Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection Review – EM Wave Change
The next Mega Man collection has arrived! Mega Man Battle Network fans who were hoping to see Capcom bring over the Star Force franchise can rest happily knowing that all three games, and their alternative versions, are now available across all modern console platforms and PC.
No longer bound to the Nintendo 3DS, these dual-screen classics have finally been liberated from their original hardware, now in crisp high-definition with refined visuals that breathe new life into the vibrant Wave World.
ON THE AIR!
Although the Mega Man Star Force series is a sequel to the original Battle Network series, it does take place nearly 200 years later. Despite that, the games share many similarities, from random encounters and area design to the deck-building mechanics that define combat. However, it does make one rather massive change that has left old Battle Network fans divided on the series for years: the shift from a side-scrolling view to a third-person, behind-the-back perspective. Where the Battle Network series gave players a 3×6 grid to play on with lateral and vertical movement, the Star Force games restricted players to a single 3-square line at the back of the field.
It was, and still is, a point of contention for many who felt the tactical depth of the 3×3 movement had been sacrificed for a more “on-rails” experience. By limiting movement to just the back row, Capcom forced players to rely more on the Shield and the Lock-on mechanic to survive, rather than the precise, grid-dancing footwork that defined the Battle Network era.
I know I was one of the many at the time who were left feeling pretty confused by the switch-up, though, as time went on and with the release of the two follow-up sequels, I eventually adapted to it and even grew to appreciate it. Although similar in many ways, the flow of combat vastly differed from the Battle Network franchise, opting to focus more on reflexes and an aggressive playstyle rather than positioning.
The Lock-On system was good proof of this, where you could instantly gap-close with a sword, whereas in the previous series, it would require some form of area grab to be combo with.
I also found boss fights to be a much bigger visual spectacle from the new perspective. I’m not sure I would say they were more challenging than the ones in Battle Network, but I can say for certain they felt grander in scale. A lot of reflex and shield focus when compared to Battle Network, and personally, I found these games to be pretty fun and challenging in their own different ways.
As for the stories, well, I have a soft spot for the ones in the Battle Network franchise, though I will say the Star Force games have much better pacing and a more “mature” story. It swaps the lighthearted nature of Lan’s NetNavi-of-the-week adventures for a more grounded, character-driven narrative centered on Geo Stelar’s struggle with grief and isolation. While Battle Network was about the joy of connection, Star Force explores the emotional weight of those bonds, or “BrotherBands,” as they’re called in-game, making the stakes feel deeply personal. I know these are remasters, but I’m going to refrain from discussing the story in depth to keep it as spoiler-free as possible.
Fresh Coat of Paint With Some Extra Features
Like the previous Battle Network Collection, the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection comes with a slew of features and visual improvements. On the visual side, Capcom has not only upscaled the resolution so the game looks better on the big screen, but also added an optional smoothing filter and high-res art. The smooth filtering looks great, though I did find myself switching it on and off, mostly for nostalgic reasons.
I did stick with the new hi-res art, even if they did seem to overdo some details at times. What I did want to comment on is the hi-res art: Capcom seems to have taken fan feedback from the initial reveal and actually made the hi-res art, well, hi-res. No more weird, blurry images. They look superbly crisp, and although the original pixel-art versions are still nice, I much prefer the hi-res art option. Which, for those wondering, is optional, meaning if you want to play through these games in their original visual format, you can turn the filter and hi-res options off. You can customize it too, so if you want only hi-res art for the character icons, you can do that. If you want it only for the Battle Cards, you can do that too.
Then there are new assist and difficulty options. Look, I know the struggle we went through when we played these games when they were originally released. I get where some may get upset over making things easier, but they are optional, and no one is forcing you to use them. On the assist side, players can enable speed boost to speed up the game, as well as encounter rates, with options ranging from no encounters to low encounters to an increased amount.
Hilariously, there is a “Max Encounter Rate” option, which, for anyone who has played the original Star Force games (specifically 2), you can probably guess just how much hell this is to walk around, but it does make random boss encounters easier to pop. A fair trade-off, though, if you’d prefer the traditional encounters, or even no encounters at all, those options are there too. Star Force 2 encounters are, huh, well, I suppose turning this option to max is more like max plus for that specific game. Sure, they could have “fixed” the spawn rate, but at the same time, the option to “fix” it is there.
The difficulty options are more like your “cheats.” You can increase your buster power, take less damage, crank up zenny rewards, have guaranteed escapes, and even make EX/V2 bosses easier to find. Given that this is the difficulty menu, I do wish the options weren’t just to make the games easier. Would have loved to see some “hard” mode-like options thrown in there, like making enemy attacks one-hit kill and such. Not that I would ever do that, but if you’re going to call a menu difficulty, you should expect there to be options to make it more difficult.
Fans will be happy to know that there are full online matches too, along with trading. You can play through ranked matches, casual matches, and even against your friends. I know, including online might not be a big deal for many, but the number of remasters/collections we have gotten that omit online modes is surprisingly high. These features were also present in the previous Battle Network collection, but it’s still great to see Capcom continue with supporting it with the Star Force collection.
Amongst this, there’s also a gallery where you can view artwork and designs for each game, along with listening to some music from them, as well as Battle Network.
One last touch, like in the Battle Network Collection, Star Force also features a voiced 3D character on the main screen. These were specifically designed for the collection, and you can cycle through different characters, each with their own set of dialogue to go through. It’s a small thing, and I think it’s cool that Capcom brought back the voice actors from the anime series.
EM Wave Change!
Whether you’re a returning fan or missed out on these the first time they released, the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection is the definitive way to play these games when it comes to modern platforms. Capcom has put in quite a bit of work to set it apart from your everyday HD remaster, and with plenty of new accessibility options, updated artwork and visuals, and even online play, there’s plenty to look forward to in this collection.
Pros
- Although the combat differs from the Battle Network series, it still is pretty fun and addicting. Lots of strategizing and thinking ahead.
- The stories of the games are fantastic.
- The improved resolution is great, but it's the HD art and smoothing filter that really make the visuals pop more.
- New assist options, speed boosts, and customizable encounter rates make these games much more approachable for modern audiences.
- Online support for trading and battling
- Fan service with the new dub lines in both the menu, and in-game
Cons
- Moving around parts of the map still has a weird look where it also looks like FPS drops, or rubber banding. Would have love to see it smoothened out.
- Difficulty options are only there to make things easier, rather than more challenging.
Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.
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