“Mega Man is back!”
That’s how Capcom’s SDCC panel opened, the enthusiastic proclamation making the crowd go wild. Tim Turi, Kazuhiro Tsuchiya, and Nonaka Daizo were hosting the panel, and they were there to give fans an early look at Mega Man 11. An exclusive gameplay video was the piece de resistance of Thursday’s 30th Anniversary panel.
The game’s premise is that Dr. Wily (who isn’t getting enough sleep, apparently) has concocted a scheme to best Dr. Light, a scheme that revolves around some research he did in college. This research is the Double Gear System, and it would spell doom for our favorite Blue Bomber if it weren’t for the fact that Dr. Light apparently kept the prototype that Wily developed back at Robot University. There are two kinds of Gear that Mega Man can use: the blue Speed Gear and the Red Power Gear. Speed Gear allows him to move so fast that time seems to slow down, and the Power Gear allows him to supercharge his shots. He can also use both at once to fire a supremely powerful Final Shot.
Unfortunately, this comes with a drawback. If Mega Man uses the Double Gear system too much, he’ll overheat and be forced to wait a bit until he can use it again. As well, once he fires a Final Shot, he won’t be able to use the Double Gear system OR fire charged shots. Guess that’s the reason Wily’s research was discontinued.
Of course, your enemies don’t have that drawback. Because of course they don’t.
The game is a 2.5D side-scroller, just like you’d expect from a Mega Man game, with powerups and weapons to find along the way. The graphics and mechanics are smooth, modern, and intuitive; you might not even notice the new art style, and if you do, you’ll appreciate it. “This is a franchise that we want to keep going and we wanted to make sure that it has a visual style that will cater to a younger audience as well,” Capcom said, “For us, this is something we want to keep going, not just now but ten and twenty years from now, and we decided to go with a look that represents Mega Man with modern hardware which is what you see now.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be an SDCC panel without some kind of big reveal, and Capcom didn’t disappoint. Attendees were treated to the reveal of an all-new robot adversary: Torch Man.
This blazing robot was originally meant to teach children about fire safety, but Dr. Wily had his own ideas. Now he uses powerful karate moves and flaming projectiles to try and beat Mega Man into a pile of pixels. Firey!
Mega Man 11 releases October 2nd.
