RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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My earliest video game memories are tied to the Blue Bomber. Barely four years old and playing through Mega Man 2 and 3 on the NES, I somehow made my way through their challenging levels. I won’t say that at that age I could comprehend the precision engineering behind their action-platforming, but I always knew there was something about those games that just felt fantastic. Fast forward 30 years, and I found myself sitting in Capcom’s offices feeling the same sensation. Mega Man: Dual Override understands that it's part of a series built firmly on its tight gameplay foundations, and from my brief time going hands-on with it, it’s looking like a worthy return for Dr Light’s most loyal creation.
As much as things change, they stay the same. Greeting me on the start game screen of Dual Override was the traditional grid of robot masters, all shrouded in mystery for this demo, apart from one: Twinkle Girl. Choosing the order you take on bosses is a key part of any Mega Man strategy, but while that decision was taken away from me for this small slice, another new dilemma was presented in its place. Before entering a stage, you’ll be offered one of three Chip Sets. These are:
Built for Survival: A custom chip that creates a barrier against one instance of enemy fire and grants use of an emergency health-restoring E-Tank.
Built for Fire Power: A custom chip packed with auto-charging that helps you attack more efficiently, plus the power to unleash double charge shots at once.
No Chip Support: For the traditional Mega Man experience, with no added abilities, except for the ability to call in Rush, your jump-pad dog.
Because I’m a stubborn bastard, I chose the latter.
Things didn’t start out too badly — each robot master’s area is made up of three stages, with the first of Twinkle Girl’s not giving me too many problems. A classic mix of precision platforming, dodging enemy projectiles, and firing upon Mets (the hard-hatted enemies who pop up and become vulnerable when you get close) makes up much of the industrial-looking level, and it really felt like reactivating a long-dormant part of my brain. That Mega Buster cannon arm still feels as good as it did decades ago.
Then came Big Press Don. Each stage has its own mini boss, and this giant, red, jet-packed lump of metal was my first real test. Thankfully, I still had a full tank of special ammo available to me, so I hopped into the air to reach Don’s vulnerable head and barraged him with the whole nine yards. I don’t know what other Robot Master this skill is borrowed from — as is Mega Man tradition, you take on the skills of your fallen foes — but it dressed me in a turquoise outfit with an orange-visored helmet alongside a “gun” that propelled me forward in a powerful dash. It’s safe to say Don didn’t like it, as a few hits drained his health bar in seconds. It’s hard to make definitive calls on strategy in a demo as short as this, but I’m guessing this dash weapon was his weakness; after all, finding the most efficient weapons to take on each big enemy, and the order to take them on, has long been the key to solving the overall Mega Man puzzle.
And so onto the second stage I went, and deeper into the giant robot exhibit that Twinkle Girl had decided to call home. I definitely felt the difficulty creep up a little here, with the platforming in particular increasing in complexity. More moving lifts entered the fray as timing jumps became all the more crucial, especially when leaping over firework cannons that would erupt their damaging sparkles in intermittent bursts.
But the biggest surprise came at the end of these few minutes of platforming when I entered the next boss room. Upon being locked in, the tech-filled room shifted into an augmented reality amongst the stars. But that was only the first unexpected thing to happen. That’s because this new space is home to a copy of Astro Man, one of Mega Man 8’s robot masters. This returning foe packs the same moveset as he did on the original PlayStation, complete with swooping lunges, annoying twin spheres that spin around him, and raining green meteors that deal big damage if you mistime your approach. It’s a shinier version of the 30-year-old fight, but I can’t help but feel slightly disappointed that no new attacks or quirks have seemingly been included. It would be nice to see Dual Override referencing the past while remixing it, rather than simply recreating old memories.
On one hand, I enjoyed fighting him again. But on the other, it’s also where my earlier hubris caught up with me. With neither of the more beneficial chip sets selected at the start of my run, I was finding him a real challenge to take down. Rush simply wasn’t going to help me here. And so, knowing my demo time was limited, I finally gave in, restarting the stage with the energy barrier shield equipped. Smart employment of this, plus knowing when to enter the titular Override mode to increase my damage output, soon made quick work of him. Dual Override is also very kind in granting you a checkpoint just outside the boss room, letting you get back into the action within a few seconds of defeat – a “modern” concession that classic Mega Man would never offer.
Peculiarly, I found that second stage to be the toughest part of my demo, with the final section providing less of a challenge. Perhaps this is because it played to my skill set better. I like front-foot, aggressive battles, and that is exactly what my showdown with Twinkle Girl gave me. From first shot to last, our fight lasted less than a minute due to her glass-cannon nature. She’s deadly, but seemed to be more vulnerable to my attacks, especially the aforementioned special weapon. She dashes quickly across the screen, plummets downwards like a furious phoenix, and unleashes starbursts of colourful fireworks. Weave in and out of these deadly displays, and she’s yours for the taking, her weapon yours. Frustratingly, though, I didn't get to see what he...
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