Mega Man 7

Outputs bombs enclosed in bubbles. If the bubble strikes certain enemies it will trap that enemy within its bubble. The bomb detonates after a preset period of time. Press down while firing to drop bombs on the ground.

Shoots a shard of ice. The direction the shard flies can be influenced by pressing a direction on the control pad. If the Freeze Cracker hits a solid object, it will often shatter and rebound as lots of little pieces.

Creates a (what else?) shield of—guess what—junk around the user. (I’ve been up too long...) As the shield hits enemies, pieces of the junk fall off, until finally the shield disintegrates. Fire it off early by pressing the fire button again; the junk flies off simultaneously in three directions.

Fires a sonic wave forward. When it strikes a wall or other solid object, the Noise Crush will rebound off. Pick up this rebound to charge up, which will allow you to fire off an even bigger Noise Crush (that doesn’t rebound). Note that using this weapon against Shade Man is detrimental to your health, since he will merely absorb your shots and fire them back at you!

The user forms a rotating ring of fireballs around his body, then hurls the ring forward. The distance on this weapon is pitiful as it basically falls downward immediately. However, it can ignite things if you can manage to hit them.

This creates an arc of energy as the user slashes his arm. The range is poor, but this can be quite damaging to specific foes.

Shoots spheres of electrical energy. These can activate certain machinery scattered throughout stages.

This tosses two springs to either side of the user, which bounce along until they strike something. Charge up to create larger springs that bounce higher. Also try jumping while firing to affect the height of each bounce, or holding on the control pad.

Energy pellets refill your life meter. The small ones refill 2 units—not a lot, but it can really add up.

These globes are the same as energy pellets except that more energy is refilled. It is also possible to dig up gigantic variations of these using the Rush Search.

The colored pellets are weapon energy. They refill your current weapon or adapter rather than your life energy. Weapon energy changes color according to which weapon you are currently equipped with. Before picking up a pellet be sure to equip a weapon that needs the energy.

These are the same as weapon energy pellets except that more energy is refilled (8 to 10 units usually).

Extra lives. If you have one of these when you bite the dust, you’ll be given another chance at the stage, restarting at the furthest continue point that you’d reached.

These are the same thing as P-Chips from the Game Boy games. Gather these to build items in Auto’s shop. Bolts are found in several sizes; the bigger the bolt, the more it is worth. Tiny Bolts are worth 2, larger ones are usually worth 8, and some giant ones can be worth several hundred Bolts in one shot. You can carry up to 999 Bolts at a time, so if you get full build some things to use them up so you can gather more.

This is an entire stock of energy that Mega Man can carry around until needed. You use these off the subscreen. When used, Mega Man’s energy meter will be refilled completely. Mega Man can carry up to four of these at a time.

These are tanks which carry a stock of weapon energy. These refill weapons when used.

This completely refills all of Mega Man’s weapons and energy. Mega Man can only carry one at a time.

Normally, any weapon energy you pick up goes only to your active weapon. If you’re not equipped with a weapon, the energy is wasted. This item changes that. If you have an Energy Balancer, it will apply that weapon energy toward whatever weapon needs it the most. Note that you can override this selection by equipping the weapon you wish to refill before picking up energy.

You can use this to leave a stage that you have already completed (meaning you’ve defeated the boss at the end). You can thus only use the Exit in stages you can revisit; for example it can’t be used in fortress stages. This item is primarily a shortcut to allow you to search for items without having to go all the way to the end of the stage every time. However you can also use it to avert death in many cases—if you’re about to die, open the subscreen and exit. You’ll lose any progress you’d made through the stage so it might be better to just sacrifice a 1-Up instead, but it is a possibility.

Give this to Auto to increase his item-building capabilities. (Just visit the shop after you find this and he’ll get it automatically.) It has no use in the game other than this.

Gather the letters that spell “RUSH” and you will get the Super Adapter. Proto Man will tell you about this.

Mega Man can hop onto Rush and ride him, much like a skyboard. This is perhaps the most popular of the Rush modes (the Mega Shows use it extensively).

Rush teleports in and digs. He can uncover hidden items this way, although often he just digs up junk. Some locations have specific buried items for you to find; otherwise, what Rush digs up is random: he produces either energy pellets/capsules, a joke item, or nothing at all. Digging in certain locations will often produce a giant version of a common object such as an energy capsule or Bolt; these are basically the same thing as their smaller cousins except they give you more energy or Bolts than usual. If Rush gets hit while searching, he teleports away and the search is canceled.

This is a combination of the Rush Power and Jet suits. With this version, Mega Man can jet around by double-jumping (press jump button while in the air) although the jet mode is nowhere near as good as it was in Mega Man 6. Unlike with the Power suit, Mega Man’s arm cannons are more or less unchanged here, except that when they are fully charged, Mega Man fires his fist instead of a Mega Buster shot, much like the Mega Arm in Mega Man V. Mega Man cannot slide while wearing this Adapter.

This increases the range of the Super Adapter’s Rocket Buster fist shot, and gives it minor homing abilities.

If you detest bottomless pits, this item is for you. If you happen to fall, Beat will fly down automatically and catch you, flying you back up to safety. While Beat is carrying Mega Man, you can guide its flight with the control pad. Then when you’re over safe ground, press a button to jump off. If you don’t do this manually Beat will eventually wear out and drop Mega Man, so be sure to get him to solid ground quickly. You can carry up to four Beat Whistles at a time, meaning you get up to four saves per stage (assuming you build more once you get back to the stage select screen).

Mega Man was once a household robot named Rock, but when Dr. Wily turned evil, Rock was converted by his creator Dr. Light into the fighting robot known as Mega Man. This small blue robot is equipped with twin arm cannons and the Weapon Copy system which lets him take weapons from defeated foes.

Mega Man’s canine companion, this is a robot dog built by Dr. Light to aid in Mega Man’s travels. Rush is always ready to respond to Mega Man’s call; when Mega Man needs use of a Rush form, his dog teleports in, does his thing, and leaves. Any weapon energy you pick up while you have a Rush form equipped (even if Rush isn’t on the screen at the time) goes to that Rush form.

Dr. Wily’s finest creation, Bass was modeled after Mega Man down to the Weapon Copy and his own variation of Rush. He gains Mega Man’s trust to steal Dr. Light’s upgrades for the Super Adapter.

This is Bass’s companion much how Mega Man has Rush. Treble is capable of forming the Treble Boost, an armor much like Mega Man’s Super Adapter which gives Bass better power and the ability to fly.

This is the scientist that started it all, for he was the one who first created revolutionary human-like robots. He was responsible for creating Mega Man and Roll, and he worked with Dr. Wily for a time.

Dr. Wily was once Dr. Light’s partner, but then he turned against his former colleague and tried to take over the world. After escaping from prison, he quickly gathers his forces and makes a last-ditch attempt to succeed.

This mysterious robot was constructed by Dr. Light before Mega Man was even built. He likes to be on his own, doing things his way. He often pops in during the games, usually with his characteristic whistle, to give his brother Mega Man items or advice, or to just plain pull him out of a jam.

She was also built by Dr. Light as a housekeeping robot, and is Mega Man’s sister. Her name is designed to match Mega Man’s (Rock and Roll).

This is the robot Dr. Light built to man the Item Replicator. He’s kind of the happy bumbling type that doesn’t have a whole lot of sense, but is usually cheerful.

Dr. Light’s walking suitcase. Eddie doesn’t do anything in this game; he just stands next to Auto. Auto’s mobile workshop is built to look like a giant Eddie however.

This is a little blue attack bird that Dr. Cossack and Dr. Light created together, except in this game, he has been commissioned to help save Mega Man from bottomless pits instead of fighting directly.

Dr. Wily’s hench-bird. Actually Reggae is seen more in the manga than the games; however he makes a cameo appearance here. He’s the thing that’s laughing at you if you input an incorrect password.

Like Bubble Man, Burst Man likes to be in an area where the ceiling is covered with deadly spikes. This is so he can encase his enemy into a bubble and cause him to float upward, to his doom. Every time you hit Burst Man with a solid blow, he will scatter small bombs throughout the room. Dodge them as best you can and hit him with either the Freeze Cracker or the Scorch Wheel. The Wheel will go through some of his bubbles (but not all) and the Freeze Cracker can be bounced off the wall behind him.

Cloud Man has no legs but instead just a hovering mechanism that usually keeps him off the ground. He is capable of blowing you right off the edge of the platform and into oblivion so make good use of the slide. Encasing Cloud Man in Danger Wrap bubbles is the easiest way to defeat him. Outside of this, you can finish him off with the Mega Buster and frequent use of the slide.

This may be another variation of the ice robots, but he is the worst of the lot. Freeze Man paces his room at a quick clip, alternating between bringing down the house to icing the floor to freezing Mega Man in place. Move rapidly to break free if you get frozen and nail this guy with the Junk Shield. If you don’t have it you better hope you either have luck or Energy Tanks instead!

This robot isn’t quite as his name suggests (though he will be when you get through with him). He has yet another shield (almost every game has one) but he also tosses debris around at you, and can cause a big chunk of garbage to fall from the ceiling. Use the Thunder Bolt to tame him.

Shade Man is built to look like a vampire and he lives up to it by being capable of draining energy from other robots. When he swoops he is trying to grab you, and if he does he will proceed to empty your energy reserves. So when he dives, slide! Shade Man can also temporarily turn his opponent to stone, and his Noise Crush can be charged just as Mega Man can do. Use the Wild Coil or fully-powered Mega Buster shots. Don’t hit Shade Man with the Noise Crush because he will absorb it and fire it back at you!

Slash Man has one of the oddest Robot Master faces I’ve seen, even with all of the nose-less Robot Masters out there. He is brutal in combat, hanging out on the ceiling most of the time and diving at his opponent to give him a quick slash from his Claw. The jelly he drops doesn’t make your life any easier either. Both the Freeze Cracker and the Scorch Wheel take decent damage, though the Cracker is a lot easier with which to hit. Use the slide to dodge his swoops.

Being made mostly out of springs has its advantages: Spring Man can jump like a super ball. His Wild Coils are fired in tandem, and he also slings out fist-tipped springs at you. Use the Slash Claw and he’ll go all to pieces.

Use the slide to dodge his fists. The pattern here is so simple it’s funny: Slide once, slide twice, Slash him. Slide once, slide twice...

Turbo Man turns himself into a car and zooms across the room. Jump when you hear him peeling out and you won’t get hit. Turbo Man’s far greater threat is his Scorch Wheel, which can set its target ablaze. Move quickly to put out the flames if you get hit. The Thunder Bolt will prevent him from using the Scorch Wheel, and the Slash Claw takes decent damage. However, the best weapon to use is the Noise Crush. Remember to first always fire a shot at the wall behind you so you can absorb it when it bounces back and charge it up.