Mega Man Zero (video game)
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| Mega Man Zero | |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Release date(s) | April 26, 2002 (JP) November 9, 2002 (US) November 27, 2002 (EU) |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E (Everyone) |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance |
Mega Man Zero (ロックマンゼロ Rokkuman Zero?, Rockman Zero) is the first video game in the Mega Man Zero subseries of Mega Man video games from Capcom and the first Mega Man platformer to appear on the Game Boy Advance.
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[edit] Gameplay
Mega Man Zero is set an unspecified amount of time after the end of the Mega Man X games. Gameplay-wise, not much has changed. The game is still a side-scrolling platformer, Zero - the main character - cannot duck, touching spikes means instant death, et cetera. Mega Man Zero did introduce a number of small adjustments to the formula, some of which were toned down or removed in its sequels, likely making this the most unconventional installment in a metaseries known for sticking to the tried and true.
Continuing the "tradition" from Mega Man X, Zero is capable of clinging to a wall (albeit he slides down it at a uniform rate), dashing, and jumping against the wall and kicking off it to propel himself upwards (wall-kick).
Unlike previous Mega Man games, instead of separate stages, there is a single interconnected overworld where every area in the game can be explored freely (a feature that is removed in later Zero games, but returns in Mega Man ZX). In place of the stages is a choice of missions that Zero can undertake in each of the separate areas of the map, and completing one may unlock others. There are still bosses to fight in these missions, but not every boss is fought near the end of the stage. It's also possible to fail non-critical missions and continue on with game, though the player will miss out on several important items in doing so.
[edit] Weapons overview
See Mega Man Zero weaponry
Zero begins the game with a Resistance handgun (not his original Z-Buster) and soon acquires his trademark weapon, the Z-Saber, now much more versatile than in the X series.
There are two other weapons that Zero can acquire: the Shield Boomerang and the Triple Rod. The Shield Boomerang can block the standard plasma shots most enemies fire, as well as be thrown into a crowd of enemies to damage them before returning, but only when it has been charged. However, while it is being used, Zero cannot perform his dash. The Triple Rod begins as a poor substitute for the Z-saber (dealing no more damage than a single saber slash would), but after repeated use can eventually be charged and extended up to 3 times its length and cause multiple hits on any enemy in its path (becoming quite effective on bosses).
Akin to an RPG trait, using a weapon enough unlocks its more advanced techniques. For example, at the beginning of the game, Zero can only slash once with his Z-Saber. However, by destroying enemies with it, Zero can learn more powerful techniques, such as the triple-slash, spin-attack, and charge slash.
[edit] Elemental damage
Charged attacks can be equipped with three different elemental chips obtained from certain bosses, Ice, Fire, and Thunder, which change the color of the attack and cause status effects to certain enemies. Ice freezes and slows an enemy, fire damages an enemy slowly after the initial attack, and electricity shocks an enemy and makes them unable to harm Zero for about a second. Against bosses, the elemental chips do 1.5 times the damage of a non-elemental attack if they match the target's vulnerability. Ice defeats Thunder, Fire defeats Ice and Thunder defeats Fire.
[edit] Cyber Elves
- For more details on this topic, see Cyber Elf.
This game also introduces the concept of Cyber Elves, which are single-use aids with either temporary or permanent effects on Zero or the game's levels. They are hidden throughout the game as well as dropped by enemies. The use of Cyber Elves penalizes the mission score.
[edit] Ranks
At the end of each level, the player is scored on their actions throughout the game. The results are split up as follows:
- Mission - How well the mission was completed
- Clear Time - How quickly the mission was completed.
- Enemy - How many enemies were destroyed in the mission.
- Damage - How much damage was taken during the mission.
- Retry - How many times the mission was retried (akin to how many lives were lost).
- Elf - How many and how advanced Elves were used. The less, the better. Elves with permanent effects will continuously penalize Zero for the rest of the game.
The total, out of 100, is graded with a lettered rank - S, A, B, C, D, E or F. It's also accompanied by a codename determined by actions taken. Interesting to note is that bosses have special attacks that they only use if the player is of S or A rank.
[edit] Modes
When the game is beaten, a "New Game Plus" can be played by loading the completed save file. In the new game, Zero will start with all activated Cyber Elves used from the previous game still in effect (the penalties, however, will still remain).
By meeting certain criteria, two additional modes can be unlocked.
Hard Mode is unlocked by beating the game once. To play, hold L when selecting to start a New Game. In Hard Mode, Zero's weapons cannot increase in strength.
By beating Hard Mode at A rank or better, and also finding and leveling (but not using) every Cyber Elf in the game, Zero can use a unique Cyber Elf dubbed "Jackson" in subsequent games, who grants complete invincibility for several seconds when used.
Ultimate Mode is unlocked by beating the game after using every Cyber Elf, including Jackson. To play, hold R when selecting to start a New Game. Ultimate Mode starts Zero off with all Cyber Elves with permanent effects already in use and without penalty. Also, all of Zero's weapons are at full power, and he can even use full-charge attacks instantly by means of simplistic button combos.
[edit] Story
The story begins with a human scientist named Ciel and her reploid companions being chased through an underground bunker. Their relentless pursuers are mass produced X look-a-likes called Pantheons, among other terrible machines. After heavy losses, Ciel and company arrive at a sealed chamber containing Zero who has been powered down for 100 years.
After sleeping for a hundred years, Zero awakens to a world where reploids are being constantly accused of being Mavericks and systematically "retired", apparently under the direction of X himself. Assisting Ciel in her escape from the bunker, Zero begins his fight against X's utopia, Neo Arcadia, and its Four Guardians: Harpuia, Leviathan, Fefnir, and Phantom.
Before the last fourth of the game, Ciel confesses that the X in current Neo Arcadia is not the real X; she created him when the real X went missing a long time ago. As Zero reaches Area X, he finds that Ciel told him the truth; the X he meets is indeed not the one he knew. After defeating Copy X, Zero narrowly escapes the explosion it sets off, and is flung out of communication range with the resistance. Landing in a desert, he is awakened by the real X who had taken the form of a Cyber Elf. X explains to Zero that since he disappeared 100 years ago and left him alone, X had been fighting the Mavericks by himself. He asks Zero to watch the world for him and allow him to rest for awhile.
[edit] Characters
- For more details on this topic, see List of Mega Man Zero characters.
[edit] Resistance
- Zero - Hero
- Ciel - Human scientist
- Alouette - Reploid girl
- Andrew - old Reploid
- Cerveau - Reploid engineer
- Colbor - Reploid that needs rescuing
- Milan - Reploid that dies in the first scene
[edit] Neo Arcadians
- Copy X - Ruler/Defender of Neo Arcadia
- Fefnir - Leader of the Jin'en Army
- Harpuia - Leader of the Rekku Army
- Leviathan - Leader of the Meikai Army
- Phantom - Leader of the Zan'ei Army
- Anubis Necromancess III - A boss found in the Desert mission. He has a weakness to the Fire Element Chip. You have to fight him again in the Neo Arcadia Core stage.
- Asura Bazura - A multi-armed boss found in the Neo Arcadia Shrine stage.
- Aztec Falcon - The boss of the Disposal Centre Mission. He drops the Thunder Element Chip upon being defeated.
- Blizzack Staggroff - The boss of the "Secret Base" mission. He drops the Ice Element chip upon being defeated. Weak against fire. You have to fight him a second time in the Neo Arcadia Core stage.
- Hanumachine - Leads the invasion of the Resistance Base after all the regular missions have been completed. He is weak to the Thunder Element Chip.
- Herculious Anchortus - The Final Boss of the Neo Arcadia Shrine stage. He is weak to ice.
- Maha Ganeshariff - The elephantine boss of the Underground Laboratory stage. He is weak to thunder. You have to fight him again in the Neo Arcadia Core stage.
- Orochi Arm - Boss of the "Occupy Factory" mission. It has no elemental weakness. You get the Fire Chip for defeating it.
- Pantheon Core - Boss of the Train mission. Weak against thunder.
[edit] Critical response
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After the release of the Mega Man Battle Network games for GBA, many reviewers were very receptive of Mega Man Zero and were glad that the franchise was returning "to its roots".[1] A general complaint is the difficulty of the game, with one reviewer suggesting that it is not for younger or casual players.[2]
The collecting Cyber Elves aspect of the game is constantly compared to Pokémon and reviewers praise the way their use provides the game with an element of strategy.
A common complaint is that the game suffers from slow down, though they are deemed minor setbacks that do not detract from the gameplay [3].
[edit] References
- Mega Man Zero 1 Instruction Manual
- Megaman Network
- ^ Craig Harris. IGN: Mega Man Zero Review. IGN. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
- ^ Tim Tracy. Mega Man Zero for Game Boy Advance. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
- ^ Avi Fryman. GameSpy.com - Review. GameSpy. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
