Mega Man 5

The sixth year, the fifth installment. The pace at which Capcom churned out the blue robot's adventures was breathtaking by the end of the eight-bit era. Mega Man 5 nevertheless wasn't a tiring routine, but a polished, visually confident platformer that bet on the sure thing and on spectacle.

This time it seems that Mega Man's own brother Proto Man has turned against him, having kidnapped Dr. Light. This plot of supposed betrayal lends the game a more personal dimension and drives the player forward, even though behind it all lies, once again, the proven secret. Otherwise the game builds on a choice of eight levels and Robot Masters, on gaining their weapons, and on a series of final castles, in short, on the skeleton the series had perfected.

A novelty is the loyal robotic helper, the bird Beat, whom you unlock by collecting letters scattered throughout the levels and who autonomously attacks enemies in combat. The charged shot from the previous installment remains and is more pronounced than ever, so Mega Man feels mightier and the fights are somewhat more generous. The arsenal gained from bosses is imaginative this time, offering, for instance, a protective shield of stones or a gravity reversal.

It was released under Capcom's baton in 1992. By then the new-generation consoles already dominated, and so Mega Man 5 belongs among the swan songs of the NES as the main platform for this series. The developers nevertheless kept refining the graphical side, and the game is among the most visually elaborate eight-bit Mega Man titles, with large, detailed bosses and striking backgrounds that tested the limits of what the console could display.

Critics and fans alike often fault the game for being somewhat easier than previous installments. Yet at the same time this makes it an accessible entry point for players who don't want to immediately face the merciless difficulty of the older titles. Moreover, the bird Beat became a beloved element that returned in various forms in later installments of the series and became an integral part of it.

Mega Man 5 thus represents a mature, fine-tuned version of the proven formula. It's not a revolution, but an honest and beautiful-looking sequel that keeps the brand's bar high even at the very twilight of the eight-bit console's life. For players who like moving forward without needless frustration, it's one of the most pleasant pieces of the entire classic line.

Why play it: For an accessible and visually fine-tuned classic platformer with the robotic helper Beat, ideal even for those wary of the series' brutal difficulty.