This game actually has three plots woven into one: Dr. Wily has swiped parts from Dr. Light, and Roll is missing. Stopping Wily, finding the parts, and saving Roll are three separate missions during the game, although you accomplish all three regardless of which mode you choose.
This is the sequel to the arcade game
the Power Battle, also available via the same channels. The Power Fighters is very similar to its prequel, but it does have its differences. Below is a quick list:
Similarities
- The game is two player and consists of only boss-battles.
- The art is either directly from Mega Man 7 or drawn in the same style.
- At the beginning Robot Masters are rather tame, but as you go through the game, they get increasingly longer energy meters.
- Some of the same Robot Masters are here from the previous arcade.
Differences and Notes
- Only one player can snag each weapon (this is actually more accurate...).
- Duo is a player character.
- You can choose which Robot Master to fight next in a normal manner, instead of a roulette.
- Enemies drop energy which can be picked up.
- Each player character has a couple of special moves.
- Robot Masters visibly “power up” when their energy meters reach the halfway point, often changing their fighting styles.
- All Robot Masters have shields of some sort which can temporarily block your shots.
- You can get parts during the game to increase your abilities.
- The mode that you choose not only determines the foes that you face, but also what order you get the cut scenes and power-up items.
- The endings are customized based on which two characters you pair together.
- Some of the Robot Masters are different from the first arcade.
- Weapons appear to have a maximum energy meter of 16 units in this game. You get an additional 8 units with the item Roll gives you when you rescue her (“Rescue Roll” path only). This affects Rush, Beat, and Treble as well.
Game Play
For those who have never played this or the other arcade, here is a brief synopsis of how the game is played:
- On the character select screen, one or two players can choose from Mega Man, Proto Man, Bass, and a very strange-looking, SNES-ized Duo. (They cannot both be the same character.)
- Once players have picked their characters, the game shifts to a scenario select screen where you choose which path to take in the game. There are three paths; from left to right, they are: stop Wily, save Roll, and get parts. You end up doing all three regardless of which you choose. At the top of the screen, Dr. Light “talks” to you, telling you briefly about the scenarios.
- The third screen is a stage select screen. The available Robot Masters are listed at the bottom of the screen, and you move the targeting cursor with the controller. At the top of the screen, Dr. Light offers short descriptions of the robots as well as a hint to each one’s weakness (to clue you in on what weapon to use). Note that the player who got the weapon from the previous battle is the one who gets to pick the next target. Also note that, like the previous two screens, there is a time limit; however, you get about 30 seconds which is sufficient to read each robot’s description and make a choice.
- Once you pick a target, the battle starts—the Robot Master against the players.
“Um, do you have bad aim on purpose?”
Often when you strike the opponent, he will drop energy that you can pick up by walking over it. If you use the proper weapon against a robot, the game will pause and he will show some sort of obvious visual indication (much like some of the later Mega Man games). Player characters can fire, jump, hop off walls, charge, slide/dash, execute a special move, and call a companion helper, among other things.
- When you toast the Robot Master, he explodes into a ton of energy. There is also a blue sphere which represents the Robot Master’s weapon. Whichever player touches this sphere first gets the weapon. Interestingly enough, each character has two winning stances that differ depending on whether he snagged the weapon. For instance, if Bass misses the weapon he will pound his fist on the ground in frustration. Proto Man looks indifferent either way.
- After doing all the Robot Masters, you must fight a preset boss and a battle against Wily himself.
Special Commands
- Press Up+Jump to do a super-jump (only applicable when you get the correct power-up part).
- Charge up, then hold Up and release the fire button to perform a special move (see below). Which move you do depends on what parts you have.
You get different Robot Masters depending on the scenario you choose:
- Stop Wily
- Rescue Roll
- Find Parts
Each of the four characters offers slightly different game play. They can all charge up their native weapons, and each does a slide/dash when you press down and jump, but what each does differs from one to the next. Also, each has a preset “helper” which Eddie brings in during the levels. Helpers last until their energy bars diminish, and you cannot make them go away early. You also cannot use special weapons while using a helper, since the helper itself counts as a weapon.
- Mega Man
- Style: Slides
- Special Move: Plasma Uppercut
- Helper: Rush. Mega Man’s robot dog doesn’t seem to do much in this game except be an occasional platform for Mega Man. Sometimes he will make a dashing attack if you fire a super-shot.
- Comments: Mega Man is almost unchanged in this game, which is what I’ve come to expect—and insist upon. He’s probably the easiest character to use simply because his slide gets him so low to the ground.
- Proto Man
- Style: Dashes
- Special Move: Blues Strike (a fireball with no range)
- Helper: Beat. In my opinion, Beat is the best of the helpers, since he gives the caller a shield which completely blocks all damage for its duration. Beat applies the shield then flies away.
- Comments: Proto Man is almost identical to his brother except he dashes. This doesn’t get him quite as low to the ground, but close. The red and white shield he carries doesn’t protect him, sorry.
- Bass
- Style: Air-Dashes
- Special Move: Flash Kick
- Helper: Treble. Bass’s robot dog teleports in and follows Bass around, firing shots in whatever direction he’s facing and charging when you fire a super-shot. More useful than Rush, anyway.
- Comments: Bass’s arm cannons, although the shots are different colors and shapes, are essentially the same as Mega Man’s. The biggest trouble with Bass is his air-dash, which will often cause you to smack him into the very thing you were trying to avoid.
- Duo
- Style: Charges
- Special Move: Uppercut / Punch
- Helper: Beat. This is identical to Proto Man’s helper. Keep in mind that you are completely invulnerable while the shield lasts, so go for it!
- Comments: Of the four characters, Duo is the most different. He’s larger, slower, and has no arm cannons. Instead, he surrounds his larger fist with energy and uses that to attack. A normal attack is a punch; when you charge up one level, you get a small super-shot; when you charge up fully, Duo fires a burst of energy that is in the shape of his hand. Also, when Duo dashes, he charges shoulder-first, and you can actually damage things with this charge provided you strike them at the right moment (while the spikes on his shoulder are extended). Duo can be difficult to use because half of his attacks and super-shots do not extend the full width of the screen, but his charge comes in handy.
As a whole, this game amazed me by actually revealing real plot info that applies to the entire series as a whole. It is also the first original series game to tie directly into the X series (as opposed to the other way around). It loses points for some of its misconceptions about robots though. Every character and pair of characters has their own ending.
- Bass:
- This ending starts out basically the same as the Power Battle’s: Wily asks why Bass continues to oppose him, and Bass asks why Wily continues to make more robots. Dr. Wily makes a comment about how, when building Bass, he’d tried to copy Mega Man’s designs as closely as possible (and he mentions “Bassnium” which he employed in Bass’s construction); then he repeats what he’d said in the first arcade about working on a new robot—only this time he shows Bass some of the plans. Guess who. (Hint: Bass’s term was something along the lines of “girlie-looking robot with long hair”...)
- Proto Man:
- Dr. Light has discovered that there is some sort of energy imbalance in Proto Man’s system. He tells his creation about it, but Proto Man refuses to let Dr. Light open him up and repair the problem. Although Proto Man has a free will, he’s still robotic, which means he can be reprogrammed, rebuilt, reconditioned, or any of a number of things which he vehemently avoids. To this end, he doesn’t like anyone to delve too deeply into his system—not even Dr. Light. We’ll see how long this lasts.
- Mega Man:
- I figured this would be the standard “you saved the world again” ending, but I was wrong. Dr. Wily accuses Mega Man of being no better than he is, since Mega Man causes so much destruction by fighting Wily’s robots. But then Dr. Light, Roll, and the rest of the cast come in to cheer Mega Man up and remind him that if Mega Man didn’t destroy the robots, they’d take over everything. While they’re talking, Dr. Wily discreetly gets away.
- Duo:
- This ending is basically an advertisement for Mega Man 8. Apparently Duo was helping because he felt he owed some sort of debt to Mega Man and Dr. Light. He also found some more of the alien energy which he said he’d take home with him. Since he promises Dr. Light to come back and visit, we’ll probably see more of Duo in the future.
- Mega Man and Proto Man:
- This is the same as Mega Man’s ending, except Proto Man joins in with the others to assure Mega Man that he’s doing the right thing.
- Mega Man and Duo:
- This begins and ends the same as Duo’s ending. In the middle, Mega Man says goodbye to Duo and asks him to return.
- Mega Man and Bass:
- Bass saves Wily, then tells Mega Man that it’s time for the two to duel. Mega Man refuses at first, saying they are both damaged from their previous battles, but Bass insists. So Mega Man agrees, and the ending concludes with an image of them doing their special moves.
- Bass and Proto Man:
- Bass wonders why Proto Man’s so mysterious and what in the world he wants in life. Then he says that once he has taken care of Mega Man, he’ll be happy to challenge Proto Man to a duel. But Proto Man responds that Bass will never defeat Mega Man. Much as he does in Mega Man & Bass, Proto Man explains that Bass, who just wants to prove he’s the strongest, can’t win against Mega Man, who’s fighting for people he cares about.
- Bass and Duo:
- Once again, this ending is the same as Duo’s except with an added interlude. Duo tries to say goodbye to Bass, who of course has no interest in such conversation. Duo then tells Bass that Bass has some goodness in him, and to not deny it. Bass responds that all he cares about is fighting. He then (of course) challenges Duo to a duel. But that won’t take place until Duo returns to Earth...
- Duo and Proto Man:
- During the interlude where Proto Man and Duo are parting, Duo asks Proto Man what his relation is to Mega Man. He says he can tell they’re very close (not that Proto Man will admit it). After predictably shrugging off the question, Proto Man urges Duo to come visit Earth again sometime.
