It’s crazy how quickly you fall back into Mega Man even after all those years. Give me a blaster, put some annoying enemies next to platforms and within minutes I’m jumping and shooting as if the series never went away. Mega Man: Dual Overdrive doesn’t waste much time changing that either. During my Gamescom demo I could play three different levels, each with its own boss, and while the first one was relatively easy to get through, things became considerably more intense once I reached the space level and eventually Twinkle Girl. There is something to think about before you start, though. I had to choose between two chipsets, with one giving me more offensive options while the other focused on defence with things such as shields (or ignore them both if you’re a pro). Of course, I went for the offensive one. Why worry about getting hit when you can just shoot everything first? Well, ask me again after that third level.
Still very much Mega Man
The first stage gave me plenty of time to get used to my choice. It was the most straightforward of the three and felt immediately like coming back home to the franchise with enemies placed around platforms waiting for me to mistime a jump or get impatient. Movement was quick and responsive and the well-known shooting felt good; I was quickly making my way through the level without thinking too much about every button I pressed. That familiarity is there because Dual Overdrive still has that very specific Mega Man timing where you’re constantly jumping, shooting and trying to read what’s coming next. You can rush ahead if you want, but chances are there’s an enemy positioned somewhere that will make you regret it. The first boss continued at roughly the same level and gave me a decent fight without becoming a serious roadblock, so after finishing that first stage, I was feeling pretty comfortable with the offensive chipset I had selected.
The second stage took place in space and was where the demo started asking a little more from me. The platforming became trickier and I had to pay more attention to where enemies were positioned before making another jump. The boss was also a noticeable step up from the first one. Instead of constantly firing and hoping to overwhelm it, I needed to watch its attacks and figure out when I had enough time to get some damage in. This was also around the point where I started thinking about that defensive chipset again. Extra firepower sounded great before starting the demo, but once I was taking more hits and knew I still had another complete level waiting for me, having a shield suddenly didn’t sound like such a boring option anymore.
Twinkle Girl had other plans
The third level was easily the hardest of the demo; this was where everything you’ve learned came together for one final test. Just reaching Twinkle Girl required more precise platforming than anything I had done before. The jumps themselves weren’t always the biggest problem either; it was everything happening around them. Enemies were firing while I was trying to reach another platform, others were positioned exactly where I wanted to land and mistiming something could quickly cost me valuable health. There’s a nice flow to those sections once you get them right, but Dual Overdrive certainly isn’t afraid to punish you when your timing is off.
And then I still had to fight Twinkle Girl. She was easily the toughest of the three bosses I encountered and forced me to pay attention to her attacks before deciding when I could safely go in myself. By that point, I had already spent quite some health getting through the level, so wasting it by attacking at the wrong moment wasn’t exactly helping. I needed a few attempts to properly understand what she was doing and when I could respond, but I never felt like the game was simply throwing something impossible at me. When I got hit, I usually knew exactly what I had done wrong, which made trying again a lot less frustrating. Besides learning her pattern, I also learned when to use the extra firepower that I gained from the chipset or when it was time for me to go in Overdrive. This is of course the main mechanic where Mega Man transforms in a more powerful version and all its systems go in Overdrive, delivering some devastating shots. It’s not a simple way to victory, though, it damages the enemies but rarely kills them in one shot, and if you miss your shot, you wasted the powerful Overdrive for nothing.
Early Conclusion:
What I liked about playing these three stages back-to-back was how naturally the difficulty increased. Going offensive worked nicely when I was confident enough to avoid damage, but I can already imagine myself changing that setup depending on the level or boss waiting ahead. I didn’t get enough time with the demo to see how far that system eventually goes, but even choosing between those two options gave me something to consider before starting a stage. Most importantly, though, I had fun playing Mega Man again. Dual Overdrive still has the speed, difficult platforming and bosses I associate with the series, and Twinkle Girl made sure I didn’t leave Gamescom thinking I had suddenly become some kind of Mega Man expert.