Mega Man 6

Overview

Mega Man 6 (known in-game as Mega Man VI, and known in Japan as Rockman 6: Shijou Saidai no Tatakai!!, which loosely translates to "Rockman 6: The Greatest Battle in History!!") is a side-scrolling action platformer developed and published by both Capcom (in Japan on October 5, 1993) and Nintendo (in North America on March 15, 1994) for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was not published in Europe prior to the Virtual Console release.

It is the sixth installment of the original Mega Man series (and the sequel to Mega Man 5). It is the last game in the series to be developed for the NES (and is one of the last games officially released for the system). Along with a new secret item (the Energy Balancer, which allows Mega Man to recover energy for the Special Weapons without needing to equip one beforehand), the game changes Rush's abilities into "Rush Adaptors" (transforming Mega Man's armor to grant him the abilities to fly and punch certain blocks, both of which opens up new paths in each level).

Like Mega Man 4 and Mega Man 5, each of the eight Robot Masters were designed from contests. However, two of these bosses, Knight Man and Wind Man, were from winners of a Nintendo Power magazine contest in North America, making them the only two official Robot Masters to be initially designed outside of Japan.

Set in the year 20XX, the game takes sometime after the events of Mega Man 5 (in which the humanoid robot hero Mega Man defeats the evil roboticist Dr. Wily a fifth time). A mysterious billionaire, named Mr. X, has sponsored an international tournament where robots from the world's most gifted engineers do battle in a series of tests. When Mr. X reprograms the eight remaining finalists to help him conquer the world, it's up to Mega Man to foil his plans.

Gameplay

Mega Man 6 carries over much of what the series is known for, action and platforming, with a few new elements. Mega Man has a few new forms, such as Jet Mega Man, which allows him to hover, although he cannot use charge shots in this form. Another is Power Mega Man, who can punch through massive blocks to demolish them with very limited attack range. Neither adapter allows him to use the slide move.

As is the series norm, Mega Man will travel through eight stages freely, collecting the special weapons of each robot master, discovering their weakness, and defeating them.

Bosses

Blizzard Man

Weapon: Blizzard Attack

Weakness: Flame Blast

Centaur Man

Weapon: Centaur Flash

Weakness: Knight Crush

Flame Man

Weapon: Flame Blast

Weakness: Wind Storm

Knight Man

Weapon: Knight Crush

Weakness: Yamato Spear

Plant Man

Weapon: Plant Barrier

Weakness: Blizzard Attack

Tomahawk Man

Weapon: Silver Tomahawk

Weakness: Plant Barrier

Wind Man

Weapon: Wind Storm

Weakness: Centaur Flash

Yamato Man

Weapon: Yamato Spear

Weakness: Silver Tomahawk

Ports & Re-releases

While the original game was released as a Virtual Console title for the Nintendo 3DS (on June 20, 2013) and Wii U (on August 21, 2014), and Wii U (on May 2, 2013), the game received some ports:

• An enhanced port, developed for the 1999 Japan-only PlayStation series Rockman Complete Works, retained the graphics and music from the original. However, this version includes an optional arranged soundtrack, the option to switch weapons without requiring the weapon sub-menu, an updated HUD, and a special "Navi Mode" that guides players in certain parts of the game. This version was later released in North America as part of the Mega Man Anniversary Collection compilation for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube on June 23, 2004 and the Xbox on March 15, 2005.

• A "faithful recreation" was developed for the 2015 downloadable compilation Mega Man Legacy Collection for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo 3DS, and PC (via Steam). Developed by Digital Eclipse, this version features a "Challenge Mode" (where players must complete sequences throughout all six main NES games as fast as they can) and viewable art assets.