If we take a look at the modern gaming landscape, it’s clear to see that developers love to bring back older games to get us high on nostalgia. I remember playing the Mega Man Zero games on my Game Boy Advance when I was just a little boy. I enjoyed the games and yet often struggled with the higher level of difficulty. It took me years to discover the main Mega Man games and that’s perhaps the reason why the Zero franchise holds a special place in my heart, I was beyond excited to get my hands on the Legacy Collection.
Old games, modern screens
The first thing you’ll notice while booting up the Legacy Collection is the jump in graphics. As said before, the Zero franchise launched on Game Boy Advanced and spawned a total of four entries on that system, ZX en ZX Advent launched on the Nintendo DS. If you know your gaming history, you’ll understand that neither of those handheld consoles was truly powerful or supported the best screens. The systems did what they had to do but compared to the screens we’re playing our games on today, it’s simply impossible to compete. In all honesty, I was a bit afraid when I started playing Mega Man Zero, I remember it from the smaller screen and I was afraid my Xbox One X would blow up the pixels, which would result in an unplayable game. Luckily, that’s not the case. Each and every game in this collection (a total of six) looks great. The graphics are optimized for the screens of today and I must say, the developers really pulled it off. Yes, the games are old, and yes, they still look old but that doesn’t take away the fun. These aren’t true remasters, it’s just the game you love from the past, playable on your favorite console of today.
Not your typical Mega Man adventure
As far as performance goes, it seems like all games run smoothly without any noticeable hiccups, which of course is as it should be. The ZX entries look a bit strange at first since they combine both screens of the Nintendo DS on one television screen but there are plenty of options to arrange those screens to your liking. That being said, it’s also important to know that these aren’t your typical Mega Man games. These aren’t linear 2D action/platform games where you take down the bosses in separate levels. The Zero and ZX games offer a more cinematic approach. Supported by a great story, each entry in the franchise takes you a little further to the truth. You won’t just play levels, you’ll go on different missions, gaining new powers along the way. If you would compare it to other franchises, you might say these games are closer to Metroid and Castlevania than they are to the original Mega Man games. It’s up to you if you think that’s an improvement or not. I enjoyed them back in the old days and after playing the first levels of each title, I must say that I’ll easily fall in love with these adventurous games once more.
Early conclusion:
After spending a couple of hours with this Legacy Collection it’s easy to say that it still offers a crazy amount of fun, even after all those years. The games are optimized for modern systems and they all play incredibly well. On top of that, you’ll also get some fun bonuses, extra filters, and extra levels of difficulty to create the best possible experience for every type of gamer. With that being said, I’m ready to jump back in and give you my final verdict closer to the game’s actual release date!
