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Mega Man 6 Game Review

Mega Man 6 is a 1993 platform game developed by Capcom for the NES. It was the sixth and final NES entry in the Mega Man series and the most basic one of the six.

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“We’ll stop you!

Come on, Rush!“

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Everything that I have said for its predecessor also applies to this entry – it’s all very much the case of been there, done that. You see, this game came out in 1993, a time when the SNES was already well established, but for nostalgia purposes, the team decided to make one final Mega Man game for the NES, and although it’s solid and fun, it was definitely somewhat stale up to this point in formula and execution altogether.

The story is different in the ending at least where finally the protagonist actually manages to imprison Dr. Wily, but he would be back in the very next game, so this development was expectedly inconsequential. In terms of the gameplay, I would say that it’s pretty much on par with the fifth entry, and it just might be more difficult in certain bosses, though the levels themselves were uniformly easy to pass through.

The health, the bosses, the eight stages and the non-linear choice of levels are all inherited from the previous games with no fresh elements added. The only main difference added just for this game that made this one at least somewhat special lies in the power-ups. You have no Dog Rush here, but instead you have a pair of Rush Adaptors that fuse Rush and Mega Man into two special forms.

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Jet Mega Man gives you the ability to fly yourself through the levels, and this was crucial in getting from the down to the top floor in certain areas. Power Mega Man gives you super powerful, charged blasts that can destroy these certain blocks that lead to the pathways containing the health power-ups. It was a very helpful addition, and to be honest, I would have to say that I actually prefer these over the previous incarnations. This is the only mechanic that was genuinely improved from its predecessors, and it’s a shame that it never returned afterward.

Mega Man 6 is the entry in the series where the difference between levels and bosses is the biggest undoubtedly, meaning that while the bosses are largely memorable, the levels themselves are not all that unique. Some worlds are interesting and some level design is innovative here, but mostly you don’t get much variety here. Blizzard Man has a very nice stage with gorgeous icy levels and a great utilization of the slipperiness of the ice. I also liked the futuristic look of Centaur Man’s Stage. The highlight has to be Plant Man’s Stage, which is by far the best designed of the bunch with superbly utilized springs and dangerous pits.

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The bosses are the highlights of the game as they are quite demanding and innovative in the gameplay mechanics incorporated. Two of them were created by North American fans, which is the only time this happened for a Mega Man game. Centaur Man is terrific in his quick moving, great design and very interesting freezing power. Plant Man is ridiculously easy to beat and quite forgettable. Yamato Man is harder, but somewhat annoying.

Tomahawk Man is solid, but obviously a racist stereotype in design. Wind Man and Blizzard Man are forgettable while Flame Man can be quite difficult to beat due to those flames that he throws on the floor. Knight Man is another pretty solid boss overall.

We get two castles here, Mr. X’s Castle and Wily Castle, both solidly designed and both featuring some excellent bosses, though their difficulty level was reduced this time around. Rounder II is a terrific boss, very well imagined and unique, though not too difficult when you get the hang of it. Metonger Z is also interesting in making you use defense as well as offence. But the Wily Castle bosses were surprisingly inferior with only Tank CSII making an impact and Wily himself being way too weak this time around.

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Mega Man 6 has pretty good graphics, among the best and most detailed of the NES titles in the series. However, this was the time of the SNES, so this game feels quaint as it arrived too late for this aging system. The sound is great as usual. Some of the themes are truly fantastic and accompanying their stages wonderfully. The level designs are just okay while the difficulty level is varied with some bosses being too hard, but most being either too easy or serviceable.