Mega Man 11

Developer(s)	Capcom
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Director(s)	Koji Oda
Producer(s)	Kazuhiro Tsuchiya
Designer(s)	Masakazu Eguchi
Artist(s)	Yuji Ishihara
Writer(s)	Masakazu Eguchi
Composer(s)	Marika Suzuki
Series	Mega Man
Engine	MT Framework
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 4 Nintendo Switch Xbox One
Release	WW: October 2, 2018 JP: October 4, 2018
Genre(s)	Action, platforming
Mode(s)	Single-player

Mega Man 11 is an action-platform game developed and published by Capcom. The game is an entry in the original Mega Man series, and was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in October 2018. The game brings back several features such as voice acting and a 2.5D graphic style from previous games throughout the Mega Man franchise.

Plot

The evil scientist Dr. Wily has completed a forbidden research to attack the peaceful robotic society again. While reflecting on his younger days when he studied alongside Dr. Light, he remembered a creation of his own: the Double Gear System, a device that dramatically increases the abilities of robots, but its research was stopped due to the danger caused by pushing robots beyond their limitations, and it is related to the conflict between Dr. Wily and Dr. Light. Finishing the Double Gear System, Dr. Wily steals eight of Dr. Light's robots and increases their abilities to use on his plans to conquer the world. In order to counter the situation, Dr. Light reluctantly decided to install a prototype of the Double Gear System that Wily created when he was younger on Mega Man, giving him new abilities to help him stop Dr. Wily's nefarious ambitions.

After Mega Man has defeated four of the Robot Masters, Dr. Light explains the history of the Double Gear system. When he and Wily were students at Robot University, they both had their own ideas on how to create a new future for humans and robots. Light pursued the idea of giving robots independent thought in order to make them true partners to humans while Wily believed robots could only be accepted if they exceeded humans and became heroes with his Double Gear. Light opposed the idea due to the extreme physical exertion the system placed on robots, which made it dangerous to implement in them. A committee was held and Light's idea was given approval over Wily's, ending their friendship.

Mega Man defeats the remaining Robot Masters, prompting Wily to give the location of his Gear Fortress and challenge Mega Man himself. Mega Man infiltrates the fortress and defeats Wily's latest Wily Machine. The mad scientist begs as usual, but insists Mega Man only won due to his Double Gear system. At this point, Dr. Light arrives in person to ask Wily to atone, showing that Mega Man has proven their research can work in tandem. However, Wily refuses and escapes as the fortress collapses. Mega Man, Dr. Light and Auto escape, retrieving the bodies of the Robot Masters in the process.

Back home, Dr. Light installs the Double Gear in Auto to help him work faster as they begin the process of restoring the Robot Masters.

Gameplay

Mega Man 11 retains the gameplay style of the classic Mega Man series of games, and features a 2.5D graphics style with 3D polygonal characters and 2D environments. Players control Mega Man in an attempt to stop Dr. Wily from using his Double Gear system that he invented many years before, when he was at Robot University. Players travel through eight linear stages, which can be chosen in any way the player sees fit, and have to face Doctor Wily's newest Robot Masters, including Block Man, Fuse Man, Blast Man, Acid Man, Tundra Man, Torch Man, Impact Man, and Bounce Man.

Mega Man can perform classic moves such as the chargeable Mega Buster and slide, as well as obtain new weapons by defeating Robot Master bosses at the end of each level. Unique to this game is the Double Gear system, which grants Mega Man two additional abilities: the Speed Gear and Power Gear. The Speed Gear lets Mega Man slow down time, allowing him to dodge attacks, while the Power Gear increases the attack power of Mega Man's weaponry; both of these will overheat if Mega Man uses them too much. When Mega Man's health is critically low, he can activate both gears to perform a powerful charge shot which can only be used once and leaves Mega Man weakened afterwards.

The game has additional features including Time Trials, Missions, Global Leaderboards, a concept art gallery and more. The game also features difficulty settings, last seen in Mega Man 10, expanding upon them for a total of four: Newcomer, Casual, Normal, and Superhero. The Nintendo Switch version has Amiibo support, which can be used to unlock in-game items.

Development

The game was announced in December 2017 as part of the celebration of the series' 30th anniversary, along with the announcements of re-releases of earlier Mega Man games. Mega Man 11 features 3D polygonal characters and hand-drawn environments, departing from the pixel art-based approach from previous games, and is displayed in 2.5D. It was directed by Koji Oda and produced by Kazuhiro Tsuchiya, with character designs by Yuji Ishihara, and music by Marika Suzuki. According to Tsuchiya and Oda, the departure of Mega Man producer Keiji Inafune was mainly the reason for the long hiatus of a new game, as there was a huge hesitation for anyone to step up and become "the new Mega Man guy" until Oda himself did so.

Mega Man 11 was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on October 2, 2018, except in Japan where it was released two days later. An alternate soundtrack in the form of a DLC add-on for the game was made freely available to those who pre-ordered the game. A Mega Man Amiibo was released alongside the game for the Switch version. A demo featuring Block Man's stage was released on the Nintendo Switch on September 6, 2018, and on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 the following day.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	(PS4) 82/100 (NS) 80/100 (XONE) 76/100

Review scores

Publication	Score
Destructoid	8.5/10
EGM	9/10
Famitsu	32/40
Game Informer	8.75/10
GameRevolution
GameSpot	7/10
IGN	7.5/10
Nintendo Life

Mega Man 11 was met with positive reviews by critics. IGN gave it a 7.5/10 rating saying "It's not revolutionary, but Mega Man 11 feels almost like a classic Mega Man game, and is a good foundation for the next 10 games" while GameSpot gave it a 7/10 rating praising the game for its "great sub-bosses and intense robot master fights[,] some new stage gimmicks [being] a lot of fun and endearing personality of the series com[ing] through in the visual and character design", while criticizing the stages for being "far too long and hav[ing] some questionable elements[,] the difficulty spikes throughout levels lead[ing] to frustrating setbacks [and] the Double Gear System never seem[ing] quite as useful as you want it to be". Nintendo Life gave it a 9/10 rating, writing that "Mega Man 11 is an excellent resurgence for the Blue Bomber, imbuing the tried-and-true classic gameplay with modern touches and new ideas that expand on existing concepts in interesting ways."

Sales

During its first week on sale in Japan, the physical Nintendo Switch version of Mega Man 11 sold 14,650 copies, while the physical PlayStation 4 version sold 12,052 copies. As of February 2019, the game has sold 870,000 copies worldwide.

Accolades

The game was nominated for "Best Action Game" at The Game Awards 2018, and for "Original Light Mix Score, Franchise" at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.

External links

• Official website