Pedal to the Biometal - Let's Play the Mega Man Zero + ZX Series
Zero’s Timely Dilemma - Let’s Play Mega Man Zero (Revisited)
You know what they say: you either live long enough to become the villain, or wake up and do some rad sword maneuvers.
It’s been a long time since X and crew defeated Redips… or Lumine if you don’t consider Command Mission canon. The city of Neo Arcadia was established by X, and it should have been a place of peace. However, the city’s government began accusing Reploids of being Maverick, whether it was true or not. This injustice could threaten any and all Reploids who hadn’t bent the knee to Neo Arcadia. While many have fled for their lives, nobody has the power to stand up to this tyranny. Nobody, save a legendary figure who once fought alongside X…
Welcome to Mega Man Zero, the first of Capcom’s handheld Mega Man platformers and the continuation to the X series. If you’re wondering what came before this, you can check out this thread for the Classic series and this thread for the X series . Some knowledge of X might help you here, but for the most part the Zero series can stand on its own in terms of its story. As for its gameplay, you can carry over your experience from X for this one. The high speed of those games translated well to the Game Boy Advance, so dashing and wall jumping feel as good as ever. That being said, we’re playing as Zero here, and he doesn’t exactly have the power-copying capabilities his blue partner had. His Z Saber is pretty versatile, but that’s about it. Another important note: this is typically considered one of the hardest Mega Man series out there. I don’t exactly agree with that statement, but Zero 1 can definitely be cruel to newcomers, especially if you care about the game’s ranking system. Without the help (and lives) of the collectible Cyber Elves, Zero will have to rely more on figuring out boss patterns and maneuvering around them, because he can’t exactly tank hits.
As a final note, if you want to find the hacks I used for this LP, they’re the Mega Man Zero Revisited and Mega Man Zero Restored hacks. The former can be especially helpful if you’ve ever struggled to get into the first game.
Episode List (click for more details)
New Management, Old Zero - Let’s Play Mega Man Zero 2
Neo Arcadia’s Pantheon budget has been dreadful this past year.
Zero has fought alone for a year, but even a legendary Reploid has his limits. His equipment has dulled, and so has his desire to keep up his aimless fight. He’s resolved himself to find the Resistance again, no matter where they wound up after Neo Arcadia’s defeat.
After the experimental nature of Zero 1, Zero 2 is slightly more in line with other Mega Man games. Slightly . The Resistance now has a budget higher than Ciel’s pocket change, which means missions feel just a little more formal. You’re still being graded on your performance, but this time around there’s more of a reward for keeping up a high rank. And while Zero keeps his blade, gun, and boomerang, he also has a new weapon at his disposal! It’s… uh… well, interesting in concept at least.
Episode List (click for more details)
Alpha and Omega - Let’s Play Mega Man Zero 3
Is nominal determinism real, or did Dr. Weil have enough sense to change his name before committing innumerable crimes?
It’s been two months since Zero’s battle with Elpizo. The Dark Elf is still missing, and relations with Neo Arcadia remain tense. Luckily, Ciel has just about finished her new energy system, and if all goes well it could be the key to ending hostilities for good. Which means, of course, a new wrench is about to be thrown in the works. A strange ship has crashed into the planet, and it bears a similar reading to the Dark Elf. What that could mean remains to be seen, but in all likelihood it will lead to more trouble…
We’re halfway done with the Zero games, and if you thought the last game was a change from the first, this one’s even bigger. Weapon levels are out, we’ve got equipable ability chips, and most importantly the Cyber Elves don’t have to die to be used! The base game’s about the same in that you’ll die quickly if you’re not careful, and the ranking system is still a little judgmental if you’re not used to it. But if you’ve been put off by the first two games, this one might be mire your speed. Just, you know, make sure you’re up to date on the plot. You won’t be confused if you don’t, but we will be getting some emotional payoff this time around.
Episode List (click for more details)
Twilight of the Reploids - Let’s Play Mega Man Zero 4
Nature is healing, and that just makes Weil mad.
We last left on a pretty good note. Zero refused to be chained down by the past or physicality and the Mother Elf can now roam free. There’s just one little wrinkle we’ve yet to take care of: the tyrant with a chip on his shoulder being in charge of society as we know it. Zero, Ciel and a handful of other Resistance members have hit the road as they try to combat Weil’s rule. One day, they meet a curious group: humans who have fled Neo Arcadia to establish a life elsewhere. And moreover, they’ve actually found a perfect spot to settle: the now-flourishing crater where Eurasia hit the world. Of course, Dr. Weil won’t take such news well. To ensure nobody exists outside of his influence, he’s sent a team of Reploids with attitude to ruin the environment. With their reverse Captain Planet powers combined, they are Ragnarok, and now Zero has to fight fascism for humanity and nature.
We’ve got one last Zero game left. Mega Man Zero 4 does a rare thing for the Mega Man series at large and actually ends. Although many aspects of the previous Zero games have been wrapped up, there’s some time left to dispose of Dr. Weil, bring the Cyber Elf evolution to a head, and even touch on something from the X series to bring the narrative to a close. That said, this might be the most experimental Zero game next to the first, and the format’s actually different than the last two. Most notably, they ditched the Shield Boomerang and rod weapon in favor of the Z Knuckle, a weapon they expect you to use more than I wind up doing. There’s also a crafting system, because why not. It might sound like I’m harsh on this one, but I still like it. But it does feel weird after 2 and 3.
Episode List (click for more details)
No, X has not been pronounced “cross” all this time.
After the events of Ragnarok, Ciel was able to focus her efforts on bringing peace to the world and repairing Human-Reploid relations. Now, some time later, the world has begun to heal. Human beings once again live alongside Reploids, and war seems a thing of the past. However, that doesn’t mean that everything has healed. Once again, Reploids have the potential to go Maverick, and although nobody has come close to the threat Sigma posed ages ago, they’re still dangerous. A young girl by the name of Aile knows that all too well, having lost her mother to a Maverick raid. And as it turns out, she’ll be dealing with a lot more Mavericks now; the company she works for, Giro Express, is a delivery company that prides itself on the variety of jobs they’ll take. And it seems that her latest package isn’t so innocuous. It’s also just as much for her as it is the original recipients.
Although Zero’s time may be over, he lives on in spirit. As does his gameplay! There’s a reason the ZX games are included in the Mega Man Zero collection, and it’s not just because there’s only two of them and they couldn’t justify separating them. ZX plays a lot like the Zero games, so if you go to that series to this one it should feel almost the same, outside of being on different handhelds. That being said, if you’ve ever had trouble with the Zero games, ZX is at least a little kinder. I mean, there are still lives and frankly bosses can still be pretty tough. But there’s no ranking system, and your upgrades are in no way limited like they were before. You get hit a hundred times in a mission? Nobody cares! Find a health upgrade? You can just pick it up without eating an elf! At its base, ZX is a far more approachable game compared to Zero. It’s also a Metroidvania, which might be an upgrade or a dealbreaker depending on how you feel about that genre. I don’t know if I’d say I’m overly enthused about it, but I don’t think it necessarily hurts the game either. A real horizontal move for a game on such a vertical system.
Episode List (click for more details)
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