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
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