Review Game Mega Man 11

Capcom couldn’t quite get a new Mega Man game ready for his 30th birthday last year (he’s really a man now!). But right at the buzzer in December, Mega Man 11 was announced. It’s coming this year, I’ve played it, and I’m happy to report it seems like a fun and fresh take on one of the elder statesmen of gaming. After seeing the reveal trailer back in December, everyone said: “Cool! But he looks kinda weird.” True, he’s adopted more of a cartoonish anime style instead of the pixelated look of previous Mega Men. But the run-and-gun-and-jump gameplay feels like classic Mega Man, and the new design retains the charm and personality fans expect. The Man himself feels quick and snappy as he should — it doesn’t have the sluggish running-under-water feel that the reveal trailer seemed to imply.

Mega Man's really getting into his robot master roleplay this time around.

So it feels like good old Mega Man with a makeover. But there is a significant addition to his arsenal. Right from the start he has two new powers, or “gears.” Power Gear simply increases the power of the Mega Buster, while Speed Gear slows down time. The gears are activated with the L1 and R1 buttons, respectively (I played on PS4), and can only be used for a short amount of time — after which a cool down is required. The imaginations of longtime Mega Man devotees are no doubt already considering the possibilities of slowing down time during tricky platforming obstacles or to better get at the weak spots of moving enemies.

The robot masters have grown in Mega Man's absence.

I got to check out two of the new robot masters: Block Man and Fuse Man. Block Man’s stage is, fittingly, built of heavy stone blocks and reminds me of a blue Egyptian tomb (maybe he’s a relative of Pharaoh Man). Hieroglyphics of Block Man himself are vainly etched into the stone walls, and his lair features a scene of Mega Man succumbing to his power and exploding. His weapon will summon stone blocks that fall from the sky and crush whatever enemy is unlucky enough to be underneath.

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Fuse Man

Fuse Man’s level leans into the electricity theme with flashing laser beams and enemies that project a dangerous electrical field around them. This boss is super fast and teleports around his lair, but once defeated he’ll give Mega Man a gun that sends an electric charge along the ground both in front of and behind him. One other nice touch is that Mega Man’s whole outfit changes when he equips a robot master’s weapon. Attaching Fuse Man's gear will adopt his yellow suit and cause horns to grow out of Mega Man's head, for example.

Ye Olde Robot Master Select Screen

This lifelong Mega Man fan was encouraged by what he played and is looking forward to stopping whatever Dr. Wily’s nefarious plan is this time around. It’s been almost a decade since Mega Man’s last adventure, so here’s hoping 11 is a triumphant return and we don’t have to wait until his 40th birthday to hang out with him again.