I’ve been a lifelong casual enjoyer of Mega Man, not having played everything but generally enjoying what I have played. While my favorite subseries will always be Battle Network, I still very much appreciate the originals, for without them none of the rest would exist. So when a new classic entry, the first since the adequate WiiWare entries, came out in 2018, I was curious like many others. So I played it and well…. I have many words. Let’s get into this.

10. Graphics and Visuals 

The visuals are an excellent leap that maintain a similar style to before while still looking new

Starting with the simplest factors, the graphics are the element here I can most easily say was done very well. This feels like what the classic Mega Man style should have become, especially compared to the weird style of Mega Man 8.

Instead of that monstrosity, we have a rather beautiful cell shading that feels like a natural evolution of the NES and SNES sprites. Games have gotten better at maintaining older styles while still looking new, with the HD 2D started by Octopath Traveler being one of the best examples. 

Mega Man 11 is not quite that, as it looks fairly modern. But it has a certain cartoony vibe to it that feels perfect for classic Mega Man. If there’s one thing this game got 100% right, it's this…. definitely remember that later.

9. Story 

Dr. Wily is doing evil…. again

The story this time around is, wait for it…. Dr. Wily corrupts Robot Masters in an attempt to take over the world. Again. Yeah, classic Mega Man generally has this as its focal point, much like Bowser kidnapping Peach in Mario. I wouldn’t expect it to ever change. 

The story does involve the Double Gear system (more on that later) and how it can make robots much more effective. So of course Wily wants that, and his usual endgame fortress is gear themed to reflect this.

And that’s about all I got for the story. It's nothing fancy, but you don’t come to classic Mega Man for complex stories. If you want that, several of the subseries can fill that niche for you. Classic Mega Man is indeed all about the gameplay. 

8. Character Design

Mr. Giant Block Man is one of the new faces this time around 

Character designs are extremely important to Mega Man, as along with the recurring cast, every game has its own Robot Masters. Touching briefly on the mainstays first, they all pretty much look about the same, just touched up by the new visuals.

As for the new Robot Masters, well…… eh? You can see them all in the header image for this article, along with Block’s Man giant transformation just above. They’re not bad designs by any means, and they portray their theme well.

Just the issue and this is probably unavoidable with such a long-running series: they feel like repeats. Bounce Man is kind of unique (but not in a good way), and Tundra Man as a skater is different from other ice ones. But the rest feel like just another take on a better Robot Master from a previous game. 

Again, this can’t really be held too much against it, since there’s only so many things you can theme them on. But it still makes the game feel a bit less unique in that regard compared to older games in the series. Which is a shame, as some of them are pretty cool.

7. Music

Excellent art to accompany excellent music

Mega Man games have always been known for their soundtracks, so how does 11’s stack up? I would say it's pretty good, not the worst but nowhere near the best. Standouts are Fuse Man and Dr. Wily’s Castle, both feeling very old school Mega Man (and Bounce Man for causing trauma). 

As music is hard to judge properly with mere words though, here is a playlist of all the major songs in the game so you can decide for yourself.

Mega Man 11 - ALL Stage Music Themes

6. Sound Effects

If you’ve ever played a Mega Man, you can hear this image

This one is just disappointing. Anyone who’s played classic Mega Man remembers the iconic sound design from the buster firing to the spawning of those cursed blocks seen above. And in 11? It's not gone but it doesn’t sound the same at all.

There’s still sounds to be heard, most notably the obnoxious voice when shifting Gears, and different weapons still sound appropriately different. But it can’t help but feel like an important part of its identity is missing without the iconic sounds from before.

The biggest crime of these to remove has to be the dying sound effect. The instantly recognizable sound clip is now… Mega Man screaming? I mean it makes sense, but that’s like removing the Sonic drowning theme. You just don’t mess with perfection. 11 definitely loses points here. 

5. Level Design

Oh look, electric area number 174 in the series

The levels are the core of any good Mega Man, and 11 has mostly at least good ones (except you Bounce Man, you know who you are). While some elements of the levels feel a bit modern-inspired, much of them are very classic in feel, and that is truly a double-edged sword. 

For classic Mega Man is known for one thing: difficulty. And that very much translates here, just compounded by the new Double Gear system. This has two modes, which roughly amount to fast and slow. But you have a limited usage for each before they have to recharge. This allows for puzzle elements in the levels to involve these, and they definitely do that.

This all means Mega Man 11 has a significant emphasis on speed, whether it's fast or slow. And also size to an extent, as the slow gear makes you more powerful, thus allowing for massive enemies on occasion. 

Then there’s Bounce Man’s stage. This features some of the nastiest artificial difficulty I’ve ever experienced and almost made me quit the game. You have to bounce in rooms of balls from the right angles to reach the exit, and of course, there’s enemies to complicate matters. It is way too frustrating.

But aside from that, the rest of the levels range from alright to pretty good. Nothing was a major standout, but solid is better than a lot of games can manage.

4. Combat and Upgrades

The abilities are visually striking but not too new to use mostly 

Aside from the aforementioned Double Gear system, which can get you out of some tricky situations, combat hasn’t changed since the older entries. It's still the same dodge-and-shoot gameplay that Mega Man fans love and expect from the series.

So what about this round of abilities, any shakeups there? Eh, not really. They all look like their Robot Masters as always, giving them visual variety. But their actual usage, from my experience at least, is pretty similar to abilities from past games. Which again is to be expected from a series in its eleventh entry. 

That’s not to say they aren’t useful, they definitely are. Block Man’s is essential for striking things just out of reach, Bounce Man’s bouncing ball is (almost) worth the torture of playing through that level. There’s a shield here, a blade of sorts, fire, and several elemental shots. It's pretty much the sort of Mega Man arsenal you’d expect, so in that regard, it does its job well.

3. Balance and Difficulty

Mega Man 11 has two easy modes…. you’ll need them (picture is of the Japanese version, it's Rockman there)

Remember when I said Mega Man games are hard? Yeah, they knew what they were doing when they added difficulty options.

Of the four, Normal is closest to the classic Mega Man experience with 2 lives and only a few checkpoints. Casual makes it a bit easier with 5 lives and more generous checkpoints, but it's still the same game at its core. 

The top and bottom are more extreme, with Newcomer removing lives entirely, placing precautions for certain insta-death methods, making you take less damage, and even more checkpoints. And for the true challenge seekers, Expert/Superhero does more damage taken, no item drops in levels, and new attacks for bosses. Be very careful selecting that one.

And this brings me to my major complaint with the difficulty: aside from slight help in Newcomer, none of it really helps with moments of infuriating level design. And as a Mega Man game, there is a lot of that. For veterans of the series, I’m sure it's not an issue, but for new players or casual ones like myself, the obnoxious jumps and tedious platforming are the hardest parts, not the enemies. Don’t attempt this game if you’re not patient and/or good at platforming.

2. Fun Factor 

Pictured: “fun”

But at its core, when it's not having a moment that made me want to punch something, Mega Man 11 was actually a rather enjoyable experience. Just not what I’d call amazing is all. It was pleasant, but am I going to remember it over other games in the series? Aside from Bounce Man’s stage for the wrong reasons, I don’t really think so.

So why is this the best-selling Mega Man? I think that’s simple: gaming is bigger than ever now and it's very accessible. So while the older games may be better, not as many people wanted to try them back then, and now they’re seen as old, which can turn off some people. A shame but it's true for some.

So Mega Man 11 is a fine entry in the series. Play it if you want to, just don’t expect a masterpiece in the vein of Mega Man 2.

1. Replayability 

The cast of Mega Man 11 wants you to stay but is it really worth it?

It's all said and done, you’ve beaten Wily once again and the credits roll (forgot to mention the voice acting, it's a nice touch). Now what? Well if you liked what you played and want more, there is some stuff to do here.

Mega Man 11 features a selection of extra modes, from challenges in the game’s main levels to special challenge areas designed to really test your skill at the game. I only dabbled in these myself but they’re not a bad addition, and if you want more out of the game they’re there.

And you can always replay the main game. While there isn’t much of the way of New Game +, if you jump right into it you’ll likely find yourself doing better the second time as you know how it works. Easily overcoming obstacles that gave you immense trouble before can be very rewarding (or you’ll get stuck again and ragequit, also a possibility).

But that’s about it really, it's not a massive game. So it's entirely up to the player if they want to stick with it or even play it at all. And as the collections of the older games are available on most consoles this is on, you got options for Mega Man. Just don’t let the Blue Bomber get forgotten again, he deserves better than that.

Score: 7.5/10

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