It took me a while before I got around to giving the Mega Man series a proper chance. I definitely respected the character and his games, but as a kid, Mega Man games felt way too impenetrable. However, when the Zero/ZX Collection came out and all of my friends were singing its praises, I knew I had to finally take the plunge. Of course, I ended up loving the Zero games so much that I went on a full-on Mega Man binge, and even made reviews for nearly every major game in the series on this very blog. However, even after almost two years, the Mega Man Zero/ZX series still stands tall as my favorite section of the franchise to this day.
The Mega Man Zero and ZX games are a subseries made by a still burgeoning Inti Creates, a team of ex-Capcom staff that would slowly grow into one of the most consistent indie teams when it comes to delivering fun, retro-styled action platformers. They'd later work on Mega Man 9/10, the Azure Striker Gunvolt games, the Blaster Master Zero series, Gal Guardians, and the Bloodstained spinoffs, but I still think the Zero/ZX games are their peak. Collectively, they are not just incredible action platformers with some of the best movement the genre has to offer, but they boast some of the best story-telling in the entire Mega Man franchise. And the Zero/ZX Legacy Collection shows off just how well they work together, complete with tons of extras and side content, and a helpful and optional checkpoint system for people like myself who hate lives. It may seem like I'm cheating here, but I can't just pick my favorite Mega Man Zero game, they are a package deal. Since I've already done formal reviews and the collection boasts a whopping six games, I thought I'd instead do quick runthroughs on what each specific game contributes to the series as a whole.
Mega Man Zero is definitely the weakest of the six games, but that does not mean it's not without merit. As hit-or-miss as its level and boss design can be at points, one thing Mega Man Zero nailed right from the start is that movement. Zero's control in these games is simply incredible. It's fast, precise, and tight, and the way every move fluidly transitions into each other leaves so much for wild combos that raise the skill ceiling. Even in Zero 1, it can feel so rewarding to slowly grow as a player, learn the boss patterns and level design quirks, blaze through everything, and finally get that damn S rank. Another thing Zero 1 nails early on is the atmosphere. The Mega Man Zero games have struck that perfect balance of being heavy and serious without feeling shamelessly edgy or cynical. They revolve around a fairly realistic war conflict between the humans and Reploids, which is always treated maturely and with nuance. And Zero 1 in particular stands out for how small scale and personal it feels. When the game starts, the resistance is on really hard times and Zero is a bit of a last resort for them. But as you complete missions, the resistance's influence begins to spread, which you can visibly see through how the game's interconnected world evolves over the course of the game. None of the other Zero games have that kind of world design, but it works so well for what Mega Man Zero 1 is trying to do. I also need to praise Toru Nakayama's art direction for the series that's already immediately established in this first game. The blend of cute chibi, sheer badassary, and ridiculously intricate tech makes for one of my favorite aesthetics in all of gaming.
Mega Man Zero 2 bumps everything up a notch. The level design is more dynamic and interesting, the weird elements of the first game like the life system and weapon upgrades are toned down or removed, EX Skills and forms are introduced to give the player more customization options, and the pretty meh Triple Rod has been replaced with a sick-ass grappling hook in the Chain Rod. Mega Man Zero 2 can certainly feel like the most unforgiving game in the series especially when it comes to its completion requirements, but it makes up for that by simply giving you way more options than the first game did. The story is also a decent bit more involved thanks to the expansion of the Cyber Elf lore, the introduction of fascinating new villain Elpizo, and a pretty shocking plot twist near the end of the game. Zero 2's biggest success, in my opinion, has to be in the boss design. MMZ2 has easily my favorite boss roster in the series, they're all super varied, fun, and engaging to learn. In particular, the Anchus Brothers fight near the end of the game is probably my favorite non-final boss in a Zero game. Another area where Mega Man Zero 2 excels is in the music. Zero 2's soundtrack goes full on metal and it's all the better for it, with the first half in particular packing in a ton of my favorite tracks in the series back to back (Departure, Gravity, Ice Brain). Zero 2 is by no means the peak of the series, but it marks the point where the Zero series becomes fully confident in its vision.
Over time, Mega Man Zero 3 has slowly settled in as my personal favorite of the Zero/ZX series, specifically in terms of the gameplay. Zero 3 is the game that has perfected and refined the formula in every conceivable way, and all of its improvements and additions are welcome. The sheer amount of missable stuff in Zero 2 is pretty much gone, the Cyber Elf requirements are looser thanks to the satellite elves, the Recoil Rod is arguably Zero's best and most versatile weapon in how it's used both as a movement tool and for pushing enemies around, the chips are a brilliant replacement for the forms in Zero 2 and give you even more moveset customization, and the secret disks are the best collectibles in the entire subseries and are a joy to collect. Mega Man Zero 3 is my personal favorite Zero game to 100%, it's all made so satisfying. On top of that, the level design is phenomenal from start to finish, there's such a great sense of flow to all of them. Stages like the Aegis Volcanic Base, Oceanic Highway Ruins, and Snowy Plains prioritize speed in ways that no other Mega Man Zero game comes close to doing. And to top it all off, the story and writing got a massive boost in quality with the introduction of one of the cruelest villains to ever grace a video game, Dr Weil. Throughout the game, Weil forces Zero and Ciel to make some truly gripping decisions, culminating in a stunning final boss that really solidifies Zero's character development over the course of the series. Mega Man Zero 3 is the most complete Mega Man Zero game, and it's quite possibly the greatest Mega Man game ever made.
Mega Man Zero 4 makes a lot of big gameplay changes, some for the better and some for the worse. I think it's the best game for casual players thanks to the Easy Mode, EX Skills not being locked behind rankings, and the streamlined Cyber Elf system that offers more leniency and less grinding. But even if Zero 3 and possibly even Zero 2 might hold up a bit better for experienced players, Mega Man Zero 4 is still no slouch with a ton of really memorable and inventive stages and boss fights. I'd even say it rivals Zero 2 as my favorite overall boss lineup in the subseries! But where Zero 4 really shines is in its overall presentation. Mega Man Zero 4 has hands down the best writing in any Mega Man game, and that includes Battle Network 3. It delves deeper into the human/Reploid conflict than any prior game, offering a look into the human and Reploid perspectives through the great new characters Neige and Craft. As climactic as Zero 3 feels, I love how personal Zero 4 is, returning to that smaller scale resistance scope that made the first game stand out. The dialogue between the characters is so pointed and loaded, every line feels like it's packed with meaning. And the final act ends both Zero and Ciel's stories on the perfect note, it's one of my favorite endings in any video game period. And on top of all that, Mega Man Zero 4 has some of the lushest spritework on the GBA and a mature and melancholy soundtrack that still stands out as my favorite in the Zero series, wimpy-sounding GBA guitar be damned. Tracks like Esperanto, Holy Land, Max Heat, Deep Blue, Straight Ahead, and Falling Down are just too good. While Zero 3 still wins out in terms of gameplay, Zero 4's narrative and atmosphere left such a massive impact on me that it's come dangerously close to topping it at points. Both games are incredible, and rank as the high point of the franchise for me.
Mega Man ZX stands out for being one of the most ambitious Mega Man platfomers ever made, a large open world game that actually lets you explore the world of Mega Man in its entirety. Sure, the actual navigation could use some work, but the sheer magic of being able to hang out in a city filled with Reploids, doing sidequests for them, partaking in minigames, and going out in the field to do missions just isn't something I could really get from any of the Classic, X, or Zero games. The movement and combat is still on point, if not even more fluid, and the addition of Biometals that give you entirely new movesets you can swap between at will adds so much extra depth and combo potential to an already incredible 2D character action series. I've always had a soft spot for the story of ZX too, both for the way it tackles the aftermath of Zero 4 and for its great new characters like Aile, Vent, Prairie, and of course, Prometheus and Pandora. And of course, I can't go without mentioning the phenomenal soundtrack to ZX, going for an sweeping yet energetic synth vibe that really emphasizes the game's scope and leaves you bopping your head throughout the entire game (Green Grass Gradation, Sky High, Industrialism, Wonder Panorama, Gauntlet, and Snake Eyes being the highlights). The ZX scores are such a massive improvement over the Zero soundtracks, they're just incredible. Despite being my second-to-least favorite game in the collection, I still absolutely adore ZX and think it's a super underrated DS gem. Just a testament to how consistently fantastic these games are.
And finally, there's Mega Man ZX Advent, one of the most criminally overlooked Mega Man games, in my opinion. While the story isn't quite as strong as ZX's, the gameplay improves on its predecessor in almost every way. The world layout is a lot more like the first Zero game, centering itself on a small but densely-packed base that branches out into all the different missions. This not only makes the game feel a lot more streamlined and easy to navigate, but allows for the missions in question to involve a lot more crazy setpieces from a train chase to hopping across rockets to digging through a junkblock-filled maze. The Biometals are still here, but you can also now transform into all of the bosses you defeat, which not only increases your arsenal even more but also lends a metroidvania aspect to the game where you can use boss abilities to unlock more parts of the world and find more collectibles. The boss roster itself is also one of my favorites in the collection, ZX Advent is really just non-stop action with hardly any downtime and I love it for that. And to top it off, I'd say the soundtrack rivals if not exceeds that of the first ZX game, with tracks like Destiny, Through The Lightning, Bullet Drive, Overloaded, In The Wind, Whisper Of Relics, Oriental Sentinels, and Trap Phantasm ranking among my favorites in the entire franchise. ZX Advent gets passed off a lot, but I genuinely adore it. It's leaner, meaner, and tighter than the predecessor and ends the collection on an incredibly strong note... even if that note is sadly a cliffhanger.
Overall, I love the Zero series so much. They really have everything I love about the Mega Man series all amped up to eleven, between their tight precision platforming, ridiculously fleshed-out combat system, consistently show-stopping bosses, addictive replayability, gorgeous spritework, soundtracks that range from good to incredible, and of course, the best-told story in a Mega Man game that actually managed to reach a satisfying conclusion. Zero 3 and Zero 4 are my favorites, but I doesn't feel right to exclude all the others. The Zero/ZX Legacy Collection was how I played all of these games, I experienced the Zero/ZX games as one continuous narrative, and it will be how I continue to experience these games for years to come.
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