Exclusive Q&A with the only journalist to ever play Mega Man Legends 3

Were you able to try out the Debug Room?

Yes, but I didn’t get to try it as much as I would have liked. I fiddled around with some parameters (attack range, movement speed), and I reduced gravity so I launched myself to ridiculous heights. I also earned a password (EMHOR) that I think was supposed to unlock something cool, but I never got to see what it did.

I'd like to know the level through which the submission contests had been implemented. Certainly Aero and seemingly the Donner Wels Bonne Machine was in it. But had the demo build included the fan-voted or designed reaverbots? Did you notice any of the "easter eggs" or the winning NPC names or lines while playing the prototype's beta?

Aero and the Donner Wels mech were the big ones. I didn’t encounter any of the NPC names or lines, but it’s possible they were in there. After I finished all the missions, I was able to just roam the city and talk to NPCs and such, but I didn’t get to do that as much as I would have liked.

Were you able to interact with anyone and go into shops, buy things, and such?

Yes. There were frequently NPCs to talk to and things to buy (although the vendors were outside on the street; I couldn’t go into any shops). I think I bought some ramen and some bread (made from Kattelox Wheat, no less!), but I don’t recall if I could use it for anything. Many of the missions allowed you to talk to NPCs as well.

What kind of missions were there? And how much was there to do?

There were at least 10 missions in the Prototype Version. They included the following:

Trouble In Paradise: This is the opening mission, in which you battle Reaverbots in Teomo City.

Barrett & Friends: This is primarily the introductory story. It tells players about Teomo City, Diggers, and the concept of Rebel Rider youth gangs. It also introduces Barrett and his friends Max, Aero, Pic, and Grille, who comprise the Bright Bats gang. According to the game, Rebel Riders allegedly have “no regards for society’s rules,” but they seemed pretty benign to me.

Late-Night Race: This is a hoverbike racing contest through the Teomo City streets.

One Bullheaded Rival: A boss battle against a rival gang leader named Bullbreath, the leader of the Roast Beefs. It was on the easy side.

Take Me Somewhere - Barrett the Chauffer: In this one you have to drive Aero around to various locations, including the park and a place called the “Gate of Frontiers.” Not that it’s important, but I enjoyed the food truck called “Oh My Gyros” in the park.

Operation Anti-Riders: Fed up with Rebel Rider gangs, the chief of police Gonzo Goodwin attacks the Bright Bats with a mech/vehicle called the Anti Rider Crusader 1. Apparently Roll built the vehicle.

Rocket R&D Fundraising: This mission especially like classic Legends games. You venture into some ruins to get a refractor for Roll. She needs it so she can build a rocket to bring Mega Man home from Elysium.

Yes, Miss Tron: You have to retrieve Tron’s missing Servbots within a time limit.

What’s in the Box?: This is another ruins-exploration mission. At the end, you learn about a treasure called the Klicke Lafonica, which seemed like it was going to be a major plot point.

Bonne Family Showdown: This is the battle against the fan-created Donner Wels mech. It was pretty challenging; I got electrocuted the first time I tried it.

Is it ever explained why the Bonnes are trying to rescue him, or has Tron finally admitted her feelings for Mega Man?

Nope! Tron still hasn’t learned to share her emotions, even after 10 years!

Was the Elder System that was referenced "waking up" following the demise of the Master System at the end of Megaman Legends 2 ever alluded to in the prototype version?

I believe the Reaverbot attack on Teomo City was a result of the system becoming active, but it wasn’t completely specified if that was the case.

What was the best part of the game?

I liked the boss battles the best. Both the battle against fan-designed Donner Wels Bonne mech and the on-rails fight against the ARC-1 police vehicle were pretty cool and well polished.

Were there any flaws that you found, either gameplay wise or technical/bugs? Any changes you would make?

The Motorhorse racing mission, Late-Night Race, wasn’t especially fun. I was hoping that would be improved a lot for the final game.

The basic plot of the first game was a quest to find the Mother Lode and to repair the Flutter. Likewise, the second game's plot revolved around Roll's mother, the Master System, Sera and Yuna, and the Mother Lode. What was the main plot for this game?

The Prototype Version primarily focused on Barrett and the Bright Bats without any clear plot, but it appears that the final game would have involved a three-way scramble to find the Klicke Lafonica (“The Fire of All Creation”) between Mega Man and co., Barrett and the Bright Bats, and the Bonnes.

Where is Barrell? What is his relation to Barrett?

That’s the million-dollar question. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Barrett is a contraction of BARRell CaskETT. Obviously, both characters have metal plates on their faces, and when Roll encounters Barrett, she says he “seems like family.” Also, Barrell doesn’t appear in the Prototype Version; Roll states he’s been missing for a week or two. One guess would be that Barrett is a younger version of Barrell, but Barrett seems like he’s been living in Teomo City and hanging out with the Bright Bats for a lot more than a couple weeks. I would have loved to have found out the real story.

How far along was Legends 3? Was it only a couple of levels, or was this almost complete?

Clearly the final game had a long ways to go (I think the Devroom indicator had the game listed at about 25% complete), but the Prototype Version seemed ready to go.

Some say that the project had very little chance even from the start, others think that the results of the DevRoom project, specifically the small number of registered members might have been the main reason for cancellation. I understand that you don't have any concrete information on this but I'm sure everyone would be interested in your opinion.

I don’t want to speculate on that, but the thing I find strange is that the Prototype Version was, for all intents and purposes, finished, but not released. If it were up to me, I would have wanted to make it available to at least get some sort of return on the investment that had been made so far, and to allow the contributors to see their creations come to life, and to judge what consumer interest was in the project as a whole. Then again, maybe it would have been even more heartbreaking to get the Prototype Version but not a full game.

Next page: Combat, 3D effects, cows, monkeys and Mega Man himself. Plus, is the loss of Legends 3 really worth mourning?