There's no doubt this game is tough as nails good thing it has a "shop" system and load/save system. Don't even expect to be given a rest when you go through the levels of this game. It's that unforgiving, typical capcom-style platforming that is proven to be effective. You will experience why old-school gamers are the toughest in the biz, compared to the whiny,teen generation we have today.
You learn through trial and error, when you get past that and learn through your mistakes. What you have is a game that is destined to be immortalized in today's gaming scene. They don't make games like this anymore. I cherish this game more than any other release because it reminds me of a much simpler time. Yes, it was a masochist era way back in our time. But the games were enjoyable...and frustrating at the same time. Nevertheless it is the epitome of playing a game, getting your ass handed over to you and standing up no matter what. Those are the kind of values we've learned throughout the past decades.
Before everything got "consolized" and every other game has this tips popping up the screen every time you reach an area. "Spoonfeeding" the experience, and not letting you explore the game through its flaws and environment.
Anyways enough about my rant, let's get to the meat and potatoes of this post...the PROS and CONS
Pros
Game is faithful to the original Megaman (Graphics, sound, and tight controls)
New and innovative bosses
Controller Support (This game is best played on a controller with a TV screen in front of you)
Load/Save Game feature
Good level design and boss patterns
Cons
Needs more refinement in the level design
-Some jumps are infuriatingly difficult to the point that you have to throw the controller in order to relieve stress
Tough learning curve
-Most of the time, you have to repeat a level over and over again in order to perfect an obstacle/jump.
In-game shop
-This was supposed to be the "help" that will boost noobs towards finishing the game, maybe if they tweaked the game to be more tolerant towards the "average" gamer. They wouldn't need this, as this will result in a shift in balance towards game design and further takes away the challenge in beating Megaman. They could've hidden power-ups inside the levels instead
The Score: 8.5/10
Though there are some quirks in this game, you have to remember that this is made by a small team composed of fans of the original game. It doesn't get any better than that, aside from the gripes I have which will vary from person to person. As a freeware game, I spent more that 10 hours figuring the in's and out's of this game and though frustrating, it was well worth it. What you have is a solid action-platformer with the heart and soul of Megaman, which is a dying genre where next-gen AAA first-person shooters dominate most of the gaming market. It's a sigh of relief that people are still passionate in making this kind of game, because most of the major publishers think that it will be a waste of resources to invest in such a game that is masochistic and rewarding at the same time.
