Megaman Legends (

1997

) ½

The arrival of the fifth generation of video consoles meant ubiquitous 3D graphics. Sure, you could still technically make games in the old 2D sprites, but to do so was to be branded as old-fashioned and hopelessly out of date (perversely the games that refused to switch to full 3D right out of the gate aged far better than anything else from this period). If the classic franchises from the 8 and 16 bit eras were to remain relevant they would have to adapt with the times and embrace 3D. Some did so with an effortless grace that redefined the landscape of video games (Super Mario 64 [1996]). Others would flounder in the new dimension to a greater (Bubsy 3D [1996]) or lesser extent (Sonic Adventures [1998]). Here, Megaman Legends serves as a somewhat unique case. It made little effort to reproduce the gameplay of its classic forbearers, and instead took the shift to 3D to try a stab at an entirely new genre, one that aside from a few character designs (and possibly the backstory of the world, though that is deep lore indeed) had nothing to do with Megaman [1987] or Megaman X [1993]. This allowed the Blue Bomber to do something other than taking on 6-8 robot masters whose names invariably ended with the word “Man.” Indeed, the style and ideas that Megaman Legends came up with had a long life, and we are still feeling some of its influence today in games as varied as Metroid Prime [2002], Dark Souls [2011], and Shenmue [1999]. The game was such a trendsetter, it's a damn shame that the planned trilogy was never completed, and we were left with a cliffhanger ending after Megaman Legends 2 [2000].

The game is set in “a world covered by endless water” with only a few islands scattered about the endless blue. Mankind eeks out a living in this brave new world by unearthing ancient technology and fuel from underground ruins and dungeons. Braving these dungeons is no simple matter, as they are patrolled by dangerous robots called “Reaverbots” that attack trespassers on sight. As a result, a whole profession of adventurers has grown up, known as Diggers, who brave the ruins and bring back the treasure that keeps human civilization running. All this is explained in an opening text crawl, and if you're anything like me this should be enough to get you hooked on the world and setting. It's the kind of world that is full of adventure, danger, and mystery. Moreover, it's a world in which tons of different stories can unfold. You could, with ease make a story exploring the central mysteries of this world like “Who built the Reaverbots?” and “What purpose do the underground ruins serve?” but the setting also provides the opportunity to tell much smaller stories. Here Megaman Legends shows remarkable restraint and avoids diving too deep into any of the lore of the setting. Sure, there are one or two particularly juicy hints dropped near the end of the game, but for the most part, it concerns itself with a small group of characters and a particularly narrow region of the world. This was a great idea as it allows the developers to introduce players to the world, let them get invested in the characters and the mysteries of it, before rushing to an answer for everything. After all, a mystery is far less compelling once it has been answered, and it wouldn't do to tip their hand so early on in the first episode of a planned (but sadly never completed trilogy).

Since there are no world-breaking conclusions to worry about, we can focus on a small cast of characters and get to know them. We have Gramps (AKA Barrell Caskett), a veteran digger whose advanced age has put him out to pasture, his granddaughter Roll who is an ace mechanic and Spotter (those who advise Diggers from the surface while they're underground), and Megaman Volnutt a mysterious boy in blue armor that Gramps found underground. The team is traveling the world in their airship, The Flutter, searching for clues about Roll's long-lost parents and the fabled treasure call The Mother Lode that they were chasing when they vanished. The game drops you right into the thick of things with Megaman raiding a remote ruin and stealing a Refractor from the crypt's robotic guardians in a shameless knock-off of the opening from Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Megaman and his friends escape, but apparently, they've been neglecting the proper maintenance of their airship, because before they get far they have to make an emergency crash landing on Kattelox Island. They will be stuck there for the remainder of the game.

This is the second brilliant move that Megaman Legends makes right out of the gate. By confining the player to a relatively small area (one single island) the developers can take their time, focus their resources and make this environment something special. Smaller maps usually have the advantage over bigger ones because all the interesting stuff is packed closely together, a lesson I wish more modern developers took to heart. Moreover, giving the player just a single town to explore means that this town can be built up into something quite remarkable. The city has almost everything that a real city would need to function: A police station, shopping mall, bank, power plant, and local government. It also has luxuries like a television station, a museum, and a library. Moreover, it has a population that is consistent throughout the game, going so far as to give unique character models to shopkeepers and other special NPCs. Even the ones that are using recycled models have particular characteristics and individual stories that unfold as the game progresses. The result is a town that feels like a real place, one that immerses the player into the setting. Megaman Legends is effectively a prelude for such small, but deep, open-world games as Shenmue [1999] and Yakuza [2005]. The deep open world and compelling nature of the town means that when the entire island is threatened with destruction at the game's climax, the player feels invested in stopping it because by this point they have grown attached to this setting and its people.

Having the entire game set on a single island also allows the dungeons to take on a decidedly Metroidvania feel, where they are interconnected across the entire map and occasionally have sections gated off by abilities and upgrades. This provides the player with ample opportunities for backtracking and opening up new and exciting short-cuts in old dungeons. Since treasure found in the dungeons can be used to fashion new items and weapons, there's always a good reason to check out new paths and previously inaccessible areas. The different ruin entrances are eventually revealed to be just different nodes, interconnecting with a larger network of tunnels and corridors that runs underneath the entire island. The result is one of the earliest examples of a 3D Metroidvania, a world map along the lines of what we'd later see in games like Metroid Prime [2002] and Dark Souls [2011]. That Capcom was able to figure out this formula so quickly and effectively here, it makes games like Castlevania [1999] and Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness [1999] all the more unforgivable.

Once Megaman is settled in on the island, it is attacked by a gang of Pirates called the Bonns, who are after the legendary treasure sealed away in the island's ruins. They are led by Teisel Bonn, his sister Tronn Bonn (another teenaged engineering wiz, and who quickly takes on the Tsundere roll in the traditional love triangle between herself, Megaman and his Childhood Friend Roll), and a giant, seemingly mechanical baby called Bonn Bonn. At first, the Bonns seem like a pretty menacing threat, as they are outfitted with an array of giant mechs, a fleet of airships, and an army of tanks to back them up. Yet they are quickly reduced to comic-relief, Team Rocket style villains after Megaman has kicked their heads in a couple of times. The goofy Bonns with their adorable lego henchmen (called serverbots) stand in sharp contrast to the inscrutable, and often horrific Reaverbots that you meet in the dungeons. The generally darker atmosphere, graphics, and music of the underground sections add to the menace of these encounters, while the battles with the Bonns are usually above ground and scored with jaunty music. In terms of actual challenge, they are about equal, but the feel of these two battle types couldn't be more different.

Once the pirates are repulsed, Megaman is pressed into service by Amelia, the mayor of Kattelox Island, who wants him to investigate the island's various ruins and figure out what the pirates are after and why the Reaverbots are activating in the ruins below the town. From here it's the usual dungeon crawl, gather all the keys, open all the gates until you can access the interior of the mysterious Main Gate and find out what the heck is going on. Along the way, you'll get a few tantalizing clues about the nature of the larger world and your place in it, but never so much as to give the game away. The story is deftly handled and I found myself eager to jump onto the next installment after I finished this one.

The game features a vast array of upgrades you can make to Megaman, most of which will be at least somewhat useful when you're pressed into tight combat situations. From the local merchants, you can buy upgrades to your health and a few handy consumable items (like a Shield Repair and a camouflage net that allows you to slip past Reaverbots and pirates). You can also get an Energy Canteen that restores a bit of your health, which is an invaluable tool during the more arduous dungeon crawls and boss fights. Junk that you find in the dungeons and around the overworld can be taken to Roll who can fashion them into weapons and items. The items are generally passive buffs or upgrades to your abilities that unlock new locations (the one that allows you to jump higher is especially useful in this regard). The special weapons that Roll makes from this junk can themselves be upgraded further, giving them more damage, further range, increased ammo, or a faster rate of fire. Your main weapon, the buster gun, which has no ammo but is pitifully weak at the start, can also be improved by buying or discovering certain “Buster Parts” that improve either the damage of the shots, the rate of fire, the range, or the number of shots you can fire in a single volley. A well-balanced buster gun should be more than sufficient to clear the game on the default difficulty, so don't feel like you need to use/upgrade your special weapons if you're looking for a challenging play-through. Indeed, there is no way that you'll ever be able to afford every upgrade unless you devote hours to farming cash.

The biggest problem here is the controls. In 1997, the game developers at Capcom still hadn't figured out how to make a 3D game manageable without an analog stick (the original PlayStation controller had none and it wasn't until the Dual Shock Analog controller was released that this issue was rectified). As a result, they resorted to the same tank-controls that Resident Evil [1996] employed. At least Megaman Legends handles better than the earlier title, thanks to larger environments and enemies, but it still left me longing for a camera I could control dynamically. A later port to the N64, titled Mega Man 64, added analog support and is probably the best way to play the game currently (and will likely remain so unless Capcom releases an HD remaster with some modern control overhauls, which given the fact that they never even bothered to finish the damn trilogy seems unlikely to me).

The controls are not made into much of an issue, because the game's difficulty is toned down to almost insultingly easy by default. I spent no time grinding cash and almost nothing on upgrading my special weapons and I was able to breeze through the game on the default difficulty only dying twice. The only problem was that one of these deaths happened at the end of a dungeon, and since there are no mid-dungeon save points I was forced to replay the entire section over. playing the game on hard difficulty makes the game more challenging, naturally, but since it has to be unlocked by beating the game on normal first it shouldn't give anyone who earned it much difficulty. Moreover, there are always options to make each encounter easier. If you're having difficulty clearing a particular boss, grinding money and buying upgrades will almost certainly give you the tools you need to beat them (more life, damage reduction, stronger weapons, etc). There are way more upgrades to get in this game than you will ever be able to afford, so grinding will always be an option. Usually, if you get stuck in this game it's because you don't know where to go, not because you are unable to beat a certain boss or challenge.

Early 3D graphics have aged about as well as a herring under your floorboards, but Megaman Legends has faired far better than most of its contemporaries. Early attempts at realistic 3D models invariably wind up looking grotesque and deformed. However, the bright cartoony world of Megaman Legends retains a certain visual charm. Megaman's bright blue armor stands out in sharp contrast both to the verdant fields above ground and the gloomy corridors of the various dungeons and ruins. In a brilliant move, the character's faces are not modeled at all and are instead simple textures that are slapped onto the bodies with exaggerated anime-style features. The result is both easier on the artists and far more expressive given the low resolution of the PSX. All credit has to go to the character designers here, who made gave each significant character a bold and exciting look from Roll's bright red overalls to Teisel's green power armor, to Tronn's dark purple and bright pink dress embossed with a pirate skull logo. Even the minor NPCs stand out from the herd with surprisingly detailed faces and expressive models. As more and more indie developers start to make 3D games, I expect that we will see more new releases taking a page out of Megaman Legend's design book.