Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge Reviews

Love it or hate it, Mega Man games grow like leaves on trees. Given the vast amount of success Mega Man enjoyed during the early years of the NES, it was only natural that some version of the game would end up on Nintendo's portable, gray brick. Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge (known as Rockman World in Japan) would mark the beginning of yet another series of titles for the blue bomber, one of the first Capcom would outsource rather than develop internally.

Given that this title is often referred to as "Mega Man" given the lack of subtitle on the title screen, the first thing most people do is compare this to the 1987 original. This makes since the game borrows from that game, presenting four of its six robot masters. While Cut Man, Elec Man, Ice Man and Fire Man reappear in all their glory, everything else is new, or rather a mix of things from Mega Man and Mega Man 2. For example, while Elec Man's level will remind one of the area they played through on the NES, it's crossed with elements that were used Air Man's level in Mega Man 2. It's an interesting hybrid to be sure, but the allure can be cut short facing your first robot master without the aid of the correct weapon.

Annoying as that is, things get back on track pretty quickly. The damage incurred from robot master weapons and enemies is much more balanced in this rendition, so you won't get blown away as quickly. Unfortunately, trouble again rears its ugly head during the game's concluding levels. While the first Wily level can be tough with its five concluding battles, nothing compares to the last. I love a challenge as much as the next guy but the final level is too big for it britches and throws everything it can at the player. As one can imagine, this puts quite the damper on the proceedings but there are other areas of the game that help make up for it like the excellent soundtrack. Seriously, I can't be the only one who blares Cut Man and Fire Man's theme from the back of my car, can I?

Regardless of my weakness for delectable 8-bit chiptunes, Mega Man: Dr.Wily's Revenge stands as a solid, portable take of the Mega Man we all know and love. I wish the concluding levels of the game were a little more forgiving than they currently are but I can think of games that are guilty of far more. Still, take the above a grain of salt, because the game is definitely capable of making one grind their teeth no matter how one sugarcoats it.