I have a very distinct memory of being at a family gathering when I was a kid and seeing a cousin from abroad play something called Mega Man Battle Network on his Gameboy Advance. I was probably 9 or 10 at the time, and barely aware of what a Mega Man was. Maybe because it was new and exotic to me, I was immediately convinced that this was the coolest game of all time.

Jump ahead about *cough* twenty *cough* years to the present day, and I have still yet to be proven otherwise. However, the opportunity for reality to strike is upon me, as the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection brings all 10 games from the handheld series to modern systems in two concise packages.

A wildly different direction

Click to enlarge

The Battle Network games are a spin-off of the original Mega Man franchise. Rather than playing as Mega Man, fighting robots and foiling the plots of Dr Wily, you play as a boy called Lan. Lan lives in ACDC Town (yes, really), in the far-flung future of 200X. In this semi-utopian world, most of humanity's problems are taken care of by technology, and the Net, the game's cartoonish rendition of the internet.

People interact with the Net using their Net Navi, an avatar that represents them in digital space. If it sounds like some kind of metaverse, a game within a game type of situation, you would be correct. Lan's Net Navi is called Mega Man, and the two go on adventures together to stop evildoers and protect their friends.

Mega Man Battle Network paints a picture of an idyllic sci-fi world. The real world of the games is a suburban paradise; one of Lan's classmates is really rich but no one else seems to be particularly poor, and the "class bully" is really just a Net rival to Lan, and the two are actually quite friendly. The other half of the game is the Net, a virtual world that permeates all of society, represented as a series of digital dungeons which you explore as Mega Man.

The Net is fantastical, it portrays the Internet as a series of neon, hard-light platforms with strobing, swirling backgrounds in the distance. The Net extends to everything, meaning you could be accessing it from your computer, the classroom blackboard, or even an oven. Each localised section of the Net is similar to a classic RPG dungeon. You make your way through rooms and corridors and stumble into random battles with enemies called Viruses.

Active strategy

Click to enlarge

The battle system is a mixture of strategy and action. Battles take place on a grid divided into two halves, Mega Man on one half, and enemies on the other. Mega Man can fire his basic buster which does minimal damage. To do any real damage, you need to use chips.

Chips contain abilities, like powerful attacks, changes to the battle area, or health boosts. With your chips equipped, you can move around the arena freely, and use them however you want. When the custom bar refills, you can equip a new set of chips to use.

The combat of Mega Man Battle Network is not overly complicated, but it can get difficult at times. It isn't going to cause any hardcore strategy fans to sweat profusely, but it definitely gives more of a challenge than another series of RPGs released on Game Boy systems that were aimed at a younger audience.

Who's that Robot Master?

Click to enlarge

It really couldn't be much more apparent that the Battle Network franchise was Capcom's attempt to create a Pokemon of their own. You play as a kid, who has a partner that battles on his behalf, and the two go on light-hearted adventures together. The biggest difference between the two is that instead of collecting Pokemon, you're collecting powers for Mega Man.

Thematically, it makes a lot of sense. It really is just an extension of what Mega Man always was, presented in a different format. For what it is, it really isn't bad at all. The characters and the world are very likeable, and the combat is engaging. Each new enemy and every boss fight feel like a neat little puzzle for you to figure out.

Playing Battle Network for the first time does feel a bit like playing Pokemon's long-lost cousin. An extra chapter you never knew about in your favourite book, and even if it doesn't quite fit the story, it's still more of something you love. There is a simplicity to the Battle Network series that feels cosy and nostalgic, even for someone who never played them.

Value for money(?)

Click to enlarge

Now, another way to frame that, is that this is a $60 collection of ten games that's really more like six games (the later Battle Network games also borrowed Pokemon's dual versions), but most of them feel less like sequels and more like extensions of the game previous.

The first two games are practically identical in terms of how they look and play, it is simply more of the same. That can be a good thing; if you like one of these games then congratulations, here are nine more.

This is where the question of value comes into play. The Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is divided into two volumes. Each volume contains three games, more if you count the different versions, which do have more differences than your typical Pokemon versions. The full package is £50/$60, but each volume can be purchased for £33/$40.

This is a significant price jump from the other Mega Man collections. These games are bigger and more advanced (see what I did there) games than many of the originals, but it is still a steep increase.

If there was a smaller, cheaper version, like even the first game on its own for $10-15, I would recommend that in a heartbeat. There is definitely a lot to love about these games, but for the full $60 package to be worth it, you have to really love a lot of these games.

Perfect for existing fans, may bring in new ones

Click to enlarge

For fans who know what they are getting into, and who played these games on their Game Boy Advance back in the day, this collection is an easy recommendation. Ten classic games with some extra bells and whistles is a steal for anyone who is already a fan. For newcomers to Battle Network, a cheaper entry-level option would be nice but I don't see any reason why these games won't draw you in as well.

Even with my limited experience with this franchise going in, I was bowled over with waves of nostalgia in the first few minutes. These games are cute and cosy now, they take us back to a time when the future of technology was much more mysterious and exciting. When terms like virtual reality and metaverse were just cool ideas that hadn't yet been ruined by tech bros and Silicon Valley.

The Verdict

There is plenty of quality in the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, but it is stretched over a lot of quantity. Ten games for the price of one sounds great, but if those ten games are almost identical, that changes things considerably. To reuse that Pokemon comparison, this is like buying a bundle of ten older Pokemon games, which seems like a bargain, but those ten games are spread over just two or three generations.

That quantity is what you are really paying for, so you should be aware of that going in. If a heck of a lot of Mega Man Battle Network is an appealing prospect to you then by all means, jump right in. If that water looks a little deep, then you might want to hold off for now.

3.5/5

Reviewed on PS5. Code provided by the publisher.