Game: Megaman Zero
Mode: Single player
Type: Action
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Released: April 26, 2002, Japan; September 9, 2002, North America
Following the Megaman series released from platforms such as FamiCom, SNES and PlayStation, Capcom releases another, the Megaman Zero series, on a different console, the Game Boy Advance. The story takes off from where the Megaman X series ended, but this time with the different hero, Zero (oooh that rhymes
), whom we know is one of the protagonists in the earlier series along with Megaman. The Megaman Zero series' focus is on Zero, who is sporting a different look from that of the look he had in the Megaman X series. Although, he still dashes along with his Z-saber and cuts through enemies just like before. The game features a different set of enemies, new weapons along with some new companions (sorry, no Roll and Rush), and a new pet system called the Cyber-elf system.Gameplay: 8/10
Difficulty: 8/10
Sound: Well, Game Boy Advance isn't the best platform in the world, so the sound isn't that spectacular. 6/10
As the game starts, we are introduced to a character named Ciel, who is being hunted by an army of reploids under the government body called Neo Arcadia. She seeks the craft, which she believes supposed to contain Zero's body. Ciel is determined to retrieve the body and hopefully bring him to the Resistance Base, home of the reploids suspected of being Mavericks. Before getting corned by the enemies, Ciel succeeds in finding Zero's body and by sacrificing her own cyber-elf, Passy, she successfully revives the legendary reploid, Zero. Zero seems to have lost his memory after years of hibernation. She needs his help because he is the only one capable of protecting the Reploids from the Neo Arcadian subordinates. Zero agrees to help Ciel in the missions while he tries to discover his true identity and regain the memory he lost.
When I first played this game, I was kinda disappointed with the transformation of Zero. I've been a Zero fan since the Megaman X series, and I took this as some sort of insult. He still had that spunk he had on the previous series, in spite of the loss of memory which made him look like a sober reploid (if there's such a thing). But despite that, I liked the overall look of the game. The artwork done on the characters looked more comic book-like. This goes to show that there are still amazing games to be played on the Game Boy Advance.
There were a lot of changes, including the set of enemies he faces in this game. Instead of the usual eight minions of Dr. Wiley, the game has the main villain, with his four guardians, then there are some bosses in each of the missions. Instead of absorbing the abilities of his defeated enemies (or learning new sword techniques), he needs to acquire three element chips (fire, ice, thunder) to power up his weapons. Each of the enemies have some specific element weakness, which the game inherited from its predecessor.
He also sports a new set of weapons (along with the infamous Z-saber): the Buster shot, which is more like a gun, as compared to Megaman's buster attached to his arm; the Shield Boomerang, which can be used for defense and offense (by throwing it ala-Captain America); the Triple Rod, which is a spear-like weapon and can be used on all eight directions (e.g., North, North east, East, South East, etc). The latter two is given to him by a reploid engineer named Cerveau. Each of his weapon has a skill level which increases as he continuously uses them, with each level allowing him to perform a specific attack (e.g., level 2 Z-saber allows him to perform a double slash---which, by the way was one major changes compared to the previous series). I guess the loss of memory brought to his loss of control over the weapons. By activating an elemental chip, he can infuse his weapon with the element, with each element having their respective effects (fire causes the enemies to... well... burn, electricity paralyses them for a few seconds and ice freezes them for a few seconds as well). These elements also give extra damage to the enemy compared to using the weapon without the element chip.
Each mission is timed, which is essential in getting a high rank after finishing the mission. Getting the highest rank allows you to unlock secrets of the game later on. Once a mission has been cleared, Zero can visit the site by using the Trans Server to teleport to the place. The main change in the Megaman Zero series is the inclusion of the cyber-elf system. I mentioned that it's a pet system, in a sense that you feed them energy crystals (in the Megaman and Megaman X series, the energy crystals are used for filling up the bar for the abilities acquired from the boss enemies). The cyber-elf classification is divided into three types: Nurse, Hacker and Animal, with each type having different sizes of elves. Nurse elves boost Zero's health; Hacker elves help Zero "manipulate" the data during a mission (e.g., add more time for the mission, stop time); Animal elves support you during the mission (e.g., bird animal elves can save you from falling off a pit, monkey animal elves help you climb better). Larger-sized cyber-elves start off as a baby elf. You need to feed it first (using the Trans Server) with a certain number of energy crystals before it grows so you can use it. You need to download the elf (using the Trans Server) before you use it on a mission. Be careful in using them in missions, though, because they give deductions for every cyber-elf you use in a mission, thus lowering your rank. The bigger the elf, the bigger the deduction. Moreover, once you've used them, they'll die and you won't be able to use them again (just like what Ciel did to Passy).
Overall, this game is worth the time (if you have time in your hands, that is). Even though the GameBoy Advance is quite outdated already, if you would like some old-school gaming, well you might want to give this a try. Whether you're a Megaman/Rockman fanatic or not, this game will not disappoint you. If you're into the storyline, it would be a bit hard to follow if you were not able to play the entire Megaman X series, although the game gives some "historical" points so you would have an idea as to what happened in the previous series.
