Hello everyone! To celebrate Tuesdays release of Mega Man Legends 2 on North American PlayStation Network, going to be making a little retrospective covering the original Mega Man Legends! This is a real shining gem, with this title being the first for a lot of things. Lock-On Systems in Action/Adventure games, hub worlds that have a lot of life in them, gameplay mechanics that would come back in future games like Ratchet & Clank and Legend of Zelda: OoT and more! Mega Man Legends is an impressive game, so lets dive into this lost legend to see what makes it so special.
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Mega Man Legend's birth was in some respects, forced to happen by Sony. Around the time of the PlayStation's launch in 1995, they wanted ONLY 3D games, no 2D titles. Capcom was angered by this, as one of their flagship IP, Mega Man, was a 2D game. So they were quite bitter with Sony over this news and they ended up working things out; they still made their 2D Mega Man games (Mega Man 8 and Mega Man X4), but they had to make a 3D Mega Man game for the PS1.
This sparked a new sub-series for Mega Man, dubbed 'Legends'. This takes place at the end of the Mega Man timeline. Long after the X, Zero, ZX, Battle Network and Star Force series; the very end of the Mega Man series.
So, what is the origins of this world? Everything is covered by water and people are divided into islands. People hear about this legend, the Motherload, a great treasure that holds a lot of power. This sparks the creation of people called 'Diggers', people who hunt for treasure across caverns and dungeons to try and find refactors, and maybe, the Motherload. They also hunt for refractors to power objects in the world, more or less being the energy powering everything. But one day, a old man and his daughter find this boy with a robotic body in some ruins and take him in as their own.........
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I mixed the story and the development history into one section, as they are very closely connected. This game thrives on its characters, writing and wold building to be so special.
Everyone has a voice and a lot of dialog that changes as you go through the game. But you keep seeing the same people over and over again. Its sorta like Majora's Mask, where you are interacting with the same people again and again.....but you don't have to worry about any moons
. Well......you do, but that is for a later game. We well get someone off the moon some day.Anyway! That is what is most impressive about the game to me, the characters. They are so full of life and I love all of them. Roll is a great support character to Mega Man, as she talks to him when exploring dungeons and you can have optional interactions with her at different points in the game.
But by far my favorite characters are the Bonne Family, as they are just.....gold.
Trone Bone is a girl on a mission to get what she wants, but also has a soft spot for the Blue Bomber after him saving her from a dog early in the game. The Serv-Bots are priceless and they are really funny XD! They are all different, despite looking the same. A later game, Misadventures of Trone Bone, runs with this and its just as amazing as it sounds :').
Teasel Bonne is a great character too, as he is loud, childish and unlike Wily is a bit of a goof ball. These are fun foes to fight and you fight them at every turn across the game through different mechs they make.
I love these guys and they are so great, we got a whole game starting them alone!
So the characters are great, but what about the games setting? That is important for adventure games after all.
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The setting for Legends 1 is Kattelox Island, a small location with a lot to do. Tons of shops to visit, buildings to go into and a full destruction set up in place that has buildings stay destroyed if they are, well, damaged and stuff. You can pay to fix that but that is really impressive for an early-PS1 title.
Various mini games are fun to complete, with you kicking the can to get an extra 1000 Zenny (money in the game) if it lands in the Flower Shop display, kicking balls to attack a dog chasing a mail man, and popping balloons with odd faces on them. You can get items from completing the mini games, which can help you craft items, more on that later. The city is split into five sectors; Shopping District, Main Town, City Hall, Industrial District and Media District. Each one has a lot do and see, alongside having you interact with the town's people. If you help them out (like giving an artist red dye for her painting), you can get rewards too. ......Does this game sound a bit familiar? Almost.....Zelda-ish yet? No? Okay, so its just me then.
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The core gameplay is where this game really impressed me when I first played it last year on my Vita. You can jump and shoot, like all Mega Men can, but you also have a dodge roll and an extra 'arm' attack, allowing you to equip yourself with different weapons usable with the Triangle Button.
You can make these weapons from finding items inside the various dungeons and other spots in the game world, leading you to craft some awesome gear. Found a worn out drill? Visit Roll and she can make it into a powerful Drill to break through tough walls. Find a flash light and a toy sword? You get a lightsaber.....wait a minute, how is THAT possible O_O!
You can make all kinds fun weapons and its a great reward for hunting through the world. But you might be wondering about those 'dungeons' I mentioned before. Now this is when the Zelda comparison should ring a few bells; this was OoT before that game even came out! Mega Man can also lock on to foes (though his lock-on isn't as good compared to Links, which Legends 2 seems to fix) and like a specific Lombax you can strafe using the L/R buttons on the controller (or the right stick if you configured things right on the PS Vita PS1 Emulator). This allows the combat to have more depth compared to the original 2D Mega Man games, where you have to really be smart with your positioning and fully use the 3D world around you.
The dungeons themselves are a bit drab though, but hunting through them is almost.....zen like. Just running through, shooting every Reverbot in sight and finding rare items by solving puzzle; you get that "I got it!" feeling the best Zelda and Metroid games tend to offer.
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The presentation here is strong, as the cut-scenes have proper lip-syncing, expressive facial animations and great character animations. Shows how well done the cut-scenes were and how the developers spent time ensuring they were well done.
The music is more atmospheric compared to other Mega Man titles, but it as a number of enjoyable tracks
. Another Sun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7zKoN5jwoQ&index=1&list=PL1muB85JLGI-NncsBwBoh-rySF1D04Vnw
The Apple Market: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrCnzkAGRsY&index=7&list=PL1muB85JLGI-NncsBwBoh-rySF1D04Vnw
Feeling of Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vasfVmwG5IA&index=9&list=PL1muB85JLGI-NncsBwBoh-rySF1D04Vnw'
Support Car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcA6IKXejX4&index=11&list=PL1muB85JLGI-NncsBwBoh-rySF1D04Vnw
Case the Blumbear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jt0Xxgt8yc&list=PL1muB85JLGI-NncsBwBoh-rySF1D04Vnw&index=15
Lakeside Town: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff0Dyc_7Esw&list=PL1muB85JLGI-NncsBwBoh-rySF1D04Vnw&index=31
Main Gate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhB-dm9-QOY
Very nice selection of music that does a good job setting up the games tone
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Overall, I really enjoyed my time playing Legends and I can't wait to play more of the series! It really is a special franchise and one of the better sub-series of Mega Man on the market. I can see why so many wanted a Legends 3 to happen; this world is too great for it to be lost to the PS1 Era.
If you enjoyed my comments......get Legends 1 then XD! Its on NA PSN right now with Trone Bone being on NA PSN too. Will post the link to Legends 2 when it lands on PSN in this OP, so stay tuned
!May these Legends live on in our hearts and minds for the future!
