The first trailer
On December 4, Capcom revealed Mega Man 11 during a Mega Man 30th anniversary live-stream presentation. It included a short announcement trailer, which you can see above. In the trailer, you can see the game employs a 2.5D perspective, similar to early gameplay videos for Mighty No. 9. Mega Man looks almost identical to his appearance in Super Smash Bros., and he’s making his way through what appear to be Mayan ruins before heading into an industrial area and a mine shaft.
At about the halfway point in the trailer, we see Mega Man’s appearance change to teal and yellow in place of his traditional blue. Like past games, changing weapon modes will alter Mega Man’s appearance, not just change his color palette. In the trailer, his teal and yellow form also adds additional armor, including large, brick-like hands. In this form, Mega Man can cause blocks to fall from the sky, destroying everything beneath them. According to Game Informer, the Robot Master who uses these abilities was originally called “Brick Man,” but its name has since been changed.
Characters
Capcom seems committed to making a Mega Man sequel that fans of the classic games will appreciate, and that begins with the characters. Legendary villain Dr. Wily will return with an army of crazy machines, and these “Robot Masters” will give Mega Man new powers as he makes his way through each stage. According to Game Informer, there will be eight Robot Masters to fight, and you can do so in any order. Other enemies were designed as much more than throwaway baddies — artist Yuji Ishihara said he made the enemies intentionally cute in order to “[bring] a smile to your face” while you’re playing.
Mega Man’s dog, Rush, makes a brief cameo in the first trailer, as does his sister, Roll. Though Mega Man’s creator Dr. Light is mentioned in Capcom’s blog post on the announcement trailer, the company hasn’t revealed whether or not he will actually appear in the game, but he is confirmed as the creator of the Robot Masters that Mega Man will be fighting.
The old and the new
In addition to the graphical overhaul and snappy gameplay, Mega Man 11 features difficulty options designed to welcome new players. On the game’s Japanese website, four of these are listed: “Newcomer,” “Casual,” “Normal,” and “Expert.”
Mega Man still has access to his classic charge-shot and dash move, as well as a new slide maneuver that should allow for him to escape some sticky situations. To help manage the on-screen action, the perspective has also been pulled back slightly farther and moved higher, and Game Informer said there will be another “game-changing mechanic” that helps to balance the difficulty, and they’re represented by the gear icon underneath Mega Man’s health bar.
You’ll also be able to switch through you various Robot Master weapons much more easily than in past games. By using the analog stick, you can bring up an “invisible wheel” showing all of your available weapons, allowing you to perform combo attacks.
Mega Man 11 is being directed by Koji Oda, known for his work on the Resident Evil series, and it’s being produced by Kazuhiro Tsuchiya, whose previous credits include Mega Man 7 and Mega Man: Legacy Collection 2. Ryo Yoshii serves as audio director, and he made use of recorded sounds in place of digital effects in order to better fit the game’s new visual style.
When can we play it?
Mega Man 11 will release for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in “late 2018.”
In an interview with Game Informer, Oda suggested the game’s success could lead to a larger revival of the Mega Man brand, including more sequels and the return of sub-series such as Mega Man Legends and Mega Man Battle Network.
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