Mega Man V (Game Boy)
Encyclopedia
Mega Man V, known as in Japan
, is a video game developed and published by Capcom
for the Game Boy
handheld game console
. It is the fifth and final game in the Game Boy version of the original Mega Man series. The game follows the adventures of the protagonist Mega Man
as he must defend the Earth from a group of powerful robots from outer space called the "Stardroids". Mega Man V was also unique from the previous Game Boy Mega Man games as it features original and unique bosses rather than recycling those from the original Nintendo Entertainment System
(NES) Mega Man games.
Mega Man V is an action
platformer
in which the player selects stages in a non-linear fashion and acquires the weapon of each boss defeated to use as their own. Although, the game plays nearly identical to any other games in the series, the game substitutes Mega Man's trademark "Mega Buster" weapon with a powerful "Mega Arm" which sends Mega Man's own fist like a rocket and introduces Tango, a new assistant character. Mega Man V received an average to positive critical reception.
to conquer the world. Mega Man
and his sister Roll are strolling through a grassy field, when suddenly, they are confronted by a mysterious new robot who calls himself Terra. Mega Man attempts to fight Terra, only to find that his "Mega Buster" arm cannon has no effect on this new powerful enemy. Mega Man is knocked unconscious and what follows is series of attacks on the world by a group of robots from outerspace called the "Stardroids". Waking up in Dr. Light's laboratory, Mega Man is presented with the new and powerful "Mega Arm" to help him fight the Stardroids in his next quest. After defeating all them including Terra, Mega Man finds out that his archenemy Dr. Wily was ordering them to dominate the earth. Mega Man sets off to a new Wily star base to stop him. In the star base, Mega Man has rematchs with the four new robots from the previous Game Boy games(Enker, Quint, Punk and Ballade). After Wily is stopped once again, he releases a mysterious and ancient robot called Sunstar to destroy Mega Man. However, Sunstar disobeys and attacks Wily instead, and then turns his attention to Mega Man. The hero wins the battle and tries to convince Sunstar to be repaired by Dr. Light. However, he refuses and chooses to stay on the exploding base while Mega Man escapes safely.
and platform
-style levels to complete. Mega Man's primary weapon is his staple arm cannon. However, rather than being able to charge and fire a more powerful blast with the trademark Mega Buster, the Mega Arm is used in essentially the same manner. Charging up and releasing the firing button causes Mega Man's arm to detach, strike an enemy, and then reattach. Destroying the boss at the end of each stage adds its special weapon to Mega Man's arsenal for the rest of the game. As each boss is weak to specific weapon, the player is encouraged to complete some stages before others. Defeating two of the bosses also allows the player to access Mega Man's robo dog Rush, who can transform into useful "Coil" and "Jet" modes for easier stage navigation. Mega Man V also introduces Tango the cat, another robotic pet to help Mega Man. Like the bird Beat from previous installments in the series, Tango will appear on the screen when summoned to attack enemies, transforming into a buzzsaw and ricocheting around the room. As also in Mega Man IV, the player can return to Dr. Light between stages to purchase items using "Power Chips (P-Chips)" scattered throughout the game.
Mega Man V breaks several established trends in the Mega Man games released on the portable handheld Game Boy handheld. Prior to its release, games in the series on the system featured a set of four "Robot Masters" boss characters from their titular NES counterpart and a second set of 4 from the succeeding NES game in the series. Mega Man V instead features entirely original enemy characters with the Stardroids, who are all named after the planet
s in the Solar System
: Neptune, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Pluto, Uranus, Jupiter, Saturn and Terra. Mega Man V also has Super Game Boy
support, which allows the game to be played with a custom color scheme and border on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
(SNES).
, the fifth installment took the longest time to develop of all five of these titles. Inafune was responsible for the game's character designs after their initial concepts were devised. "When you have a theme to follow, it can make things easier and harder at the same time," Inafune recounted. "Especially with a theme as vague as space." He additionally recalled having "a lot of reservations" when designing the Stardroids. Tango was included as a support character not featured in the home console games; his name
, like other characters in the series, is part of musical motif. Inafune, who always enjoyed working on animal support characters, was especially pleased to design Tango due to the artist's personal fondness for cats. Mega Man V is the final installment in the Game Boy line of games based on the original Mega Man series. Inafune stated, "In the end, I think we had a lot of fun working on this series".
was impressed by its gameplay and graphics, but felt that the game is too short, "especially when you sit down with the Super Game Boy and cruise". GamePro
was contrastingly unimpressed with the controls on the SNES, considering the use of Game Boy much simpler.
In 2008, Nintendo Power listed Mega Man V as the 14th best Game Boy or Game Boy Color
video game, praising it as the best of a quality series of portable Mega Man games. Mega Man V was also made available for the similarly named Nintendo Power
cartridge service in Japan on April 13, 2001 alongside its four Game Boy Mega Man predecessors. Outside of Japan, the game is considered to be quite rare. All five games on the Game Boy were to be released as part of a Game Boy Advance
compilation in 2004 titled Mega Man Anniversary Collection
, but it was cancelled.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, is a video game developed and published by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
for the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
handheld game console
Handheld game console
A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are run on machines of small size allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place...
. It is the fifth and final game in the Game Boy version of the original Mega Man series. The game follows the adventures of the protagonist Mega Man
Mega Man (character)
Mega Man, known as in Japan, is a cybernetic video game character, and the main protagonist of what has been referred to as the original Mega Man series developed by Capcom since 1987. The pixel art for the character was created by the designer of the original game in the series, credited under...
as he must defend the Earth from a group of powerful robots from outer space called the "Stardroids". Mega Man V was also unique from the previous Game Boy Mega Man games as it features original and unique bosses rather than recycling those from the original Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(NES) Mega Man games.
Mega Man V is an action
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
platformer
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
in which the player selects stages in a non-linear fashion and acquires the weapon of each boss defeated to use as their own. Although, the game plays nearly identical to any other games in the series, the game substitutes Mega Man's trademark "Mega Buster" weapon with a powerful "Mega Arm" which sends Mega Man's own fist like a rocket and introduces Tango, a new assistant character. Mega Man V received an average to positive critical reception.
Plot
The game opens in an unspecified year in the 21st century (20XX AD), several months after the events of Mega Man IV and another failure by the infamous Dr. WilyDoctor Wily
, full name Albert W. Wily, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the original Mega Man series of video games. Designed by Keiji Inafune, he appeared in the first Mega Man video game and later in promotions and other media related to the series...
to conquer the world. Mega Man
Mega Man (character)
Mega Man, known as in Japan, is a cybernetic video game character, and the main protagonist of what has been referred to as the original Mega Man series developed by Capcom since 1987. The pixel art for the character was created by the designer of the original game in the series, credited under...
and his sister Roll are strolling through a grassy field, when suddenly, they are confronted by a mysterious new robot who calls himself Terra. Mega Man attempts to fight Terra, only to find that his "Mega Buster" arm cannon has no effect on this new powerful enemy. Mega Man is knocked unconscious and what follows is series of attacks on the world by a group of robots from outerspace called the "Stardroids". Waking up in Dr. Light's laboratory, Mega Man is presented with the new and powerful "Mega Arm" to help him fight the Stardroids in his next quest. After defeating all them including Terra, Mega Man finds out that his archenemy Dr. Wily was ordering them to dominate the earth. Mega Man sets off to a new Wily star base to stop him. In the star base, Mega Man has rematchs with the four new robots from the previous Game Boy games(Enker, Quint, Punk and Ballade). After Wily is stopped once again, he releases a mysterious and ancient robot called Sunstar to destroy Mega Man. However, Sunstar disobeys and attacks Wily instead, and then turns his attention to Mega Man. The hero wins the battle and tries to convince Sunstar to be repaired by Dr. Light. However, he refuses and chooses to stay on the exploding base while Mega Man escapes safely.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Mega Man V is largely as linear as earlier and latter games in the series. As Mega Man, the player is presented with a set of actionAction game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
and platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
-style levels to complete. Mega Man's primary weapon is his staple arm cannon. However, rather than being able to charge and fire a more powerful blast with the trademark Mega Buster, the Mega Arm is used in essentially the same manner. Charging up and releasing the firing button causes Mega Man's arm to detach, strike an enemy, and then reattach. Destroying the boss at the end of each stage adds its special weapon to Mega Man's arsenal for the rest of the game. As each boss is weak to specific weapon, the player is encouraged to complete some stages before others. Defeating two of the bosses also allows the player to access Mega Man's robo dog Rush, who can transform into useful "Coil" and "Jet" modes for easier stage navigation. Mega Man V also introduces Tango the cat, another robotic pet to help Mega Man. Like the bird Beat from previous installments in the series, Tango will appear on the screen when summoned to attack enemies, transforming into a buzzsaw and ricocheting around the room. As also in Mega Man IV, the player can return to Dr. Light between stages to purchase items using "Power Chips (P-Chips)" scattered throughout the game.
Mega Man V breaks several established trends in the Mega Man games released on the portable handheld Game Boy handheld. Prior to its release, games in the series on the system featured a set of four "Robot Masters" boss characters from their titular NES counterpart and a second set of 4 from the succeeding NES game in the series. Mega Man V instead features entirely original enemy characters with the Stardroids, who are all named after the planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s in the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
: Neptune, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Pluto, Uranus, Jupiter, Saturn and Terra. Mega Man V also has Super Game Boy
Super Game Boy
The is a 16-bit adapter cartridge for Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as the Super Famicom in Japan. The Super Game Boy allows game cartridges designed for use on the Game Boy to be played on a TV display using the SNES/Super Famicom controllers. When it was released in...
support, which allows the game to be played with a custom color scheme and border on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
(SNES).
Development
Mega Man V was developed by the same third-party company that worked on three of the four previous Game Boy Mega Man games. According to Mega Man series artist Keiji InafuneKeiji Inafune
is a video game producer and illustrator. He was the former head of Research & Development and Online Business and Global Head of Production at Capcom, best known as the illustrator and co-designer of the character Mega Man, as well as the producer of the Onimusha and Dead Rising video game series...
, the fifth installment took the longest time to develop of all five of these titles. Inafune was responsible for the game's character designs after their initial concepts were devised. "When you have a theme to follow, it can make things easier and harder at the same time," Inafune recounted. "Especially with a theme as vague as space." He additionally recalled having "a lot of reservations" when designing the Stardroids. Tango was included as a support character not featured in the home console games; his name
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
, like other characters in the series, is part of musical motif. Inafune, who always enjoyed working on animal support characters, was especially pleased to design Tango due to the artist's personal fondness for cats. Mega Man V is the final installment in the Game Boy line of games based on the original Mega Man series. Inafune stated, "In the end, I think we had a lot of fun working on this series".
Reception and legacy
Overall critical reception for Mega Man V has been average to positive. While many aspects of the game were commended, critics found very little change from previous installments in the series. VideoGames summarized, "If you don't have a Mega Man game for your Game Boy, this one is a good as any. It's entertaining...it's Mega Man. If you're thinking 'rehash', you might be right and it's still a pretty fun game, though." Nintendo PowerNintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
was impressed by its gameplay and graphics, but felt that the game is too short, "especially when you sit down with the Super Game Boy and cruise". GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
was contrastingly unimpressed with the controls on the SNES, considering the use of Game Boy much simpler.
In 2008, Nintendo Power listed Mega Man V as the 14th best Game Boy or Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
video game, praising it as the best of a quality series of portable Mega Man games. Mega Man V was also made available for the similarly named Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
cartridge service in Japan on April 13, 2001 alongside its four Game Boy Mega Man predecessors. Outside of Japan, the game is considered to be quite rare. All five games on the Game Boy were to be released as part of a Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
compilation in 2004 titled Mega Man Anniversary Collection
Mega Man Anniversary Collection
Mega Man Anniversary Collection a compilation of video games developed by Atomic Planet Entertainment and published by Capcom. It was released exclusively in North America on June 23, 2004 for the Nintendo GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2 and on March 15, 2005 for the Microsoft Xbox...
, but it was cancelled.