Retroactive Review: Mega Man 2
Retroactive Reviews will be focused on media that most of you might not have even heard of, stuff that is either long gone, remade, or has a bazillion sequels and off-shoots. Each of them will be reviewed fairly as they are, and taking into consideration the time period they were created. While they might not seem as shiny and new as titles that are released today, they are in no way completely without merit.
Dr. Wily had seen defeat at the hands of one of his own creations. In his ploy to use six robots he had co-created with Dr. Light, he overlooked their first creation. This was his first mistake, and would prove to spell his downfall.
Dr. Wily thinks he’s learned from that mistake, though, and now he’s back once again. It’s time for Mega Man to prove Dr. Wily hasn’t really learned anything.
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Mega Man 2 picks up not too long after the first title, sometime in the year 200X. Things have quieted down after Dr. Wily tried to take over the world with an army of robots that he and Dr. Light had created to help mankind. That peace wouldn’t last, and it wasn’t long before Dr. Wily re-emerged with a new robot army, eight new robot bosses and a formidable new lair called Wily Castle.
Just like in Mega Man’s first adventure, he must defeat the robot bosses, and then travel through Dr. Wily’s lair to face off against him. This final showdown requires completing difficult stages, beating difficult bosses and then facing off against each of the eight bosses once again before finally coming face to face with Dr. Wily. It’s a tough job, but they don’t call him Mega Man for nothing.
All of the elements of the previous game are featured here unchanged, with Mega Man having to travel through different areas in order to face off against the stage’s boss. Each stage is built around a theme, with Bubble Man’s stage being underwater and Quick Man’s stage focusing on speed. By defeating these bosses, Mega Man would attain a weapon based on their abilities. These weapons ranged from the overpowered Metal Blade, to the ever useful Time Stopper.
To help aid Mega Man in taking on this new and more powerful threat, he can attain E-Tanks stashed away in hard to reach locations in each stage. These E-Tanks, when used, would fill Mega Man’s health up completely, which became a lifesaver in many of the tougher stages. Mega Man was also granted special items after completing certain stages. These items help him more easily get through some areas in the game, and are required for many sections of Wily Castle. The game also was the first in the series to include a password system, which was naturally exploited later on in the game’s life. However, no amount of exploitation, outside of outright cheating, would save players from the brutal difficulty of Wily Castle.
The design of Mega Man and all of the other robots is rather cartoonish, which gives a relatively lighthearted feel to the game. Each of the bosses are distinctive in their design and their abilities, which makes each one stand out, even with so many bosses. The level designs are specifically set up to challenge the player and make them think. While there are, in some cases, easier ways around many of the areas, this was left to the player to figure out. On top of the rather great design of the game and its characters, Mega Man 2 features a very iconic soundtrack with every bit of music being easily recognizable and equally catchy.
Mega Man 2 presented a lot of style in a relatively cute package, but there is nothing cute about its challenge. Players looking for a game that is easy to pick up but difficult to master need look no further. Mega Man 2, and the subsequent games that followed, stand as a testament to 2D platforming that is hard to match.
GO Rating: 4/5
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