One Step from Eden Switch Performance: A Mixed Bag of Ideas and Frustrations

The Mega Man Battle Network series has always been a fascinating concept - take the precision movement and character designs that made the original NES titles so iconic, and adapt them to a new genre: turn-based strategy. And yet, despite some great ideas, the series falters in areas that leave me frustrated.

One such area is the 'grind' of taking out enemies, which relies heavily on how efficiently you can take them down. It's a fine concept, but it can be infuriating when you're only given a chance to obtain new weaponry from a downed foe. This mechanic, combined with the 'cracked tile' system that forces you to stay within certain boundaries during battle, can cripple the composition of your deck and make precision positioning crucial.

My experience playing Mega Man Battle Network 2 was marred by just such an encounter. After making it about a third of the way through the game, I was stripped of my deck and forced to use a developer-built, purposefully garbage deck instead. To make matters worse, I had to defeat a boss before I could even consider switching back to my original deck.

Despite its flaws, however, Mega Man Battle Network has some great ideas that fans of RPGs will appreciate. The series' ability to adapt and iterate on its premise has won over many hearts and minds, making it a beloved franchise among gamers. But for me, the lack of depth in its action platforming roots made it difficult to fully enjoy.

In 2D form, Mega Man is all about twitch-precision and pattern memorization - skills that I just don't possess. Unless the focus is on the latter half of the title (i.e., the strategy and deck-building), I find myself disinterested in action platformers like this. Nevertheless, fans of the series will likely still enjoy the Virtual Console ports and the spin-off titles that have attempted to entice players from other genres.

Ultimately, Mega Man Battle Network is a franchise that has found success by walking a fine line between innovation and iteration. While it may not be my cup of tea, its unique blend of action and strategy has won over many fans - and for those who enjoy turn-based strategy games, the series is definitely worth exploring.

One step from eden switch performance