Mega Man Battle & Fighters is a simple but enjoyable fighter that embraces the Mega Man style in a unique way. It’s another straightforward NEO GEO Pocket Color title that Mega Man fans and SNK purists will love, and for the price, it’s certainly worth giving a go.
Mega Man Battle & Fighters
Developer: SNK
Price: $8
Platform: Nintendo Switch (reviewed)
MonsterVine was provided with a Switch code for review
Mega Man is a brilliant classic series, and SNK rules all-around, so it makes sense that I would be drawn to the NEO GEO Pocket Color port of Mega Man Battle & Fighters. Honestly, I didn’t even know this version existed prior to getting an email about it, but it was the perfect bite-sized fighter to fill a slot between review games so I gave it a shot.
The game is presented entirely in Japanese. It feels like an odd choice, but since it’s a fairly straightforward game, this likely won’t cause many issues when navigating menus and the like, and certainly none while in combat. Mega Man Battle & Fighters includes Rockman: The Power Battle and Rockman 2: The Power Fighters, each of which has its own bosses and characters.
The gameplay is quite simple in that you primarily just jump and shoot. There are special jumps and weapons that are earned from bosses, but if you prefer a basic fighting experience, you’ll have no real issue using the Mega Buster. It’s fun to play around with different strategies as you bounce around the screen at fire away at the Mega Man series’ many colorful and well-designed Robot Masters.
This is essentially a streamlined fighting game boss rush, where you battle the various Robot Masters from across Mega Man’s history. You can play as a few different characters across both of the included Power games, and with unlimited continues, you’ll have no issue trying everyone out.
The usual NEO GEO Pocket Color port options are here, from customizable frames to rewinding gameplay. As usual, I’m very happy to see these features, as they make it easier to get into and worth checking out even if you’ve played these games before. Unfortunately, trading Robot Master database entries has been disabled in this version, which is a bit of a bummer.
I do love the NEO GEO Pocket Color style, both the visuals and the bopping sounds. This is obviously something of a demake compared to the arcade versions of these games, but the style still works with Mega Man, and you’ll have no difficulty taking in what’s happening on screen, even if it’s a bit simpler. The music tracks are great and exciting, but that’s honestly expected at this point.
The Final Word
Mega Man Battle & Fighters is a simple but fun fighter/boss rush that I had a great time playing. It’s not especially complicated or anything, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a small and refreshing port of the Power Battle/Fighter games, with handy features that make this the most accessible version yet.
MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
