Gaming, unlike a lot of hobbies, relates heavily to time. No matter how many times a number of games are ported, a good number of early titles might as well be forgotten. For others, they got their moment in the sun but for one reason or another that moment has passed and they’re left in the past. This holds true for a number of Sega Saturn titles and any long term gamer probably has a couple of games in a similar situation. With nostalgia at an all-time high, this has led to some rather interesting collections and ports, such as Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection. With the full Mega Man Zero and ZX series in one six-game package, is it a steal for fans or were they better off left in the past?
Mega Man Zero tells a multiple part adventure that takes place after the events of the Mega Man X series. This starts 100 years later with Zero forgetting his past and after a series of challenges face a copy of X. After that, you need to defeat Neo Arcadian forces that lead to some shocking revelations regarding Elfs. This story reaches its conclusion in the next adventure resulting in a better outlook, only for it to all come crashing down in the final installment where you attempt to save the world and deal with the problems it, for better or worse, currently faces.
This story continues in the Mega Man ZX series, showing your struggles were worth it and how far the world has advanced. However, given that peace can only last so long, there is a new threat that you need to deal with. Your adventure concludes in Mega Man ZX Advent, which serves as a nice cap to a rather interesting adventure.
Considering this is a very brief overview of what is essentially a six-part story, there is a lot to cover and the series does a fairly good job of it. Fans of the X series of games will likely enjoy where the story goes, with newcomers finding it hard to get into. Once you get the hang of things, the story should have enough content to make everyone happy. Similar things can be said about gameplay too.
For the most part, they play like an open-world version of Mega Man. Most of the adventure will come down too hard platforming segments, using your powers effectively and dealing with a wide variety of troublesome robots. With these being mobile games, they can often feel a bit dated. Mechanics you might expect, like crouch, don’t exist and often times it can take a fair amount of practice to get right. This leads to one of the series of port’s strengths.
Even if every game in Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection were fine at the time or did the best they could, they fall short by today’s standards. To help overcome some of the harder points, there is an easy mode, along with additional saves to make the difficulty easier to overcome. With these tools the series still has some bite, so don’t think it takes away from the experience, as much as giving players the ability to see the adventure through without a vast time investment. This will be invaluable for many, especially since it isn’t the best looking game around.
Considering the originals were found on the Gameboy Advance and DS systems, sprites and locations are not the most detail-filled or translate that well to modern times. It isn’t awful per se, just don’t expect extremely high-quality looks and expect a bit more of a dated feel. It isn’t enough to take away from the experience, as much as something that will scare certain players away.
Those willing to invest the time will probably enjoy it, as each version has its own charm and it’s a pretty good deal. Especially if you’re a fan of harsher gameplay sections or trial and error bosses. The only downside is progression can be, at times, hard to figure out and might discourage buying. But, if you can get past graphics and some shortcomings, it’s a good experience.
Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection Review – Verdict
There is only so much you can say about Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection before this becomes an entirely too long article. The core experience is largely the same and what you’d expect. Enemies have tricky arrangements, bosses take some learning, there are easy ways to do things and sword-based combat offers a different take for a number of situations. With so many games included, some modernization and more, it’s easy to see the value in picking up this pack, though you want to be aware of the shortcomings. Graphics can be harsh, as can gameplay, but it will reward anyone able to overcome these elements.
[Editor’s Note: Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection was reviewed on the PS4 platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]