Forget about battle networks and microchips…Mega Man and Bass takes the blue bomber back to what he does best, defeating hordes of robots and absorbing their powers.  Mega Man and Bass is based on Rockman and Forte, a Super Nintendo game that was released in Japan a few years back but never hit stateside.  However, the game is now available on the GBA, and the game has lost nothing in the transition.  All of the elements from the game have been nicely preserved and carried over, from the old-school gameplay to the ludicrous difficulty.  If you want to have a great old-school Mega Man experience, then Mega Man and Bass is right up your alley.

Mega Man and Bass puts you in control of, uh, Mega Man and Bass.  Evil Dr. Wiley has been kicked out of his castle by a new threat, King Robot.   King has created eight new evil robots to do his bidding, and it is up to Mega Man and Bass to put aside their rivalry and defeat this new evil together.

Mega Man and Bass takes the classic approach found in the earlier games in the series (from the Nintendo and Super Nintendo eras).  You are able to choose which evil boss you want to engage, run through their gauntlet, and then face them.  They each have unique special powers based on their given traits.  These powers can be absorbed upon defeating the boss, and then later used against other bosses.  For example, after use defeat Cold Man and absorb his “Ice Wall” special power, you can then use it against Burner Man for maximum damage.  This means that you will have to strategize your approach and go in somewhat of an order when defeating the bad guys.

Mega Man and Bass each have their own traits that are important to proceeding in the game.  Mega Man has his charging Mega Buster attack that unleashes a powerful single blast and the ability to slide under things, and Bass can fire in different directions and double jump.  However, each also has their vulnerabilities in comparison to the other.  Bass can’t slide under things, and therefore will get hit by low flying objects, and Mega Man can’t double jump and will have a harder time making across gaps.

As with all 2D Mega Man games, the controls in this game are tight and responsive, which is great considering the game’s exorbitant difficulty.  Anyone expecting a cakewalk will be shocked.  This game is really, really hard.  The boss battles are also very hard.  Astro Man is one of the first bosses you will face, and he will barrage you with a series of attacks and will even clone himself and have his clones attack you at the same time.  Plus, you can only hurt him by shooting him in the face, which is easier said than done, considering how the little bugger flies all over the room and tends to stay pretty close to the roof.

The graphics in Mega Man and Bass are great and vividly detailed.  Back when Rockman and Forte was released some years back, it represented some of the best on the Super Nintendo.  Although a few years have gone by, the game’s graphics hold their own against GBA heavy hitters like Castlevania:  Aria of Sorrow and Metroid Fusion.  The character and enemy models are very well animated and practically brimming with personality.  The levels all nicely reflect the bosses that inhabit them, and the atmosphere is very nicely done.  The only real concern with the graphics is the fact that a lot of action can occur onscreen and if you are using a normal GBA without a really good light, you might have some trouble seeing all of the action.

The sound is very nicely done, as well.  The sound effects all sound on par with the Super Nintendo version, although the music can occasionally sound a little “beepy” and 8-bit sounding.

Mega Man and Bass is a terrific opportunity for Mega Man fans, since it’s a port of a title that never came stateside and is essentially new to us.  While the game’s difficulty might shy away more casual GBA gamers weaned on games like Super Mario Advance, anyone looking for a challenging action game to play on their Game Boy Advance should give Mega Man and Bass a look.

Gameplay: 9.3
Mega Man and Bass takes the blue bomber back to his roots and has him fighting evil robots and absorbing their powers, which is great for nostalgic gamers like myself.  The controls are tight, the enemies are varied and the levels are brimming with atmosphere.  While some may not enjoy the high difficulty level, most should appreciate the challenge.

Graphics: 8.9 

The character sprites are fantastic, very well animated and have loads of personality.  The level designs are also quite entertaining, and reflect their bosses quite nicely.  However, the game may be a bit too dark and hard to see unless you either have an SP or good external lighting.

Sound: 8.5
The sound effects are pretty good and mirror those of Rockman and Forte nicely, but the music can be a little tinny and 8-bit sounding at times.

Difficulty: Hard 

From the enemy stages to the boss battles, this game is really hard.  Luckily, you can save your progress.

Concept: 9.0
Okay, so a Super Nintendo port isn’t necessarily the most creative thing you can do, but technically this is a new game to American gamers since it was never released here.  Plus, the classic gameplay and welcome challenge are nice things to have on the GBA.

Overall: 9.0
Mega Man and Bass takes classic Mega Man gameplay (interesting bosses, fun levels and unique special abilities) and throws a new playable character into the midst, Bass.  The game is quite difficult, meaning anyone looking for a quick and easy Mega Man game to cut his or her teeth with will be sorely mistaken.  However, hardcore Mega Man fans (or anyone else looking for a great, challenging action game) should seize this opportunity to take the blue bomber back to his old-school roots.