Mega Man Music Reviews: Mega Man 6

 I don't think I've ever come around on a Mega Man soundtrack more than I did with Mega Man 6's. For a while, this was actually my least favorite classic Mega Man soundtrack! I thought it sounded way too slow and dry, but it eventually really grew on me. I've seen Yuko Takehara gets a lot of praise for her work on Mega Man lately, and it helped shine a new light on how crisp and well-crafted MM6's music is. Despite being the slowest-paced and most melancholic soundtrack to date, Mega Man 6's music is also super powerful and filled with some strong melodies, a focus on tight and heavy percussion, and anthemic choruses.

Mega Man 6

Opening
Solid opening track. I like the power chords that kick off the song, along with triangle-sounding notes, and all of Takehara's unique trademarks like the twinkly notes and the rhythmic backing track.
3/5 Stars

Title Theme
The title theme is pretty good too. It's got a really catchy melody and manages to cram in a lot of musical ideas into its very short loop.
4/5 Stars

Password
Well, we're back to the weak password themes. MM6's password theme isn't awful, it's definitely less grating to the ears than some of the others and the usual percussion that Takehara uses a lot is on full display, but the melody itself is pretty generic and uninteresting.
2/5 Stars

Stage Select
The stage select theme has the usual power you'd expect from a Mega Man 6 track. It's really catchy but its ridiculously short length means it can wear on your pretty fast.
3/5 Stars

Blizzard Man
Absolutely beautiful theme. As I said, Mega Man tends to have really good ice themes and Blizzard Man is where that all starts. This is a very melancholic piece with a catchy melody and an absolutely lovely chorus, and some of the countermelodies at play are very impressive.
5/5 Stars

Centaur Man
While I have warmed up to MM6's soundtrack, some tracks are definitely still a bit too slow for me and this is one of them. It's got a nice mystical aura to it, especially with the higher pitched chorus, but it's just too muted to rank among the better Robot Master themes.
3/5 Stars

Flame Man
Flame Man's theme is an interesting beast as it keeps rising in intensity as it goes on. It starts off super laid-back and chill, but evolves into a ridiculously powerful and catchy chorus. The build-up might be a bit too long for my tastes, but man is the payoff worth it. MM6's music is pretty good at capturing the setting of each stage, and Flame Man definitely has that Arabic flavor to it.
4/5 Stars

Knight Man
Knight Man's theme is so complex, there's so many moving parts to it and yet it all sounds so cohesive due to sharing that same central motif. I love the classical-sounding trills throughout the track and just how heavy the chorus is, but nothing tops that absolutely godly solo that caps off the piece. Knight Man's theme sounds so medieval in all the best ways, almost like a proto-Shovel Knight track.
5/5 Stars

Plant Man
Plant Man has probably the most upbeat and fast-paced track in the theme, and it's as fun and catchy as you'd expect. The main melody is super upbeat and hummable, and the dramatic ending bit gives the piece a bit of extra flavor.
5/5 Stars

Tomahawk Man
Tomahawk Man's theme is easily one of the best Robot Master themes on the NES, it's fantastic. It bleeds its Western inspiration, from the clopping drums that sound like horses galloping, to the classically heroic main melody, to that more panging and melancholic chorus that gives off the image of riding off into the sunset. When paired with some of the best scenery in the entire franchise, man does it hit.
5/5 Stars

Wind Man
I always tend to forget about Wind Man, but his theme is actually very good. It has the comfy, airy feel that many future air-centric Robot Master themes would have, with a fun and upbeat central melody, absolutely lovely pre-chorus, and triumphant chorus that brings the whole track full circle.
4/5 Stars

Yamato Man
I'm a bit split on Yamato Man's theme. It's a very fun track with a ridiculously earwormy melody and a real power to it. This is a booming track with heavy percussion and a hard-hitting lead, but it feels noticeably slow and I'm not sure if that was the best decision for it. Still a good track, though.
4/5 Stars

Boss Battle
MM6's boss theme is a bit more on the groovy side, and yeah, it's pretty fun. The smooth bass really elevates this one, despite feeling a bit short.
3/5 Stars

Get New Weapon
Once again, the weapon upgrade theme is very bass-y and intense, but it's way shorter, less melodic, and more repetitive than the ones in MM4 or MM5. There really isn't much to this piece at all.
1/5 Stars

Mr X Fortress
And here we are... one of the best tracks in the entire series. The Mr X Fortress theme is dripping with melancholy and finality, with an absolutely beautiful central melody. It has this pleading quality to it without sounding whiny like MM4's Wily Fortress 4, it genuinely lands all the emotional beats it's going for.
5/5 Stars

Wily Fortress
While overshadowed by its predecessor, the Wily Fortress theme ain't bad either. I love how it brings back the MM2 leitmotif for one final hurrah, but in a far more melancholic context.
4/5 Stars

Wily Battle
And the Wily Battle theme is great too! It's both fast-paced and melancholic at the same time, really giving off the impression that this is the final battle (despite the boss's difficulty), and the solo at the end elevates the track further.
4/5 Stars

Staff Roll
Unlike all the previous staff rolls, this one is a medley of all the Robot Master themes. Well, I like all the Robot Master themes so, yeah, this is a great credits theme that brings the whole game full circle.
5/5 Stars

Mega Man Music Reviews: Mega Man 5

Ooo, I was excited to get to this one. Mega Man 5's soundtrack is often regarded as one of the weakest in the series because it's a lot more laid-back and chill, and I think that's doing the soundtrack a big disservice. Sure, it's not the hard-rock of MM2, but from a compositional standpoint, MM5's music is some of the most impressive on the NES, boasting impressively dynamic melodies, tight key changes, and a wonderfully crisp sound. Mari Yamaguchi has such a distinctly energetic and rhythmic style that makes every track a joy to listen to. Mega Man 3's soundtrack is great, but I think MM5 has my absolute favorite music out of the classic games, and it's time I properly defend it.

Mega Man 5

Title Screen
Bursting out of the gate, we have easily one of the best title themes in the series. It's a head-banging little tune with an epic-sounding main melody and a frenetic guitar solo to end it off on a high.
5/5 Stars

Password
Even the password theme isn't too bad! MM5's password theme is still a fairly short loop, but it has a very laid-back and chirpy vibe that's easy on the ears and does a good job at putting the player at ease for a bit.
3/5 Stars

Stage Select
The stage select theme is pretty good too. Way too short, but it has a nice, upbeat melody that screams adventure.
4/5 Stars

Gravity Man
Even MM5's detractors love Gravity Man's theme. It's one of the most iconic tracks of the second NES trilogy, with a pure, classic minor Mega Man melody. It's just so catchy throughout, and the sporadic breakdown at the end is not only a jam but fits the topsy-turvy level design perfectly.
5/5 Stars

Wave Man
Wave Man has easily one of the most laid-back themes in the series, but I love it regardless. The main theme is already a very pleasant tropical-inspired tune, but the key shift into the chorus elevates the track even more and lends the track a small hint of melancholy.
5/5 Stars

Stone Man
Stone Man's theme is also pretty laid-back, but it has so much going on. The groovy verse, the satisfying pitter patters in the background, the heroic-sounding pre-chorus, and yet another perfectly executed key change for the climax of the track. It's a summation of everything that makes Mega Man 5's soundtrack so stellar.
5/5 Stars

Gyro Man
Gyro Man's theme isn't quite as remarkable as the last few Robot Master themes, but it still has everything that made them great. An upbeat and laid-back vibe, a catchy melody, a heroic chorus, and an overall smooth progression throughout.
4/5 Stars

Star Man
Star Man's theme is easily the most love-it-or-love-it track in the entire series. It's a very experimental piece going for a frenetic, spacey feel. For some, it's very ear-grating and harsh on the ears, and I felt that way at first. Now, I'm a bit more mixed. Star Man's theme has some really clever parts like the key change early on and the trilly notes halfway through, but I still can't say it's the most pleasant track to listen to.
3/5 Stars

Charge Man
Train levels always have incredible music, and Charge Man is no exception. This theme is overflowing with energy and propulsion, with a rhythmic background track that sounds like the click-clacking of train wheels, an infectiously upbeat and catchy main melody, and an absolutely incredible intro.
5/5 Stars

Napalm Man
I go back and forth on my favorite Robot Master theme in MM5, but I've currently settled on Napalm Man's. It's a lot more intense than the other Robot Master themes in this game, with a powerful and dramatic main melody, and a more rocking feel to it.
5/5 Stars

Crystal Man
Crystal Man's theme is a very toned down track, but I think that works to its benefit. The sparse verse does a great job of capturing the feeling of venturing into an undiscovered area, and the heroic chorus is incredibly addicting. There's just something about this soundtrack that really hits the nostalgia pangs for me, maybe it's all the crazy key changes in every single track.
5/5 Stars

Boss Battle
Mega Man 5's boss theme is one of the more interesting in the series as it almost sounds like dancing music, there's an elegant tango feel to it. I've often compared Mega Man fights to dances, so yeah, this fits pretty perfectly. And props for delaying the intro until the boss's health bar fills up.
4/5 Stars

Get New Weapon
Another solid weapon upgrade track in the same vein as the one from MM4, going for a heavy rock feel with a lot of intense hard-hitting notes.
3/5 Stars

Proto Man Fortress
But what really solidifies MM5's soundtrack as my favorite are the fortress themes, both of which rank as two of the best in the series. Proto Man Fortress has a similarly powerful energy to Napalm Man, with a fast pace, dramatic main melody, and an absolutely godly chorus that feels ridiculously climactic.
5/5 Stars

Wily Fortress
Here it is, my favorite Wily Fortress theme in the entire series. It's just perfect. I love how melancholic it is, how smoothly the different melodies transition together, how dramatic the chorus is, and just how quintessentially Mega Man-y it feels. It's equal parts somber and catchy, and gives off a strong feeling of determination. There are rumors that Yoko Shimomura made this track, which would be awesome, but regardless, it's an absolute musical high point in the series.
5/5 Stars

Last Boss
The final boss theme for MM5 has the same elegancy and freneticism that the standard boss theme has, but with a very smooth escalation in the chorus. It's not one of my favorite final boss themes out there, but it's still pretty great and much longer than any of the previous ones.
3/5 Stars

Staff Roll
This is a really good credits theme that once again has everything that made the rest of the soundtrack great, from heartfelt melodies that toe the line between being uplifting and melancholic, a blistering pace, and a a ridiculous amount of key changes even by this soundtrack's standards.
4/5 Stars

Mega Man Music Reviews: Mega Man 4

Mega Man 4's reputation has only gone up over the years for being the first truly polished Mega Man experience, but I always found it kinda mid. Between the frequent sudden difficulty spikes, dinky charge shot, bizarre story about Mega Man going to Russia, and weak soundtrack, MM4 is not a game I particularly love. Not to put down composer Minae Saito, though, she really tried here. This is an ambitious soundtrack filled with experimental pieces and a more classical militaristic tone befitting the Russian setting, but it makes quite a few of the tracks blend together for me, and it doesn't help that so much of it sounds weirdly echoey. Seriously, I have no problem with chiptune, but Mega Man 4's music just... doesn't hit my ears in the right way sometimes. The game still has its good tracks, but I'm sadly not gonna be too positive here.

 Mega Man 4

Opening
At the very least, MM4's soundtrack starts with a bang. The opening theme is split into two parts, with the first being more melodic and classical-inspired, and the second being more energetic and Mega Man-y. The former bit is absolutely lovely, and the latter is a jam too if a bit too echoey
4/5 Stars

Title Theme
The title theme is also one of the better ones, even if it's still short. It's tense, dramatic, and is almost entirely composed of a rocking guitar solo.
4/5 Stars

Password
This is the worst track in the entire series. MM4's Password Theme isn't just short and repetitive, it's also absolutely ear-piercing! Who thought this was okay?!
0/5 Stars

Stage Select
This is a perfect example of my problem with MM4's sound. The melody itself is fine, but the lead is so echoed that it sounds delayed and off-beat, it just doesn't sound that good.
2/5 Stars

Bright Man
At least most of the Robot Master themes are pretty good. Bright Man's theme is nice and chirpy, and I like the little blips in the chorus. However, and this will apply to most MM4 themes, the echo does sadly drag it down a bit.
3/5 Stars

Toad Man
Toad Man's verse is nothing too special, but the jazzy chorus is really good. That downwards scale is ridiculously smooth and elevates an otherwise short and unremarkable track.
3/5 Stars

Drill Man
Definitely not a bad theme, but it's one of the most forgettable themes in the series, in my opinion. It sounds so similar to a lot of other Mega Man 4 themes. The classical-sounding scale in the chorus is pretty cool, but most of Drill Man's theme just blends together.
2/5 Stars

Pharaoh Man
Ah finally, Mega Man 4's only real banger. Pharoah Man's theme is ridiculously groovy and fun, with one of the most earwormy main motifs out of any Robot Master theme. It fits the Egyptian setting perfectly, and maintains a great sense of momentum throughout.
5/5 Stars

Ring Man
I like Ring Man's theme, it's a very experimental track but I think it paid off. The verse is sporatic and chaotic, but controlled enough that you can still parse out a rhythm amongst the seemingly random notes. And the way it all comes together for a classic Mega Man chorus ends the track on high note.
4/5 Stars

Dust Man
I get Drill Man and Dust Man's themes confused way too much, but I think Dust Man's theme is a bit better. It's a bit better paced, less all over the place, and the way it loops is very satisfying. I also think the echoey soundfont works here because it manages to replicated vacuum sounds.
3/5 Stars

Dive Man
Dive Man is another one of the better tracks in the series. It's a groovy surf-rock inspired theme with a smooth melody and an infectiously upbeat chorus. The one good thing about Mega Man 4's constant musical experimentation is that sometimes Saito manages to produce absolute gold, and Dive Man is a great example of that.
4/5 Stars

Skull Man
Skull Man's main motif is very good, classic Mega Man, but the rest of the theme just doesn't quick work for me. I just don't think the melody meshes too well with the banging background track, especially in the verse.
3/5 Stars

Boss Battle
MM4's boss battle theme feels like it's trying to emulate the freneticism of Mega Man 3's boss theme, but doesn't do it nearly as well. It's less catchy, more grating, and very short.
2/5 Stars

Get New Weapon
Man, the weapon upgrade themes just keep getting better. MM4's weapon upgrade theme is badass as hell and has a very strong groove to it that fits the cool cyber visuals that show whenever you get a weapon.
3/5 Stars

Dr Cossack Stage 1
Out of this game's four castle themes, Dr Cossack 1 is probably my favorite. It's unabashedly Russian-sounding, but pulls off that style really well, from the fast-paced and rhythmic intro to that melodic verse and chorus.
4/5 Stars

Dr Cossack Stage 2
Dr Cossack's second stage theme is considered by many to be one of the best tracks in the series and I... don't really see it, sorry. That's not to say it's bad though, it's got a great melancholic atmosphere to it and some solid melodies, but once again, it just doesn't fully come together. The banging noise during the second repetition of the verse really kills the mood for me.
3/5 Stars

Dr Wily Stage 1
I've complained quite a bit about Mega Man 4 sounding too echoey, but Wily Stage 1 gets this the worst. The laid-back tropical-sounding midpoint is somewhat pleasing, but the intro is way too loud and the outro is pretty ear-piercing. But also, why is this theme even so laid-back to begin with? It's a Wily Castle theme!
2/5 Stars

Dr Wily Stage 2
Ah, that's better. The second Wily Stage theme boasts an incredibly strong melody that feels very climactic and melancholic. In execution, it can sound a bit too whiny at times particularly at the end, but overall, this is definitely one of the better MM4 themes for me.
4/5 Stars

Last Boss
This is a fun final boss, super chaotic and frenetic with a brisk but heroic chorus. Unfortunately, it's also comically short.
3/5 Stars

Staff Roll
This is a pretty good staff roll theme. The first half is more somber, melancholy, and bluesy like the ending themes of MM2 and MM3. It's not as immediately memorable as those, but it's got some solid guitar solos. The second half is a solid remix of the MM2 motif, and it's hard to mess that theme up.
3/5 Stars

Mega Man Music Reviews: Mega Man 3

Mega Man 3 is my favorite classic Mega Man game, and it might also have the best classic Mega Man soundtrack. I said might because I go back and forth between MM3 and a later undisclosed entry, but that doesn't change the fact that this soundtrack is incredible and blows MM2's out of the water in my opinion. It's darker, more complex and melancholic, while still keep the same rocking energy that defines the series' music. The composers are Harumi and Yasuaki Fujita, both of whom are very prolific Capcom composers with one hell of a resume, including Final Fight, Pulstar, Blazing Star, Darkwing Duck, Breath Of Fire, Bionic Commando, and Strider between the two. So it should not come as much of surprise that they know their stuff.

Mega Man 3

Title Screen
The best title theme in the entire series, hands down. That melancholic blues intro hits every single time, and the heroic and energetic main melody never fails to get you excited for the game ahead. I know MM2's main theme is inarguably the most iconic classic Mega Man theme, but this is the one I feel most definitively fits the character.
5/5 Stars

Password
This theme is way too cheery to be in Mega Man 3, or even a Mega Man game in general. This is definitely one of the weaker password themes sadly, and yet it still only gets worse from here.
2/5 Stars

Stage Select
Thankfully, the stage select is a return to form. Like most of the soundtrack, it has a dramatic, heroic feel to it, along with a solid rhythm as well. It may still be short, but it's definitely one of my favorite stage select themes in the series.
4/5 Stars

Needle Man
Needle Man's theme is a pretty neat change of pace compared to the previous Robot Master themes we've gotten so far. It's a lot more downbeat and melancholic, but I still think it's really good. This is easily one of the longest tracks we've gotten in the series to date, and the powerful chorus ends Needle Man's theme on a strong final note.
5/5 Stars

Magnet Man
Magnet Man definitely has the happiest Robot Master theme in the game. The verse is solidly fun on its own, but the cheerful and melodic chorus really makes this track.
4/5 Stars

Gemini Man
Gemini Man's theme is weird in all the best ways. It goes in so many different directions, between the groovy riff, the catchy main melody, and the eerie Arabic-sounding sustained notes in the second half. It perfectly fits Gemini Man's eclectic stage while being a real banger on its own.
5/5 Stars

Hard Man
In a shamelessly dramatic soundtrack, Hard Man's theme feels particularly dramatic. Between the heavy verse and heroic chorus, this theme sounds incredibly epic, even if I'm not really sure how it fits Hard Man as a character.
5/5 Stars

Top Man
Top Man's theme is still really fun, but it's probably my least favorite Robot Master theme. It's got a nice rhythmic feel and a groovy main melody in the verse, even if it can sometimes sound like the track itself is lagging behind a bit.
4/5 Stars

Snake Man
Easily one of my favorite themes in the entire franchise. It might even be my favorite Classic theme straight-up, it's just so, for lack of a better word, epic. Every track in Mega Man 3 (barring the password theme) sounds intense and dramatic, employing minor keys, complex countermelodies, and heroic choruses to really make you feel like the fate of the world rests in your hands. Snake Man is the perfect encapsulation of all that, it has everything. A groovy riff, a tense verse, a grandiose prechorus, and a beautiful chorus that toes the line between melancholic and heroic.
5/5 Stars

Spark Man
Spark Man's theme is also pretty fantastic. The entire track has such an intense feel to it, from that phenomenal intro, to the punchy notes in the verse, to the... yet again... dramatic chorus. This is one of the more iconic Mega Man tracks and that's absolutely warranted, it's really great.
5/5 Stars

Shadow Man
Shadow Man's theme is one of the lighter tracks in the game, going for a groovy rock vibe. It has a bit of a build-up, but each section of the track amps up the amount of instruments and the complexity of each instrument, culminating a fantastic show-stopping chorus.
4/5 Stars

Boss Battle
Now this is a boss theme. It's so frantic and tense! Seriously, I don't know how many times I can keep restating how dramatic this soundtrack is, because this is easily one of the most urgent-sounding boss themes in the series.
4/5 Stars

Weapon Upgrade
Even the weapon upgrade theme in this game is epic! It's also quite long too, even having a solid second part that brings the theme to a powerful climax.
4/5 Stars

Dr Wily's Castle 1
While not as crazy as MM2's Wily Castle 1, this is still a really solid track on its own merits, with a lot of moving parts to it. The melancholic main melody juxtaposes the incredibly bouncy riff really well, as there's some nice guitar-solo-sounding bits later on in the track too.
4/5 Stars

Dr Wily's Castle Boss
Nice to see another Wily Boss theme after MM2 didn't have one. It doesn't top the Yellow Devil, but the frenetic arpeggios still make for a solidly tense boss theme.
3/5 Stars

Dr Wily's Castle 2
Unlike the previous game, I actually think the second Wily Castle theme is way better than the first! Like in MM2, it's a lot more atmospheric, but it makes up for that by just being ridiculously moody and dark. The main melody is so somber and grippingly melancholic, and really makes you feel like you're at the end of the game. It's a bit too short to stack up to MM2's Wily Castle 1, but it's still pretty close behind.
5/5 Stars

Dr Wily's Castle 3
This is a slow, heavy remix of the Wily Boss theme and it's solid. It sets the mood pretty effectively and certainly sounds better than some of the previous atmospheric Wily Castle themes, but it's still easily the weakest level theme in MM3 and it's not even close.
3/5 Stars

Proto Man's Theme/Epilogue
Despite the somewhat ear-piercing sound used for Proto Man's Whistle, I still love his theme, especially when it gets extended for the epilogue. It's a somber, chill blues piece that perfectly sets the stage and tone for the game's big plot twist.
4/5 Stars

Staff Roll
Unfortunately, I don't love MM3's staff roll theme. It's a solid tropical-sounding track on its own, but like with the password theme, it clashes with the rest of the soundtrack pretty harshly.
3/5 Stars

Mega Man Music Reviews: Mega Man 2

Ah, Mega Man 2. The most iconic and beloved game in the entire series, and one of my least favorites. MM2 is certainly a great sequel for its time, but I've already gone on about how much it drops the ball in the finale, and how much Metal Blade sucks, and how its "normal mode" obscures how unbalanced it is, and how it spearheaded some of the more aggressive genwunner-ing this side of the Pokemon franchise to the point of actively influencing later games. I don't think it's one of the best Mega Man games, let alone one of the best games of all time.

That being said, even I still quite like the music. Mega Man 2 was a gargantuan improvement over its predecessor in terms of music, going for a more energetic and complex 8-bit rock style that the series would become defined by. It's absolutely one of the best soundtracks on the NES, especially at the time... but yet again, most of the later soundtracks just sound a lot richer to me. The crushing oversaturation of tracks like Wood Man and Wily Castle 2 don't help, despite their undeniable quality. That being said, there's still a lot to love here. It is a Mega Man soundtrack, after all.

Mega Man 2

Introduction
Mega Man 2 starts with a lower-pitch remix of the ending theme of the first game. While not as long, I think the lowered pitch makes this version sound just a bit better.
3/5 Stars

Title Screen
What can I even say about MM2's title theme that hasn't already been said. It's a slower remix of the Wily Castle theme that gets the player pumped for the game ahead, and the melodic solo in the second half just screams Mega Man.
4/5 Stars

Password Screen
Ehhhhhhhhh... Look, MM2's password theme is certainly iconic and instantly recognizable, but try actually listening to it for longer than, like, five seconds. It's a very short, high-pitched loop and it gets repetitive fast. That being said, this isn't just an MM2 problem. Most password themes in Mega Man kinda suck, this is actually one of the better ones.
2/5 Stars

Stage Select
This is a solid middle-of-the-road stage select theme. It's not as energetic as some of the later ones, but it's got a nice groove to it, and like the rest of the soundtrack, it's just plain iconic.
3/5 Stars

Metal Man
Definitely one of my favorite themes in the game. Maybe I just have a lot of nostalgia for it since it's the first Mega Man stage I ever played, but Metal Man's theme feels particularly energetic even by the standards of Mega Man 2's soundtrack.
5/5 Stars

Air Man
Apparently Manami Matsumae worked on this track, particularly the "guitar solo", and what an improvement over all of her work in the first game. I think I gained a lot more appreciation for this one, it's really good. The groovy riff, the earwormy main melody, anthemic chorus, and yes, that guitar solo, all make for one of the most rocking tracks in the soundtrack. After countless listens, I think Air Man's theme holds up the best.
5/5 Stars

Bubble Man
Bubble Man has my favorite Robot Master theme. I always adored this track as a kid, and I still do now, it's really underrated by this game's standards. I love the melancholic vibe the entire track exudes, and the chorus is once again pretty fantastic. There's just such a nice flow to the entire track, it's fantastic.
5/5 Stars

Quick Man
Quick Man brings back the buzzing sound from some of the first game's tracks and puts it to much greater use with this fun and groovy samba-sounding tune that only just feels like it ends a bit too quickly, no pun intended.
4/5 Stars

Crash Man
Crash Man isn't nearly as energetic as the last few tracks, but it's still a pretty solid earworm. The central riff is pretty catchy, and that "guitar solo" in the middle is pretty great.
3/5 Stars

Flash Man
Flash Man's intro is phenomenal, the clap-sounding background notes and exciting melody do such a good job at getting you pumped. The rest of the track isn't quite as strong, sadly. The chorus is iconic for sure, but it just doesn't live up to that intro for me.
3/5 Stars

Heat Man
Heat Man's theme is probably the shortest and most repetitive Robot Master theme, and is thus my least favorite. The melody is certainly iconic and memorable, like every track in MM2's soundtrack, but there's no chorus at all. It's just the intro and verse repeated ad infinitum.
3/5 Stars

Wood Man
Yeah, Wood Man's theme is pretty great. It brings back the game's main theme for a really dramatic and driving piece that feels way too epic for the stage it plays in. Granted, I do think Wood Man's theme has gotten a bit too oversaturated over the years, but it's still a top-tier track.
5/5 Stars

Boss Battle
This is a solid boss theme. It's pretty short, but it's very catchy, and I like how dramatic the intro is. Once again, this is probably a mid-tier boss theme in the wider scope of the series.
3/5 Stars

Weapon Upgrade
Sorry, not a fan of this one. Once the novelty of the bass notes wears off, this is a pretty thin and repetitive weapon upgrade theme.
2/5 Stars

Dr Wily Stage 1
Okay, I'm going to say something a bit heretic here. MM2's Wily Stage 1 is not the best Wily Castle theme. It's not even Top 5. 

That being said, no way can I hate it. This is easily the best MM2 track by a mile. It's so long and complex, it keeps building and building with increasingly crazy guitar solos and blood-pumping choruses. It's the culmination of everything MM2 has been building up to musically, perfectly capturing that endgame feeling. It's an incredible track, I just don't think it's the best.
5/5 Stars

Dr Wily Stage 2
Hmm... I'm not really sure how to feel about this one. On one hand, MM2's Stage 2 track does a pretty good job at evoking a sense of dread, and I like how it steadily increases in volume to make you even more unnerved. On the other hand, it's short, repetitive, somewhat grating, plays on the worst levels of the game, and pales in comparison to the rocking tunes that Wily Fortresses usually have.
3/5 Stars

Ending
This is a solid ending theme. It's not one I immediately remember all that often, but it does a really good job at evoking a somber tone even if that leads to some pretty ridiculous mood whiplash considering what happens in the game. Am I the only one who finds it weird that MM2 ends with a gag about Wily pretending to be an alien before immediately shifting tones to a somber ending where Mega Man contemplates his place in the world?
3/5 Stars

Staff Roll
And going full circle, this is basically the title screen theme again with a cute extended ending that takes the weapon upgrade and makes it into kind of a banger?
4/5 Stars

Why I Love Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

If you saw my Kirby series review, you might be a bit surprised to see Kirby 64 on my Top 100 list. Didn't I give it 4/5 stars back then? What's changed? Nothing much, really. Kirby 64 is always a game that resonated with me, but it wasn't until a few months after making that retrospective that any gripes I have with the game are vastly overshadowed by the many things it gets right. K64 is a game that is vastly greater than the sum of its parts, and offers an experience that no other entry in the series has managed to replicate.

Kirby 64 was one of those games that kinda came out at the wrong time. It was both a 2D platformer on the Nintendo 64, and a Kirby game that took more after Dream Land 3 than Super Star. At the time, I don't think many people really cared about Kirby 64, but it grew a pretty massive cult following over time even within the series. It makes sense, Kirby 64 is a very unique Kirby game, with a style and vibe all its own.

In terms of its story, Kirby 64 is one of my favorite games in the series, partially because it's given more of a focus. There's a decent amount of cutscenes spread across the game, all of which are these incredibly charming and cute silent skits, and Kirby actually has a bit of a friend group this time. Early on, Kirby becomes accompanied by the fairy Ribbon, the artist Adeleine, a Waddle Dee, and King Dedede, and they make for a fantastic cast of characters. Ribbon is an adorable and brave secondary lead, and her implied crush on Kirby stands out for being the sole romantic subplot in the series. Adeleine is also very likable and her being an artist and presumably the only human in the series gives her so much potential as a character, it's a real shame she barely reappeared since. Waddle Dee is the least noteworthy of the cast, but he seems like the progenitor for Bandana Dee in the later games. And King Dedede is noteworthy for this being the first time he willingly teams up with Kirby, once again giving him some fantastic character development. The actual plot of the story is still fairly simple, it's mostly just Kirby defeating Dark Matter for the third and last time, but the charming cast, adorable cutscenes, and creepy ending elevate it quite a lot.

As far as gameplay goes, Kirby 64 controls pretty much exactly like every other game. You can run, jump, inhale, swallow to copy enemy's abilities, and float, albeit with a timer this time. Kirby does move a bit slowly in this game, but this never bothered me much. As I said, Kirby 64 was criticized at the time for not having the fast combo-heavy combat of Super Star, but it more than makes up for that with its central gimmick. For the first time, Kirby 64 allows you to combine abilities. You have seven base copy abilities, but you can combine them to make 35 total abilities, all of which run the gamut from screen-clearing weapons, to gag abilities, to helpful support abilities, to more context-sensitive stuff you can use to find collectibles. This system offers so much experimentation and it's a joy to simply discover what all of the combinations lead to. Even more, this is the only game in the series where you can choose to not swallow an enemy and rather hold it above your head to use its abilities, giving you access to even more options for getting through the levels.

The level design in Kirby 64 is easily one of its best aspects. Being a 2D platformer made in the late 90s, Kirby 64 goes full 2.5D in the same vein of games like Klonoa and Tomba. Paths wind around, enemies and obstacles come at you from the background, and the stages all boast a lot more depth. Every stage in Kirby 64 feels so memorable and dynamic, from the autumn forest in Pop Star, to the weird alien obelisk in Rock Star, to the mines in Neo Star, to the factory and mall in Shiver Star. Kirby 64 also adds some neat variety by actually implementing the other cast members into the level design. Waddle Dee lets you use a vehicle like a minecart or sled, King Dedede lets you play as him in certain segments, and Adeleine paints you solutions to certain puzzles.

 

The boss fights are also incredible, easily some of the best and hardest in the series. Each boss in 64 has at least two phases and often uses the 2.5D perspective to great effect, like Whispy Woods having you circle around him and destroying his roots, Magman and HR-H attacking you from the background before entering a chase, and the brutal Miracle Matter fight where you can only take him out with certain copy abilities at certain times. And as per the usual for the series, the final boss is a showstopping and dramatic tone shift that ends the game on a high note.

I shouldn't have to say that Kirby 64 is, like every Kirby game before it, chuck-full of content. Within the main campaign, there's 74 Crystal Shards to find to unlock the final boss, many of which will require you to really learn what each copy ability combination does. Even after beating the game, there's also a ton of enemy cards to collect by beating levels to keep you coming back. Beyond that, there's the usual unlockable boss rush along with a bunch of other unlockable features a sound test, and one of the best minigame modes in the series. Kirby 64 boasts three minigames to play, each having three difficulties, supporting up to four players multiplayer, and allowing you to play as all five members of the cast. Prior to Merry Magoland, this was the closest we've ever gotten to a "Kirby Party", and it helps that the minigames themselves are an absolute blast. Checkerboard Chase in particular ranks as one of, if not my absolute favorite minigame in the entire series.

But the best thing about Kirby 64, hands down, is its presentation. It's up there with Mario Party 3 and Paper Mario as the prettiest game on the N64, going for a cute, simple, pastel look that really emphasizes the dreamlike feel of Dream Land. The ground is peppered with stars, the textures and UI all look sketched-out, and the character models are ridiculously expressive, especially in the case of Kirby. It's a perfect translation of Dream Land 3's iconic pastel visuals, and makes for one of the most striking aesthetics in any video game, period. The soundtrack also ranks as one of the best in the series, and is arguably Jun Ishikawa's best work. It's a tight, energetic, catchy score that fuses quirky melodies with jungle-sounding drumlines and it sounds so good. It's hard to even listen all the highlights because there's just so many, but Quiet Forest, Zero Two, Miracle Matter, Factory Inspection, Ripple Star's Map and Castle themes, and Vs Boss deserve special mention.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is such a complete package. The copy ability mixing, the 2.5D level design and bosses, the fantastic replay value, the charming story and cast, the incredible soundtrack, and the stunningly beautiful presentation all add together into a beautiful experience. But I think what really helps Kirby 64 stand out to this day is that there's no other Kirby game like it, it's entirely its own thing. No other Kirby game has level design this multi-dimensional, no other Kirby game has this degree of ability mixing, no other Kirby game (barring Epic Yarn) has this many unique mid-game cutscenes, no other Kirby game has Ribbon or Adeleine as a major character, and no other Kirby game looks like 64 does. Kirby 64 offers up a unique glimpse of what this series could've turned into, and while I adore modern Kirby, I can't help but wonder sometimes... What if?

2024 Games I Played: Splatoon 3: Side Order

On the same exact day as Penny's Big Breakaway, we also got the long-awaited Splatoon 3 expansion, Side Order. I haven't gotten to it yet in my Top 100, but Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion DLC is my favorite piece of Splatoon media, and probably my favorite DLC expansion of any game period. So Side Order had a lot to live up to, especially considering it went in a roguelite direction, which is a genre I'm not very fond of. There's a few roguelikes I enjoy like One Step From Eden or Downwell, but they're the vast minority. Thankfully, even if it doesn't come close to topping Octo Expansion, I can happily say that Side Order is now one of them.

Like the base Splatoon 3, Side Order has some massive spoilers pretty early on, so tread carefully.

Splatoon 3: Side Order makes an incredibly good first impression, with an extended prologue that both plays towards and subverts your expectations. It starts like the trailers suggested. Agent 8 wakes up in a strange world with a robot version of Pearl, Marina seems to be captured at the top of a tower, and you quickly meet the DJ Dedf1sh (now going by Acht) who offers to take you up to save her. This prologue slowly walks you through the game's mechanics like dealing with Pearl Bot, color chips, and picking rooms as you make your way to Marina, who... you proceed to fight in a boss fight? I was confused. Wasn't this supposed to be a roguelike? Wasn't Marina supposed to be the final boss? Am I even supposed to win this? Once you beat Marina, the twists keep coming. You actually manage to free her from captivity, and unleash a creepy being named Order who proceeds to kick you and Marina out of the tower. Cue the title card. After the DJ Octavio twist in the main campaign, I should've expected Side Order to pull another fast one on me, but the fact that all the trailers had Marina edited out meant the big twist that kicked off this DLC really caught me off-guard. 

Once all that set-up is done, the game properly becomes a roguelite. You have to make it up 30 floors in a single run, each floor lets you pick between three different rooms of varying difficulties each with their own unique rewards, you add color chips to your palette as you scale the tower to give yourself buffs, and when you die, you get points you can use to give yourself permanent upgrades or even restart from where you died. Despite the trailers emphasizing how brutal Side Order would be, it actually has a pretty generous gameplay loop, between the many permanent upgrades you can get, the ability to save in the middle of a run, and the fact that many floors have at least one easy room means pretty much anyone should be able to make it up to the top eventually. However, you can also just ignore all the permanent upgrades if you want to make things harder for yourself. It's definitely possible to do it without them, I even managed to make it past the first boss on my first run.

I think the thing I'm most interested in with Side Order is, why does it work for me? As I said, I'm not a big fan of roguelikes, but I found myself surprisingly addicted to Side Order, so what gives? There's probably a few reasons. First off, I simply like Splatoon's gameplay. I'm willing to do runs over and over again, because no matter how far I make it, I'm still going to be getting a good dose of Splatoon goodness, even on the earlier, easier floors. It also helps that while the rooms you get are random, the rooms themselves are still purposefully designed arenas, meaning there's still actual level design here. Side Order feels less like a procedural dungeon crawler and more like a series of rapid fire Octo Expansion challenges, and I rarely ever played a room that was straight-up unfun. On top of that, I just really like the customization aspects here. Side Order strikes a good balance between allowing the player to really strategize about which color chips they want and what build they want to make, while also keeping the menus streamlined and digestible to avoid any complex number-crunching. The decision of which room to try goes beyond picking a difficulty, as you need to factor in which color chips seem more appealing, and the potential money reward. It's also reassuring to have permanent upgrades, and knowing that even having a bad run will still push you forward a bit. I know some people don't like permanent upgrades in rougelik/tes, but I usually enjoy them.

On top of that, Side Order also just does a lot of really cool things. The story, for example. It's great to get to see Pearl and Marina again, and Side Order puts a heavy emphasis on their relationship. So much so, in fact, that I think Off The Hook shippers are going to go pretty wild over some of the stuff that happens in this DLC. Acht is also a very cool character. I always thought Dedf1sh was an interesting character from Octo Expansion for their sick design and fantastic music, but their depiction in Side Order skyrocketed them to being my all-time favorite Splatoon character. From their laid-back personality, to their sad and intriguing backstory, to a certain endgame reward that wraps up their storyline perfect, Acht made a pretty massive impact in the best ways. And Order is such a creepy villain. Even coming off the heels of Mr Grizz, Splatoon keeps upping the ante in that aspect. Speaking of which, the bosses in Side Order are great too. Unlike Octo Expansion where every boss but the last two were harder versions of pre-existing Splatoon 2 bosses, Side Order's bosses are entirely original, and generally all really fun!

That being said, there are still a few issues I still have with the DLC, as fun as it is. While I praised the lack of procedural generation, you do end up stumbling upon the same few arenas very often which can make Side Order feel a tad repetitive at times. And as I said earlier, I think Nintendo really overstated Side Order's difficulty. It can be tough, especially by the end, but if you've been playing Splatoon and especially Salmon Run for years, you might be a bit underwhelmed. Personally, I'm not much of a Salmon Run guy, so I still got put through my paces quite a bit. And while I do love the character interactions and bits of story we did get, Side Order is unfortunately not the sheer onslaught of lore that Octo Expansion was by virtue of being a roguelike. In particular, if you're just play this game to beat it once, you will probably miss out on a decent amount of story context.

As far as content is concerned, Side Order also really surprised me. There's a pretty impressive amount of collectibles and unlockables here that'll require quite a lot of playthroughs of the 30-floor tower. Between the 62 Color Chips, ridiculous amount of upgrades, and abundance of purchasable items that can be sent over to the main game, there's a lot to discover here. On top of that, there's a pretty neat bestiary mode that shows all the Color Chips and enemies you've found, and by collecting more of them, you'll get to hear Pearl's, Marina's, and Acht's thoughts on all of them. It's like the Piklopedia but for Splatoon! But the truly genius addition is the locker system. There's a total of 36 lockers to open which will unlock a bunch of perks like Marina's diary pages and more weapon/palettes to use. You open lockers by finding keys. There's 11 weapons, each with three keys to collect by beating boss fights, meaning to unlock everything, you need to beat Side Order with every weapon. This system gives the game so much extra replay value and difficulty, since you really need to master every weapon archetype, and you get consistently rewarded for your efforts too. Where Side Order lacks in length, it more than makes up for in pure replayability.

I can't comment too much on the presentation since Side Order is pretty much just built on Splatoon 3's engine, meaning it doesn't look that much different from the rest of the game. The eerie blank white aesthetic of the Memverse is visually striking, though, and I love all the references and callbacks to the Octo Expansion. The soundtrack is also pretty fantastic, which is also par for the course for the series. It's a nice blend of the vibey techno of Octo Expansion and the unnerving dissonance of Salmon Run music, and there's a lot of standout memorable tracks like the comforting elevator theme and most of the boss fight music (especially the one that plays during the Marina fight). Like the rest of the game, it's not on the same level as Octo Expansion, but it's still pretty great.

And that's really my take on Side Order as a whole. I still think Octo Expansion is the better package and it left a much stronger impact on me, but Side Order still feels like a worthy successor in pretty much every way. It's got a surprisingly addictive, customizable, and replayable roguelite gameplay loop that managed to make me enjoy one of my least favorite genres, on top of the fantastic atmosphere, lore, and music that I loved so much about Octo Expansion.

4.5/5 Stars

2024 Games I Loved: Penny's Big Breakaway

Folks... I think we may have a new Top 100 candidate on our hands. As I've said before, Penny's Big Breakaway was my most anticipated game of 2024, and just a few days ago, it suddenly got a shadowdrop out of complete nowhere. Now that I've played it, yeah, it definitely lived to the hype. From the dev team behind Sonic Mania, now called Evening Star, Penny's Big Breakaway gave me everything I wanted, and some things I didn't even know I wanted. So this post will be both a standard review and a Top 100 gushing post, because man do I have a lot of positive things to say about this game.

Like all great 3D platformers, Penny's Big Breakaway has a simple premise. Penny is a performer who accidentally got herself in trouble with the king, and has to run away from him and his army of penguins as she tries to clear her name. I don't think I've played a 3D platformer with a fugitive-style plot like this, but it's a surprisingly brilliant fusion, lending the fast-paced gameplay a fittingly propulsive story. I was also quite pleasantly surprised about just how much I ended up enjoying the game's story, but it's so intertwined with the gameplay that I'll have to save that for later.

So let's start with the gameplay instead. Penny's Big Breakaway is a linear 3D platformer where you play as Penny who has a pretty wide moveset of yo-yo related moves. You can throw your yo-yo at objects, spin it around as a form of crowd control, swing to gain height, dash to gain speed, air stall to land on platforms more easily, and hop on your yo-yo to use it as a spin dash-esque speed boost. There's a lot to keep track of and it means Penny's Big Breakaway has a very steep learning curve. However, once you do get to grips with the controls, this is probably one of the best 3D platforming movesets period. It's so robust, freeform, and expressive. There's so many ways to tackle each obstacle, but nothing ever feels game-breaking, there's no double jump or anything like that. You need to work and use your arsenal to its fullest to get past every obstacle. What elevates the moveset is how momentum comes into play. Almost all of your moves are momentum-based. The ride move, for example, speeds up when you're rolling down slopes and slows down when you're going up one. But the really genius part is the fact that maintaining your speed requires you to pull off the tougher maneuvers. You'll have to dash rather than air stall or swing, and when you do swing, you need to let go a bit earlier to get a boost. Taking risks in Penny's Big Breakaway makes you go faster, and going fast feels very satisfying in this game.

The levels is also really well-designed, and consistently so. The levels feel meticulously crafted to encourage you to build as much speed as possible, and the many gimmicks the game tosses your way are all fun to use, from power-ups to a variety of contraptions you can interact with using your yo-yo. While the game is linear, it's linear in the same way that Super Mario 3D World and Forgotten Land are linear. They're straight-forward start-to-finish platforming obstacles courses, but they're also filled to the brim with hidden areas, secrets, and collectibles. But my favorite thing about the levels in this game is the theming. The starting town world is pretty standard, but from World 2 onward, Penny's Big Breakaway offer up some truly unique world ideas, each offering their own unique mechanics to mess around with. Zaphara is an electric-based factory on a desert where Penny becomes an intern and does odd tasks, Moltobene is an Italian-inspired restaraunt stationed onto of a volcano, World's Edge is a library in space, Lawberry has you escape from prison and platform your way through a courtroom, the list goes on. The color choices, striking backgrounds, and fantastic music (more on that later) also helps to really give this game a great sense of atmosphere, elevating its roster of stages.

The way Penny's Big Breakaway handles combat is also quite interesting. There's a serious lack of enemies, barely a handful. Instead, the foes you usually have to deal with is the occasional penguin horde, which you have to run away from and shake off using your yo-yo tricks. The penguin chases are pretty fun too. They don't show up too often and hamper the platforming or exploration, but rather get their own dedicated segments in each level where they try to chase you down. As you'd expect, there's also a bunch of boss fights, but they once again remain somewhat nonviolent. Most of the boss fights rely on you batting away attacks with your yo-yo, solving some sort of puzzle, and of course, running away, to take the boss down. This may sound lame at first, but the boss encounters are so inventive and fun that I found them to be a highlight of the game, especially with the often rocking music and cinematic camera angles. From playing pool with Mr Q's head, to racing a puppet version of yourself (very Sonic), to stealing Judge Rufus's gaval to use it against him, the bosses are overall really fun, and their role in story makes them even better.

Told you I'd be getting back to that. Penny's Big Breakaway's story is pretty simple at its core, but it's elevated by some really charming writing and character work. All of the boss fights feel less like standard fights and more like conflicts between Penny and the boss that need to be resolved. Most fights start with a cutscene that introduces you to the boss and teaches you about their motivations, with some just straight-up not even being bad guys. The pirate Sheila is just sad Penny cut her in line, and they patch things up after the fight. It's a neat take on a boss lineup and helps the world feel more like a genuine living place. What also helps is that each level is absolutely populated with NPCs, most of which have dialogue, a few even having sidequests for you to do. This is very rare in a linear 3D platformer like this, the only other game with something similar was Super Mario Galaxy 2 and even that didn't have nearly as many NPCs as this. They're such a great addition though, giving each level so much more life, fleshing out the theming of each world, and also just being so charmingly written. Some of the NPC quips got a genuine chuckle out of me. The sidequests are also quite funny, they remind me a lot of the sidequests in Spyro 2 & 3, some even taking place in their own disconnected challenge rooms, albeit without any of the minigames. It may sound weird for me to say, but Penny's Big Breakaway is actually really good at world building. It does such a good job at fleshing out its levels and character roster so that the world doesn't just feel like a place for you to platform around in, but like an actual living breathing place that you just so happen to be rampaging through. If anything, it further accentuates the fugitive plot.

As far as collectibles go, there's quite a lot to deal with. Each of the 34 main stages has three big coins to find and three of those aforementioned sidequests to do, and getting the big coins unlocks 15 fun and brisk bonus levels that really test your skills. All 49 of these stages also have a score threshold, which unlocks a bit of concept art upon beating it. Reaching the score threshold in each level is a tough task, especially in the bonus levels where you can't just rely on exploring for items to get point bonuses. You'll need to be fast and thorough, while also using the game's combo system to its fullest. Yeah, I didn't mention that part yet. By chaining together yo-yo moves without touching the ground, you can build up a combo that increases your score. If you're good enough, you can often pull off a single consecutive chain from the start of a level to the very end. This combo system is so addicting to play around with, and along with the Time Attack mode that's obviously based on the one from Sonic Mania, Penny's Big Breakaway really encourages you to master the controls and push yourself to go even faster. A neat detail I noticed is how most of the collectibles lead to shortcuts, so taking the time to explore the level can help you discover routes that can help improve your time.

Considering that this is still a review, I should bring up the few gripes I have with this game. First off, I think Penny's Big Breakaway gets off to a bit of a rough start. As I mentioned, I thought the first world was pretty weak in terms of theming compared to everything after it, and combined with the steep learning curve, it makes for a bit of an upwards climb at first. The game also does the Mario Wonder thing where some worlds just straight-up don't have boss fights, which is a shame considering how good they are. Even a simple chase sequence would've been nice. I also think it's worth mentioning that this game can feel a bit janky at points. The yo-yo can get stuck on stuff, and the camera can goof out a bit, but it's never anything game-breaking and only strengthens the early 2000s 3D platformer vibe I get from the game. Oh yeah, and the bonus minigame that you play at the end of each stage gets real repetitive real fast, and if you're going for score, it can feel pretty crummy if you mess it up after a near perfect run.

From what I can tell, the most divisive aspect of Penny's Big Breakaway are the visuals. They're bright and colorful, but they're also abstract and the character designs are a bit too weird for some people. Personally, I think the game looks pretty great. The bright and simple levels feel right out of a Sega Saturn or Dreamcast game, the penguins feel like mooks in a Treasure game, and all the major characters are quite charming and expressively animated, especially Penny. And I as I mentioned earlier, the theming and atmosphere of the levels is immaculate, and the phenomenal soundtrack by Tee Lopes definitely helps. Penny's Big Breakaway's OST is already an easy candidate for best of the year, it's super diverse and consistently catchy. Tracks like Tutto Finisce A Taralluci E Vino and Outside The Eidophusikon are probably the biggest highlights for me due to the sheer amount of PS1 era techno vibes they give off, but pretty much every stage theme is great, and the boss themes are all these energetic rock bangers that never fail to get me hyped. Other highlights include Scientific Method, Penny In A Pinch, Balearic Birds, Palace Sneaktime Swing, and Sparks Of The Cobalt Sands, but that's still just the tip of the iceberg with this soundtrack.

From what I can tell, Penny's Big Breakaway is a tad divisive? It seems a lot of people aren't vibing with the controls or visuals, or the general level of jank kills the game for them. But personally, I clicked with this game hard, it feels like it was made for me. Despite a slow start, once you really learn the controls, PBB has an incredible sense of flow and energy to it. The level design strikes a perfect balance between exploration and speedrunning, the writing and characters are charming, the aesthetics and theming are on-point, and the soundtrack is just incredible. Penny's Big Breakaway feels like such a loving throwback to early 2000s 3D platformers in the same vein of A Hat In Time, and as of right now, it's my current Game Of The Year.

5/5 Stars

Mega Man Music Reviews: Mega Man

Time for my next music reviews series. This one's gonna be a beast, too. I'm reviewing the soundtracks to every classic Mega Man, X, and Zero/ZX game. I'm sticking with these three series because I think they just have the most worth talking about.The Battle Network and Legends games do have their fair share of great tracks, but I just don't have as much to say about them on an individual track level. But for the platformers? Yeah, I have a lot of thoughts.

Let's start with the first game, shall we. I actually think the original Mega Man holds up better than you'd expect, it's certainly more balanced and has a better Wily Castle than several of its direct sequels, but the soundtrack definitely pales in comparison to nearly every game that followed it. It was Manami Matsumae's first soundtrack and a very early NES game so it's impressive by those standards, but compared to most of Matsumae's future soundtracks and every Mega Man game that followed, it's nothing too special nowadays.

Select Screen
This is a very 80s track, almost sounding like it could be in a Rocky movie. It does do a decent job at getting you pumped in game, but it is a very short and repetitive loop otherwise.
2/5 Stars

Cut Man
Well, we're already at the best track in the game. Cut Man's theme is one of the most iconic tracks in the series and I think it holds up the best out of any of MM1's tracks. It's catchy, surprisingly lengthy for an MM1 tune, and has a great sense of intensity to it. It feels like the progenitor of the 8-bit rock that would define the series.
4/5 Stars

Guts Man
Guts Man's theme, on the other hand, is a lot less interesting. It's a pretty simple melody repeated throughout the entire track, with barely any variation to it. It does a solid job at conveying Guts Man's power and the buzzing in the background is cute, but otherwise, this is one of the weaker Robot Master themes.
2/5 Stars

Ice Man
All the way back in the first game, Ice Man's theme managed to establish the calm ice theme that would a staple of the series. It's still really short like most MM1 tracks, but the more laid-back vibe helps Ice Man's theme stand out a bit.
3/5 Stars 

Bomb Man
Bomb Man is always my first Robot Master of choice when playing this game, and this theme is a big reason why. It just screams "first level", with a cheery and heroic melody that sounds like the start of an adventure. And like with Cut Man's theme, it's decently lengthy, with a defined verse and chorus to prevent it from getting too repetitive. Definitely one of the best MM1 tracks.
4/5 Stars

Fire Man
Fire Man has the same buzzing sound of Guts Man, but with a way better melody. While still pretty short, Fire Man's catchy verse and classical-sounding chorus makes for one of the better tracks in the game.
3/5 Stars

Elec Man
I don't have too much to say about Elec Man's theme. It's pretty catchy and upbeat, particularly the opening that feels like a slow-paced version of the select theme, but it's as usual way too short.
3/5 Stars

Boss Battle
I'm not a fan of MM1's boss theme, sadly. While iconic, it kinda just sounds like a jumble of out-of-sync notes to me. The Powered Up version is way better in this case (somehow the Wily Wars version is worse?!).
1/5 Stars

Dr Wily Stage 1
Speaking of out-of-sync, the first Dr Wily theme suffers from exactly that, which is a shame. Composition-wise, it's a solid, haunting track that sets the tone really well. In practice, all the instrumentts just don't line up to each other. Thankfully, the Wily Wars and Powered Up versions fully realize this track's potential.
1/5 Stars 

Dr Wily Stage Boss
Despite how short and repetitive this theme is, I absolutely love it. It does such an incredible job at inducing a state of panic in the player, befitting the infamous Yellow Devil fight. It's such a clean loop too, almost impossible to get this track wrong.
4/5 Stars

Dr Wily Stage 2
The second Dr Wily theme isn't out-of-sync like the first one is, it's just very boring and short. Most of the track is composed of droning notes and it gets old very quickly. Not even the remakes make me like this track that much more.
1/5 Stars

Ending Theme
MM1's ending theme is obviously iconic for being reused in Mega Man 2, but I'm honestly a bit split on which version I like better. MM1's version of the theme starts with these really high pitched notes I'm not a huge fan, but it also has an extended melody afterwards that the MM2 version doesn't have.
3/5 Stars

Touhou Music Rankings

Now that my Touhou Music Reviews series is finally over, I wanted to cap off by quickly running through some rankings:

Here's my ranking of every Touhou soundtracks, including the spinoffs:

1. Subterranean Animism
2. Mystic Square 
3. Scarlet Weather Rhapsody + Soku
   
4. Imperishable Night
5. Ten Desires
6. Mountain Of Faith
7. Shoot The Bullet/Double Spoiler
   
8. Perfect Cherry Blossom
9. Sunken Fossil World
   
10. Undefined Fantastic Object
    
11. Double Dealing Character
12. Antimony Of Common Flowers 
13. Impossible Spell Card
    
14. Embodiment Of Scarlet Devil
15. Phantasmagoria Of Flower View
16. Legacy Of Lunatic Kingdom
    
17. Highly Responsive To Prayers
18. Seihou 1 & 2 
19. Hopeless Masquerade
    
20. Lotus Land Story
21. Unfinished Dream Of All Living Ghosts
22. Hidden Star In Four Seasons
    
23. Phantasmagoria Of Dim Dream
24. Urban Legend In Limbo
    
25. Violet Detector
    
26. Unconnected Marketeers
    
27. Story Of Eastern Wonderland
28. Immaterial And Missing Power
    
29. Great Fairy Wars
    
30. Wily Beast And Wicked Creature
31. 100th Black Market
    

Here's my ranking of the albums:

1. Changeability Of Strange Dream
2. Magical Astronomy
3. Dolls In Pseudo Paradise
4. Ghostly Field Club
5. Dr Latency's Freak Report
   
6. Dateless Bar "Old Adam"
7. Neo Traditionalism Of Japan
8. Taboo Japanese Disentanglement
   
9. Retrospective Of 53 Minutes
10. Trojan Green Asteroid
    

And here's my Top 25 songs in the series:

1. The Shining Needle Castle Sinking In The Air (Double Dealing Character)
   
2. Fall Of Fall - Autumnal Waterfall (Mountain Of Faith)
3. Solar Sect Of Mystic Wisdom (Subterranean Animism)
   
4. Enigmatic Doll (Dolls In Pseudo Paradise/Seihou 2)
5. At The End Of Spring (Undefined Fantastic Object)
6. Legendary Illusion - Infinite Being (Mystic Square)
7. Beware The Umbrella Left There Forever (Submerged Hell Of Sunken Sorrow)
8. Bell Of Avici (Double Spoiler)
9. Desire Drive (Ten Desires)
   
10. Flowering Night (Phantasmagoria Of Flower View)
11. Broken Moon (Scarlet Weather Rhapsody)
12. Complete Darkness (Story Of Eastern Wonderland)
13. Retribution For The Eternal Night (Imperishable Night)
14. Necrofantasia (Magical Astronomy)
15. Even Though It's Not Night, There Are Ghosts (Taboo Japanese Disentanglement)
    
16. No More Going Through Doors (Hidden Star In Four Seasons)
17. Retrospective Kyoto (Shoot The Bullet)
18. Vanishing Dream - Lost Dream (Phantasmagoria Of Dim Dream)
19. Higan Retour - Riverside View (Phantasmagoria Of Flower View)
    
20. Last Remote (Subterranean Animism)
    
21. Greenwich In The Sky (Magical Astronomy)
22. The Eternal Steam Engine (Hisoutensou/Antimony Of Common Flowers)
    
23. The Japanese Wilderness The Girl Watched (Mountain Of Faith)
24. Border Between Dream And Reality (Changeability Of Strange Dream)
    
25. Bhava Agra As Seen From A Child's Mind (Scarlet Weather Rhapsody)
    

Touhou Music Reviews: CD 7-9

Well, we're finally approaching the end of the Touhou Music Reviews. It's taken way too long. These last three albums all kinda slot in around the middle of the pack for me, they're all really consistent, offering up some neat new original tracks, some fantastic remixes, and another solid Hifuu Club story.

Neo Traditionalism Of Japan: Neo Traditionalism Of Japan isn't one of the more remarkable albums, but it's a solid improvement over Trojan Green Asteroid with more noteworthy remixes and memorable original tracks.

Green Sanatorium
Green Sanatorium is a bit of a dinky track, from the spooky central riff to the main melody that almost sounds like a nursery rhyme. It does a lot right like the lovely flutes and bouncy piano, but I don't know, something about this track just doesn't all come together for me.
3/5 Stars

Led On By A Cow To Visit Zenkou Temple
Phenomenal track, easily one of the best original CD themes. It sounds a lot like a title theme in how it uses the Theme Of Eastern Story, but the haunting main melody, unconventional chimes and percussion, and intense tone makes for a real album highlight.
5/5 Stars

Heartfelt Fancy
Yet another remix that doesn't change too much from the original. I do prefer the original's percussion a tad, but Heartfelt Fancy is still a fantastic track.
5/5 Stars

Fate Of Sixty Years
Fate Of Sixty Years's remix on the other hand sounds drastically different, with nearly all the instruments being new. The organ has a synthier vibe to it, the drums are punchier while still having that distinct PofV cadence to them, the intro is a bit longer, and we get a new ZUNpet only section to end off the track. I already loved the original track, but this has to be one of the best remixes in any album, all these improvements make this a better track.
5/5 Stars

Wind Of Agartha
Wind Of Agartha is another strong original track. The melody is catchy, the primarily woodwind instruments are pleasing to the ears, and the comfy vibes make for a very pleasant listen.
4/5 Stars   

Izanagi Object
Izanagi Object is one of the most beloved album tracks, often held up as one of it not the most underrated Touhou track ever made. Sorry, I don't really see it. The intro is phenomenal, from the quirky and offbeat instrumentation to the dramatic ZUNpets to the eerie piano piece, but around the 0:50 mark, it feels like the track loses all its momentum as it enters its much weaker second half. It's still a good track, but not one of ZUN's best.
3.5/5 Stars?

Youkai Back Shrine Road
Another great remix that improves on the original track. The higher-pitched synths and removal of that squicky noise the original had really brings out Youkai Back Shrine Road's best qualities like its energetic pace, catchy melody, and sketchy vibes.
5/5 Stars

Unknown X - Unfound Adventure
Ooo, a fighting game theme getting a remix. Unknown X isn't one of my favorite final boss themes in a Touhou fighting game, but it's still really good thanks to a ridiculously chaotic and frantic pace, and those satisfying chimes that are used throughout the track.
5/5 Stars

Gathering The Mysterious From All Around Japan
Another pretty calming piece with a beautifully somber melody and all the same satisfying synths and woodwinds that made Wind Of Agartha so effective. The chorus can hit particularly hard too.
4/5 Stars

Let's Live In A Lovely Cemetery
Let's Live In A Lovely Cemetery's remix doesn't change too much beyond adding a new synth lead and tweaking a few instruments as usual. Both versions are equally great.
5/5 Stars

Dr Latency's Freak Report: Dr Latency does have a incredible selection of returning tracks, though barely any of them are actually elevated by their remixes in this album. The original tracks, on the other hand, are some of the best we've had in a while, employing this uniquely techy sound that defines the album.

Natural History Of The Childlike Duo
Fantastic opening number. The melody is so happy and catchy, and the guitar and synth solos that slow pop up over the course of the track only make you want to bop your head increasingly more.
5/5 Stars

The Frozen Eternal Capital
This remix barely changes anything from what I can tell outside of adding some more strings in the background. Not that it changes much, this is still one of my favorite Touhou tracks of the last decade.
5/5 Stars

Dr Latency's Sleepless Eyes
This feels like it could work incredibly well as a factory theme, between the harsh synth tones and rhythmic melody. It's a really fun track too, super catchy and energetic.
4/5 Stars

September Pumpkin
Another track that hasn't changed too much. My thoughts on September Pumpkin remain the same.
4/5 Stars

Beyond Planck In An Instant
Beyond Planck is the requisite chill track of the album. The low-key vibes and somewhat melancholic but still catchy central melody makes for a comfy track, at least until the halfway point when the track abruptly shifts into a tense techno bop. I prefer the first half a bit more, but hey, I respect the boldness.
4/5 Stars

Schrodinger's Bakeneko
Another fan favorite track, and I can absolutely see why in this case. Schrodinger's Bakeneko boasts an incredibly bouncy and head-banging melody, along with an infectious sense of energy, that makes for
5/5 Stars

The Shining Needle Castle Sinking In The Air
My favorite Touhou track and it's... once again almost exactly the same, at least outside of a newly added guitar in the intro.
5/5 Stars

The Taboo Membrane Wall
Another good original track! Unfortunately it's also the last one in the album. The weird time signature and pounding percussion makes for a really tense and engaging track which culminates in a hauntingly beautiful piano chorus that's unfortunately a bit too short.
4/5 Stars

The Sea Where The Home Planet Is Reflected
Another phenomenal track from the games, that once again doesn't change too much outside of a few instruments. I feel like a broken record here.
5/5 Stars

Pure Furies
Pure Furies is a unique exception among all the remixed tracks. It's the only one I didn't already love, but it's also the only track that feels like it got a worthwhile remix that improves upon the original. Everything just feels so much more punchier here, particularly the synths, and the reworked percussion keeps the momentum going in a way that the original just couldn't. This version of Pure Furies feels more powerful, and earns the feeling of intensity that the original track didn't quite reach.
4.5/5 Stars

Eternal Transient Reign
After that pleasant surprise, we have yet another incredible track that barely got changed in its remix. Oh, well...
5/5 Stars  

Dateless Bar "Old Adam": Dateless Bar is one of the most interesting albums ZUN has ever made, both thematically and in terms of how much he experimented. Dateless Bar is pretty much an album entirely about Renko and Maribel going to bar and getting drunk, which leads to a slew of weird and quirky off-kilter original tracks and a group of remixes composed almost entirely of underrated gems that actually deserved a reprisal. Not every track lands for me, but I admire the ambition on display here.

"Old Adam" Bar
I already raved about "Old Adam" Bar in my spinoffs review, but yeah, this is a great track and one of my favorite original album themes. The mysterious vibe, the jazzy melody, the bouncy synths, it all sets the tone for the album to come perfectly.
5/5 Stars

The Darkness Brought In By Swallowstone Naturalis Historia
Okay. I'm mixed on this track. The opening is ear-grating, boasting harsh high-pitched synths that I just find unpleasant to listen to. But on the other hand, the chorus is actually pretty great, and the wacky final 30-or-so seconds are an actual bop.
3/5 Stars

Reverse Ideology
Always love to see Reverse Ideology return and this remix is pretty good but not particularly ground-breaking, only just punching up the instruments a bit.
5/5 Stars

Outsider Cocktail
Hmm... this is another weird track that I'm not sure works for me. It's pretty obvious trying to recreate the feeling of being drunk, with off-kilter swaying synths that almost sound tipsy. Unfortunately, Outsider Cocktail can sound a bit harsh if you're not in the mood for it.
3/5 Stars

Omiwa Legend
This might be the most improved track in any Touhou album, what a glowup. Futo's theme was always one of the less remarkable themes in Ten Desires's soundtrack, but the shift to using a synth riff makes this version feel almost like a techno rave remix of the original, and it sounds so much more energetic.
5/5 Stars

Pandemonic Planet
Pandemonic Planet is already a track I really loved, but lo and behold, this remix is also an improvement. The bass is more audible, the woodwinds are crisper, and yes, the instruments as a whole have more of a punch to them. It all helps that iconic final segment hit all the harder.
5/5 Stars

Adventurer's Tavern Of The Old World
This is a cute track. A bit on the dinky side, but it's overall very bouncy and fun, especially in the catchy verse.
4/5 Stars

Rural Makai City Esoteria
Rural Makai City Esoteria is such a criminally underrated track and I'm very glad to see it return. The added chimes, strings, and musical flourishes managed to improve on a track I already thought was borderline perfect, making it sound far richer than ever before.
5/5 Stars

The Lost Emotion
Huh, I haven't even talked about The Lost Emotion, have I? It's a fantastic track, crushingly bleak and hopeless but in a way that's still gripping to listen to. This remix is yet another solid improvement, amping up the percussion to give it a bit more energy without losing the grim atmosphere that the original had.
5/5 Stars

Hangover Of Bedfellows Dreaming Differently
What an incredible final track, super melancholic and touching, especially with those almost bagpipe-sounding synths. It hits even harder knowing that this is the last full album, and that we may never get another one after this (I hope not, though. Please, ZUN, give us another Hifuu Club album!).
5/5 Stars

Why I Love Touhou 18: Unconnected Marketeers

Sometimes you just have such an incredibly good experience playing a game that it gets completely elevated in your eyes. I think Touhou 18 is a very strong entry in the series on its own merits, but man, does it just awaken something in me whenever I play it. I've frequently stated that my favorite bullet hells put me in a zone where I'm pulling off dodges I never thought I was capable of, and Touhou 18 is the best example of that. It has such a remarkable sense of flow and difficulty that none of the other Touhou games have been able to match, and that's not even getting into its special gimmick.

Just as a heads up, I've talked about Touhou 18 a lot in my Windows Touhou ranking and my Touhou Music Reviews series, so a lot of this will be me reiterating things I've already said.

As far as story goes, Touhou 18 is probably one of the better entries as of late. The premise is hilariously simple, like many Touhou games are. Reimu, Marisa, Sakuya, and Sanae (peak character roster, by the way) learn about a bunch of magical cards that are being spread around Gensokyo, and they head off to investigate, only to unravel a wide and complicated market system. Most of the new cast members introduced in this game are, as such, business owners, which leads to a particularly wide array of colorful personalities. Between the smooth-talking salescat Mike, the gruff and stylish casino owner Sannyo, the desperate god of markets Chimata, and the dragon-eating centipede miner Momoyo, UM actually has one of my favorite Touhou casts, especially recently.

In terms of gameplay, I think Unconnected Marketeers nails pretty much everything it needs to. The bullet patterns are consistently pretty, varied, and engaging to navigate. Touhou 18 is one of the tougher games in the series, but the difficulty strikes that perfect balance between being challenging and entirely fair. It's so well-calibrated that it's the only entry in the series where, as I said earlier, it feels like I enter some sort of flow state whenever I play it, with it even standing out as one of the few entries I managed to 1cc. And the bosses are fantastic too. Every single boss in UM is spectacular, with memorable and varied attack patterns that are a blast to figure out, especially in the second half. Misumaru's ying-yang orb spam is the highlight, but Megumu's lasers are a close second, and the final boss Chimata's penchant for homing attacks puts Junko to shame (while also being way more fun, of course). The level and boss design of Unconnected Marketeers is masterful, and I haven't even gotten into the main mechanic yet.

Unconnected Marketeers takes a page from the roguelike genre by introducing a Card mechanic, where you can purchase a variety of cards in a shop in between between stages. These cards can buff your stats in a variety of ways, but you can also buy an extra life or bomb if you're more focused on surviving. Money for the shop replaces the blue point items, which is a brilliant move considering how useless they can often be if you're not going for scaring. Since you get a unique selection of cards each time you play, Touhou 18 has an incredible amount of customization and replay value since each playthrough is different and the game keeps track of all the cards you've bought. It's a blast to experiment with different cards to see what builds work for me, and seeing all of the easter eggs and references to past games on the cards themselves just make me happy. Is it broken? Sure, there are totally some builds that will let you destroy the game completely, but that's all part of the fun. The fact that Touhou 18 is easily the most customizable and replayable entry in the series, even topping games like 8 and 16, elevates it so far.

As far as presentation goes, I mean, it's a Touhou game. Like many entries in the series, you have that same charming clash between strong art direction, awkward character art, and stunning backgrounds. However, Touhou 18 in particular has some very beautiful backgrounds due to the focus on rainbows, lots of bright colors and naturalistic settings making for some very pretty scenery. The music is also as good as always, even if it's overall one of the weaker soundtracks in a series filled with phenomenal music. The stage themes are pretty spectacular across the board, with The Abandoned Industrial Remains, The Long-Awaited Omagatoki, and especially Lunar Rainbow being highlights. The final boss theme, Where Is That Bustling Marketplace, is also incredibly good, a frenetic and bombastic cap to the game.

Overall, Touhou 18: Unconnected Marketeers is just an incredibly well-executed entry in one of my favorite series that does pretty much everything right. The pacing, pattern design, and difficulty curve is polished to near perfection, the central gimmick offers up so much customization and replayability without hampering the game's core, the cast of characters is one of the best in recent memory, and the second half is absolutely killer. The fact that after 18 mainline games, we still got one of the best entries in the series is a testament to Touhou's longevity.