Minakuchi Engineering is back with the third installment in the handheld Mega Man series. The previous game was... fine but clearly lacking the fresh spices that made Dr. Wily's Revenge such a cl... well, I personally wouldn't use the word classic, but maybe there's someone out there that feels differently. In any case, this entry is Mega Man 3 + 4 but twisted. Not TwIStEd twisted, but anyone expecting a smooth robot-stomping adventure is in for a rude awakening.
For this go-around, you'll absolutely want to master the charge shot. Especially if you're like me and keep forgetting which Robot Masters are weak to which weapons. A charged blast is a respectable damage dealer no matter the situation and is required for defeating this entry's exclusive bosses. Otherwise, your most effective tools will be the Shadow Blade and maybe the Dust Crusher. Everything else is a pitiful waste of space. I'm not going to say that useless weapons is an uncommon sentiment in Mega Man games, but I was hoping the developer would use this second edition to dole out some buffs.
With the main nitpick out of the way, let's jump right into what makes this game work: its level design. I thought that Dr. Wily's Revenge went too far in a few places. The last stage was especially gruesome with its multiple instances of disappearing blocks. Nothing nearly as excessive makes an appearance here. Instead, Minakuchi Engineering opted for stages that are about 1.3 times longer than usual. In Dive Man's stage, for example, there's a new section that takes place entirely underwater. There are spikes all over the ceilings, so measured jumps are essential. Some segments that were too uneventful or too taxing on the hardware were replaced. The end result is that you can't underestimate anything. Every obstacle has a purpose. Damage adds up quickly. Don't be ashamed if you find yourself hesitating at every jump, because an enemy can and likely will spawn at every jump.
Still, I believe all of it works. The difficulty is consistent, and never sadistic. Oh, hold the front door, did I just say "never"? Yeah, poor word choice on my part. There are no evers, nevers, or forevers when it comes to video games. One important aspect that I should've immediately pointed out a second ago is Mega Man III loves its pixel-perfect jumps. If both of the hero's feet aren't hanging over the ledge, then that next leap might be their last. Either there's a low ceiling to bump one's head against, or the chasm is slightly wider than expected. I say this, but I'm still waffling on whether excessive applies. That's mainly because if the player is having a tense moment, like the platforms they're hopping across could disappear underneath them, then there are little to no precise jumps. I know it goes without saying, but a little patience goes somewhere. If you have time to plan your next move, then the game will act accordingly.
Dustman's stage is absolutely a showcase for ME's attitude. The slightest mistakes are often punished severely. First off, you'll want to pay attention to every semi-wide chasm. The enemy robots that pop out of them attack in pairs, blindsiding anyone whose timing is a little off. Several of the jumps have to be immaculate. It'll also get to be rather grueling, with a series of encounters specifically designed to chip away at health meters. Like I said before, every stage runs longer than usual, so getting kicked pack to a prior checkpoint or even the beginning hurts significantly.
At least you're mostly in the clear if you can reach a boss with spare lives. The fights are extremely doable, and IMO at least, more reasonable than in other instalments. When I revisited Mega Man 3 (the NES game) not too long ago, I realized that some of the fights rely on a 50/50 guesses. Shadowman jumps three times then either slides or throws his shuriken. The slide is too fast to react to, but the shuriken is slightly delayed. I'm terrible at guessing, so trying to win this fight with just the buster was a headache. The charged shot and slightly decreased speed do an amazing job at taking some of the guesswork out of this troublesome fight. The same applies to every Robot Master, giving players more agency when deciding which one to tackle first. I also mentioned the exclusive fights that have to be done with just the buster. They're tough but doable. In spite of its intimidating size and penchant for crushing, Dr. Wily's final robot has a pretty simple pattern to exploit.
Oh, and I have one other nitpick that I want to mention. There are platforms that explode three seconds after Mega Man or Roll steps on them. Keep in mind that the instant either of them land on the platform, they'll actually fall for a couple of frames due to the trigger being depressed. It's in these frames that your next press of the jump button is almost guaranteed to get eaten, resulting in a robot running off of the platform and into the loving embrace of a spike-bed. It's hard to call anything that results in instant death a minor quirk, but I suppose that's all it really is.
No matter how you go about playing it, Mega Man III is a damn solid entry from an underrated developer. Minakuchi Engineering eased up on the absurdity while still delivering an adventure that refuses to pull its punches. I didn't even have to bring up the controls because there's nothing out of the ordinary about them. This is an all-around great entry point for anyone curious about Mega Man's Game Boy era.
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