Mega Man Dual Override Hands-On Preview – Bombs Away
The last Mega Man game released by Capcom was Mega Man 11 back in 2018. Since then, the Blue Bomber has been missing in action when it comes to mainline game releases.
That’s about to change with Mega Man: Dual Override, set to be released sometime in 2027 for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch and PC.
MP1st was fortunate enough to try the game at this year’s Tokyo Game Show.
Classic Action But With New Additions
If you’ve ever played a Mega Man game before, by and large, you know what to expect from Mega Man: Dual Override. You pick a boss, run through the levels required in order to reach said boss, beat them, and gain their powers.
Of course, there are new gameplay mechanics strewn in to make this entry feel fresh. While Proto Man is confirmed to be a playable character, the TGS build of Dual Override only had Mega Man playable, but the “Custom Chips” mechanic is available.
These Custom Chips are active or passive bonuses players can equip before starting a level, and these can help Mega Man hit harder, block incoming damage and so on. The demo we were given access to featured two Chips: one for combat, and another that gave Mega Man a temporary barrier shield.
Players can also opt not to equip a Chip and instead have Rush (the robo dog) available to help Mega Man out. Given we only had a short amount of time to test the game out, I tried both Chips instead of checking Rush out (sorry, boy!).
The firepower upgrade was OK, but it’s the barrier shield that stood out. Using this essentially gave Mega Man an extra buffer of sorts when you get hit, and you have to wait for it to cool down before you can use it again. Couple this with the new abilities you’ll obtain from defeating enemies, and this should shake up the tried-and-true Mega Man formula.
Overriding Your Capabilities
Another big addition is the Override system, which lets Mega Man go beyond his normal capabilities, giving him a larger buster shot, for example. Think of it as amping up your damage output. However, using this power comes at a cost, as unleashing it will also result in your character overheating of sorts, which means you’re slower for a short period of time. That said, when you have loads of enemies trying to get at you, these few precious seconds of diminished performance could mean life or death.
The demo featured one boss, Twinkle Girl, that, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take on, given we only had 20 minutes and three stages to clear before reaching the boss. We did have a dash ability available that did a ton of damage to whoever’s in Mega Man’s path.
Each stage had your usual gaggle of enemies that do respawn when you “leave the screen.” So if you missed a jump and fall down to where you were previously, expect these enemies to be back in their usual spots. It’s something the series has done before, though it bears mentioning especially for those unfamiliar with the franchise.
Based on what we’ve played, Mega Man: Dual Override doesn’t stray far from what made the franchise a household name, and we can’t blame Capcom for it. That said, there are enough new gameplay mechanics added in to make the experience fresh.
We’re eager to try more of Dual Override, especially to play as Proto Man and how it differs from the Blue Bomber.
Mega Man: Dual Override is due for release sometime in spring 2027.
In other 2D action gam news, we also went hands-on with Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, and it’s shaping up to be a solid title so far too.
