GAME CLEAR No. 311 -- Mega Man III

Mega Man III (1992, Game Boy)

Japanese Title: Rockman World 3
Developer: Minakuchi Engineering
Publisher: Capcom
Clear Version: Game Boy (Virtual Console)
Clear Platform: new 3DS XL
Clear Date: 8/17/26

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Why should I care?
It’s another entry in one of the very best video game franchises ever made.

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Punk rock

Reviewing a classic Mega Man game is kinda like reviewing an AC/DC album. If you liked the previous releases and you love Rock and Roll, you’ll probably dig the next one! I feel that way with regard to both highly formulaic catalogs, so I played through my fourteenth classic Mega Man game with great zeal and enjoyment.

There’s little to be gained by you or me in breaking it down much. If you’re reading this, it’s unlikely you’re hearing about Mega Man for the first time, and you know I love it pretty much unconditionally. I will say this entry feels a bit tighter than Mega Man II, which was the odd man out among the Game Boy games, having been developed by Thinking Rabbit. Like the other Game Boy games, it’s a remix of two of the original NES games, with a set of 8 familiar robot masters returning in all-new stages. It works great, and I still feel that Mega Man made a very graceful leap to the more compressed screen of the green-tinted handheld.

My only complaint with this one is that Dust Man’s stage may be the most dogshit, cheap, annoying stage in the history of the franchise. A quick Reddit search revealed to me that I’m not the first to have this thought. Still, I persevered and got through it the old-fashioned way (none of that save-state nonsense!), and the rest of the game was just swell. The final Wily stage and battle I thought were particularly fun.

Anyway, it’s Mega Man! If you’ve reached this point in the series, you know if you like it.

I’ve been playing these Game Boy titles on my 3DS while traveling. I’m somewhat sad to know I only have two emergency Mega Man rations left! At least Mega Man: Dual Override has been announced!