Well, I didn’t think it could be done, after releasing two (admittedly entertaining) Mega Man Battle Network games in one year I thought Capcom lost their old-school touch but Mega Man Zero pretty much throws that theory out the window.  It is ironic perhaps that the one game which embodies the essence of what Mega Man is comes in the form of a adventure that doesn’t even star everyone’s favorite bouncing blue blasting robot.  In fact, Mega Man Zero innovates so much on the tried-and-true Mega Man formula that it not only matches its past glory but surpasses it with ruthless difficulty and an amazing graphical presentation.  On the exterior this game may look like a run-of-the-mill platforming shooter, albeit a gorgeous one, but after spending some quality time with the title you’ll realize the amount of strategy and depth that Mega Man Zero offers.

This game takes place in a future time when “reploids”, as they are known, are facing complete annihilation thanks to the world’s government.  As Zero, you are a reploid, but not just any reploid, you are a legend that, until your recent revival, was something only talked about in fairy tales.  It is only with Zero that the reploid resistance stands a chance against the evil human forces that are at work to destroy his kind.  It’ll be possible but it sure as hell won’t be easy.

Zero has a slew of maneuvers at his disposal and can pull off stunts that never would have been thought possible back in the NES days when Mega Man was in his prime.  The difference between the two styles can be most closely likened to the upgrade Street Fighter 2 received with the introduction of Street Fighter Vs X-Men, basically it’s more of the same with enough innovative bells and whistles to make a grown man cry.  Zero has all of Mega Man’s past foundational capabilities like running, jumping, shooting, and dashing, but he can also do things like jump from wall to wall Ninja Gaiden-style, cling and slide down the sides of platforms, and battle melee-style with a bad-ass Strider-esque sword.  Of course he’ll also have a trusty blaster just to keep things kosher.  The blaster and sword can be simultaneously equipped and used on the fly with a handful of different control schemes that should fit nicely with most people’s preferences.

The level layout in Mega Man Zero is probably the biggest new-school change to the game.  Instead of choosing from a list of obviously-named bosses and then playing through a level motif that compliments the bosses unique power you instead need to traverse a resistance base in the same 2D side-scrolling style as the in-game action in order to take on a new challenge.  For example, talking with Ciel within the base will allow you to save the game and accept new missions.

Another new addition to the series is something called the “Cyber Elf”, there are 70 unique Cyber Elves that you can collect throughout the game.  The Cyber Elf is a program created to help Zero in case of emergency.  They can be found in various nooks and crannies within the game’s dozen+ levels and sometimes mysteriously appear when certain conditions are met.  Each Cyber Elf that you collect will be stored in the transmission room where, after completing or bailing the current level, will be available as one of three equitable items for the next challenge.  Keep in mind though, these are single-serving power-ups that should be used only as necessary.  Some of the particularly powerful Cyber Elves won’t be available until you’ve collected enough energy units.  What’s more is that these digital creatures can be upgraded via an RPG-style system.

The bosses themselves are highly impressive however despite their lack of traditional homage, they are in fact just as original as the bosses found in past Mega Man titles.  Just don’t spend too much time admiring their paint-jobs because in this game looks can kill.  And In Mega Man Zero there is no such thing as unlimited continues; use up all two of your continues on a level and that mission is over and cannot be replayed.  This, coupled with the fact that the levels and bosses are extremely aggressive and difficult to master is absurd, absurd like a fox.  See, you’ll need to use your save slots strategically in order to experience this game to its fullest.

Visually, Mega Man Zero is a jaw-dropping drool-inducing masterpiece.  The characters and backgrounds are sharp, colorful, and intricate.  Animation is super smooth, the game moves with astounding fluidity, though it is prone to slowdown when things get particularly hectic on-screen.  The cut-scenes are composed of hand-drawn comic book-style still-shots and animations.  MM Zero’s audio isn’t nearly as impressive as its graphical presentation but it does get the job done with lots of old-school sound effects and interesting music.

Capcom’s first traditionally-styled Mega Man game on the GBA is a hands-down success.  Mega Man on the NES was great, Mega Man X on the SNES was better, Mega Man Zero on the GBA is almost perfect.  As far as 2D platforming games go you’d be hard-pressed to do better than this. 
 

Gameplay: 9.4
Good old classic Mega Man platforming goodness, the controls are simple but the situations that you’ll find yourself in require absolute precision and an instinctive trigger-finger.  The slew of updated maneuvers really compliment the old-school style and being able to “level up” in a Mega Man game is just awesome.

Graphics: 9.3
Visual masterpiece, the 2D artwork is incredible.  Animation is super fluid and the various environments are great.  Never before has a side-scrolling Mega Man game looked this good, the fact that it can be played on the go is a testament to consumer advancement in technology.

Sound: 7.6
The various digitized sound effects really take advantage of the GBA’s 16-bit sound processor, every on-screen action seems to have an accompanying aural representation.  The music, while mildly entertaining, is a little uninspired though.

Difficulty: Hard
For an indication of just how hard this game actually is you need look no further than the back of the box; “The most challenging Mega Man game yet!”.  Getting through over a dozen levels to the end credits will take quite some time but since you’ll enjoy every minute it is hard to complain about MM Zero’s difficulty.

Concept: 7.5
A Mega Man game just wouldn’t seem complete without a straight-forward yet far-fetched plot starring an assortment of unique bosses, and that is exactly what you will get with Mega Man Zero on the GBA.  Nevertheless, there really isn’t much new to see here as far as original concepts are concerned.

Overall: 9.1
This game is a homage to the old-school and verification of what is to come.  Mega Man Zero epitomizes the quintessence of the series while introducing hugely entertaining innovations.  Here’s hoping that this is one of many Zero games that will be released on the GBA!