Platformer Update

Developer/Publisher: Capcom
Year: 1990
Fun Fact: the title screen just says “Mega Man” - nothing about “Wily’s Revenge”

Whether or not you like this game is going to depend on several things. Are you a fan of the classic Mega Man series? Do you like it when an NES series goes all Game Boy on you and plays just its big brothers? Finally, do you like your games to be unapologetically tough (sometimes even cheap) ? If you answered yes to these questions, you’ll love this little adventure.

All right, then. As I’ve already suggested, this game will feel very familiar to veterans of the NES Mega Man games. Everyone looks exactly as you remembered them but in black and white. Mega Man himself controls the same exact way. The only real difference is your field of view is understandably smaller as it’s square instead of rectangular.

MMDWR features 4 robot masters from NES Mega Man and 4 from NES Mega Man 2.  HOWEVER, the levels are actually original to this game and not recycled from previous games.  These levels are just as challenging as you might expect but there aren’t very many of them.  Only the first 4 robot masters have their own levels.  The other 4 appear in a warp room after Dr. Wily’s first stage.  All in all, that means there are only 6 total levels!  So, yes, it’s a tough game but its sheer shortness limits gametime. 

The overall shortness, mediocre music and lack of new enemies puts this game fairly low on the list of mandatory classic Mega Man games.  Still, it’s not a bad game by any means and a much more successful NES-to-Game Boy attempt than many, many other games.  If you love the Blue Bomber and don’t mind games that have blind jumps that occasionally lead straight into instant-death spikes, this is the game for you.

Grade: B-
Personal conclusion: not quite what it could have been