this is accomplished through the use of energy crystals. There are 3 different kinds: ones that affect Zero's health, which include everything from giving life to increasing capacity to becoming subtanks, which can refill your lifebar in a pinch.

Another group is meant to deal with enemies. Some fire shots to aid you, others freeze enemies, and some can transform foes into weaker enemies. Fun stuff.

The last group affects the environment. This includes eliminating those dreadful spikes that all MM fans know all too well as an instant-kill. In another helpful move, some Cyberelves can save you from pits. Very handy. There are other functions to these new additions that are best left to discover, but I will say that despite their familiar functionality, Cyberelves make Mega Man Zero "feel" quite different from any other Mega Man game.

When it comes to challenge, Mega Man Zero has the reputation as being the hardest game in the series. A lot of reviewers noted this upon the game's release in 2002. I view this more as a caveat for those new to the series, as Mega Man has always been a challenge, regardless of the series. The thing about Zero is that, more than ever, this game is only as challenging as you want it to be. The Cyberelf system and the ability to farm energy crystals is largely the reason. If your life is too low and your dodging skills nil, just get an Elf to increase it.

Speaking of dodging ability, that is another reason for Zero's high learning curve. Unlike all other Mega Man games, bosses have more than one life bar, putting them at a big advantage. The truth of the matter is that Zero is the first game in which you really have to watch what the boss is doing. I'm not sure if their attacks are fewer in number, but because your strategy so often depends on finding holes in their offense, it sure seems like this. To conclude this runaway train of thought, Mega Man Zero is a game with a steep learning curve that rewards the patient gamer.

Replay value is high in Mega Man Zero due to the new game plus ability. If you beat the game on a certain difficulty, you gain the ability to begin again with all Cyberelves obtained (and all the benefits that come from their use). There are also different difficulty settings and a hidden cyberelf to obtain for those looking for an extra challenge. The ranking system plays into some of these requirements, so careful what you do, as the system is pretty stringent. Whereas you can play the game regularly without watching your ranking, the best bonuses require some tricky handicap runs.

In summation, Mega Man Zero is a fine new direction for Mega Man and the beginning of what was to become the most story driven series in the Mega Man universe. Veterans of Mega Man will be pleased at how far the simple tale of a house cleaning robot modified for combat has come in this new itineration.

- Ugly Bob

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