Halfway through Plug Man’s level you’ll have to contend with these shadowy Mega Man doppelgangers. All they do is run directly at you, never firing or jumping at all, but they’re still a pain in the ass and can suck away a lot of life if you’re not on top of things. Still, cool idea.

Dr. Wily’s name adorned the walls of many a robot boss, but in part 9 it’s Dr. Light’s capital letter staring you down. Wily claims that Light is behind the latest round of robo-shenanigans, but is actually setting Light up to take the fall (this is all revealed in the intro cinema).

Part of that ruse is the fake Dr. L doors placed before each boss. Again, this is an extremely small touch that may mean nothing to some, but longtime fans will see the giant L and experience a brief moment of “...wait, what?”

Mega Man levels should perfectly compliment the boss they protect; Magma Man has heat beams, Jewel Man has razor-sharp gems lining the wall and Galaxy Man has space/time distorting teleporters hovering over a bottomless pit.

Go in one, pop out somewhere else – a pleasant puzzle surprise we hadn’t yet seen in the series, and that’s why it gets a nod.

We’re not going to give away the particulars of the ending. It’s a real treat for fans in several ways that we’d feel bad spoiling. However, we will say for the first time you get to see the evil robot bosses after the fighting is over. Here we see Hornet Man living a peaceful life – who knows what other seven are doing?

Sep 25, 2008

8-bit Sunset
Enjoy the day’s final moments with an all-star NES cast



The worst NES endings ever
Congratulations! The End