Megaman Battle Network Legacy Collection Review – A Perfect Package

The Megaman Battle Network games were the talk of the town when they were released back in the early 2000s on the Gameboy Advance. People were just discovering the wonders of portable consoles, and these titles were a mainstay throughout the early Nintendo handheld era.

The Legacy Collection features all 6 mainline games in the series, with 4 titles even having two different versions, bringing the total up to 10 games. Each of these has been remastered and added to the collection with a bunch of enhancements.

Story And Setting

It would be a bit difficult to go over the narratives of each of the 10 titles in the Megaman Battle series one by one, but the overall story in each of these games focuses on a group of young kids and their digital companions. 

Players are introduced to a world where the Net has been integrated into every aspect of daily life, and most people have access to their PETs. These PETs are potent handheld devices that let them interact with the Net and navigate across it with the help of NetNavis, which are essentially sentient beings that only exist digitally.

It’s a series designed to appeal primarily to kids, so the format of each story is a bit simple.

The games then take place in the year 20XX, with each entry featuring youngster Lan Hikari and his NetNavi Megaman as the main protagonists. And while the individual plots differ a bit, they more or less follow this duo as they try to overthrow evil forces that are trying to mess with the Net.

It’s a series designed to appeal primarily to kids, so the format of each story is a bit simple. The characters get little to no character development throughout these games, but the cast of characters is still very likable, and Lan’s friends and foes bring fun contrasting personalities to the whole experience.

Gameplay

The Megaman Battle Network series has always been known for its interesting take on turn-based gameplay. To begin with, Lan can jack into any terminal that he can find in the world, and Megaman can then explore the virtual world that exists within that terminal. Exploring these is akin to dungeon crawling, as you come across various puzzles to solve, consumables to collect, and foes to fight.

Most battles will start as random encounters as you explore, much like going through tall grass in the Pokemon games. These battles take place on a grid and are sequenced around using chips, which are moves that Megaman can perform.

The Megaman Battle Network series has always been known for its interesting take on turn-based gameplay.

You start with a few basic chips, and the standard Buster Shot, giving you a limited battle plan in the early stages of the games. The Buster Shot does little damage, so it is important to complement it with the proper set of chips.

Each turn, you get a choice of chips from your loadout, and you will have to use these as the battle unfolds in real-time. Megaman can freely move on his section of the grid and choose to attack or dodge enemy attacks, depending on what the player picks up during the chip selection phases of the encounter. This adds an interesting layer of depth to the combat, allowing for some really fun game plans.

As you progress, you will come across new chips, and you will also have the ability to buy them from various merchants. These chips differ in strength and rarity, and building the perfect set to take into battle is where half the fun is.

You can develop plenty of synergies with the chips and execute various battle plans as your portfolio grows. For example, one of my favorite combos was using the BlkBomb and HeatShot, decimating enemies in a single blow.

The Legacy Collection comes with a lot of quality-of-life changes as well, such as giving players the ability to play online right from the get-go. The online system adds a lot of value to these already content-rich games, as in this mode players can trade chips with one another and also battle each other with their NetNavis.

Fighting against another person is a wholly unique experience as you have to deploy different strategies to get the best of one another. 

Another new mode that was added is the Buster Max Mode. This is essentially an easy mode for players who want to speed through the games, especially if you aren’t used to the genre and it is your first time playing these games.

The Legacy Collection comes with a lot of quality-of-life changes as well, such as giving players the ability to play online right from the get-go.

With this mode, the Buster Shot does a huge amount of damage, making most combat encounters trivial even without using any chips. Having this mode is a saving grace for the earlier sections of the game, where combat feels like a slog without access to any of the stronger chips.

The Legacy Collection also added a bunch of other cool stuff, including some content that was region-locked to Japan in the original games. This includes stuff like loading the Chip Data, as well as patch cards that players can go through. 

Visuals And Performance

The games have also received a visual overhaul, and players have the option to play with or without the high-resolution filter. Hardcore fans who wish to relive their memories of playing the games as kids should go for the option of playing without the filter, as even nearly 2 decades later, the games hold up well with their pixel art style.

The games have also received a visual overhaul, and players have the option to play with or without the high-resolution filter.

The soundtracks of the games are also amazing, which is to be expected from a classic Capcom franchise. The Legacy Collection also added the ability to listen to these tracks outside of the game, which is always a pleasant addition to compilations like these. 

When it comes to performance, the games run without any hitches on the Nintendo Switch. There were no bugs or glitches throughout my playthrough of the games, and I did not encounter any frame drops or stuttering either. The game also runs well on other platforms, including PC and PS4, as this is a pitch-perfect port.

Verdict

Megaman Battle Network Legacy Collection is a perfect example of a wonderfully packaged time capsule of a beloved series, and Capcom managed to deliver on all fronts with this collection, attracting new and old players alike.

These games feature fun combat mechanics with the chip system and have a wonderful aesthetic reminiscent of the early 2000s era. If you are looking to sink a couple of dozen hours into a phenomenal series of games, then look no further than this collection.

This has been my Megaman Battle Network Legacy Collection Review. While you’re here, consider checking out some of our other articles. 

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