Mega Man IV

Shoots bombs that explode on contact; can be fired in any of seven directions. (You can shoot them straight up, but you can’t lob them straight down.) These can be used to remove obstacles or to hit things that cannot be reached with the Mega Buster.

Creates a burst of energy around Mega Man’s feet when he slides, which subsequently damages whatever it strikes. This is activated automatically whenever you slide while it is equipped. Use it to plow through certain walls.

Shoots a single, smooth sphere. If the sphere hits something solid it will shatter into several smaller spheres which ricochet around the room. Because of this, it is possible to take multiple hits on an enemy with just one shot. Try firing over a Robot Master’s head so that the Eye bounces off the wall behind him.

Ironically, Bright Man has the Flash Stopper, not Flash Man. Go figure. Anyway, the Flash Stopper works in bursts; it consumes a chunk of energy to temporarily freeze enemies in place. After a few seconds, the effect wears off. There is no constant drain on the weapon, and as a bonus, the user is able to fire arm cannons while his foes are frozen.

Napalm Bombs bounce along the ground, exploding when they strike something or after a preset period of time if nothing is encountered before then.

Spheres which can be fired straight or diagonally. If you charge up, you form a large sphere over Mega Man’s head; you can then fire off this sphere at something, or merely walk around and hit things with it. If you choose to do the latter, try this: don’t release the button when you use up the sphere, but instead open the subscreen and close it while still holding down the fire button. When you return to the game, you’ll charge up another sphere without using any weapon energy.

Several large chunks of rock spiral outward from the user. This can hit things high in the air where Mega Man’s normal cannons cannot reach, but it can also be somewhat difficult to aim.

This creates a capsule which jets high into the air before bursting into a brief but damaging downpour of ionized rain. The user of this weapon is shielded from its effects, but anyone else caught vulnerable in the deluge is sure to be damaged. This weapon is obviously useful for its ability to hit anywhere on the screen without aiming, but keep in mind there is a delay between the time that you fire and when the rain shower occurs.

Shoots large rings horizontally. The Rings fly out for a bit then snap back at a very rapid pace. They are very fast, but have poor range. As an added bonus, however, in this game they can snag items (such as energy pellets and P-Chips) and pull them back to Mega Man, where they are collected once they touch him. It can even grab multiple items at once! (Thanks to Criedel for this.)

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.

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.

This is identical to the Super Tank except that it is a capsule, which means Mega Man cannot carry it around. He uses it when and where he picks it up. These can only be obtained from Proto Man. (I’d like to know where he gets his supply!)

These are components that Dr. Light can use to create items for Mega Man using the Item Replicator. P-Chips are acquired from minor enemies as they perish, and are found in stages. They come in two varieties: small ones are worth 2, and large are worth 8.

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.

This is an entire stock of energy that Mega Man can carry around until needed. You use these off the subscreen (select the “EN” option). 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. You can totally refill one of your weapons with this.

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

Gather four of these to make one Energy Tank. You cannot use Mini Energy Tanks even to restore only part of your heath. They are only useful if you get four of them.

This allows you to pick up weapon energy and refill weapons even if you aren’t equipped with them. The EB machine will fill the weapon which needs the energy most first, but you can override its choices by equipping the weapon desired. In this game, if your current weapon is full on energy, the weapon energy will go to another weapon instead.

This is a springboard which enables Mega Man to leap greater distances. Just call Rush and then jump onto him. You’ll rebound off and soar almost to the top of the screen.

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). In this game, you have no vertical control over Rush; once you jump on, he just moves forward. Choose his vertical position by jumping before summoning him; your height when you press determines where he will teleport in.

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.

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. Even after being defeated repeatedly by Mega Man, he has yet to give up.

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.

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.

Ballade has two forms, although his attack style doesn’t change much between them. He is usually in motion, weaving around his room and tossing his Ballade Cracker bombs left and right. You will need some good maneuvering to take on this guy.

Like Flash Man, Bright Man is equipped with plasma arm cannons to take advantage of his frozen enemy. His arm cannons aren’t the thing to fear, however; he does much more deadly damage if he manages to leap on you. A thorough dousing of Rain Flush capsules will make short work of Bright Man.

This Robot Master looks like a locomotive, and is difficult though not impossible to clear with Mega Man’s jumps. Charge Man can rain down flaming rocks after first tooting them into the air. But most of the time he simply charges back and forth, plowing through you if he makes contact. Jump him only if he’s headed your way, and use the Power Stone or fully-charged Mega Buster shots. You cannot damage him when he is using his meteor attack, or when he is in the middle of charging (but you can strike him just before he charges).

Crystal Man usually fires his Crystal Eye already broken into four separate orbs. He also has a plasma arm cannon to supplement his attack. Dodging the multiple orbs can be tricky but it is possible. Try to bait him when he’s firing his plasma shot so that it misses you, and Charge Kick him whenever he’s on the ground.

This guy’s Napalm Bombs bounce along the ground for a bit before exploding. Napalm Man has a Bomb shooter built into each arm, and thus can send out two Bombs simultaneously. Nail him with the Crystal Eye if you want an easier time. You can either try to hit him directly for more direct damage, or bounce it off a wall and let the Crystal Eye split into three to hit him several times.

Another of the Robot Masters to beware; this guy is almost as quick as Shadow Man. He makes good use of the Pharaoh Shot, alternating from firing rapid shots to charging up. He dashes around his room at a rapid pace; however, the Flash Stopper will stop him in his tracks. As an added bonus, Mega Man can also shoot his arm cannons while using the Flash Stopper, so fire away!

Ring Man’s greatest advantage is in the way he paces his lair, tossing Ring Boomerangs at you. But it is also his greatest weakness, for if you get the pattern down right, you can dodge him perfectly. The key is timing your leaps. First jump his first Ring Boomerang, then jump him. Hit him with Pharaoh Shots to make the battle go faster.

This giant hulk of a robot is built to look as though he’s constructed completely from bricks. His weapon is the Power Stone which sends out several rocks in a spiraling formation. Stone Man will also leap high into the air and attempt to land on his enemy, or sometimes he hops around repeatedly, chasing after you to the point of madness. He will sometimes appear to crumble into a pile of bricks when he hits the ground after a high jump, only to quickly get back to his feet. Napalm Bombs work well on Stone Man though they are frustrating to use as he is invulnerable most of the time (you cannot hit him when he is charging up his Power Stone or when he’s crumbled into a pile of bricks). Sometimes it is better to simply plaster him with rapid-fire plasma shots.

Like any frog (and most of the Robot Masters!), Toad Man is a great jumper. He can easily leap to the height of several meters. When he calls down the Rain Flush you are guaranteed to take damage. Keep firing to prevent him from using the Rain Flush; he’ll usually jump when he takes damage, so this is a game of running/sliding underneath him, back and forth, while shooting him.