Once I got my appointment booked with Capcom to check out an early version of Mega Man: Dual Override, I was ecstatic. I'm not a huge nerd about the mainline games (I am a hardcore stan of Battle Network), but since this is the first new mainline game in the series in about ten years, I needed to know what Capcom was cooking up.
After playing the first three stages (which culminated in a boss fight with Twinkle Girl), I walked away from Dual Override with a meh attitude. It's not that it's bad, because it definitely is, but it doesn't do much to reinvent the wheel for the series. And to be honest, it sort of feels like a video game that could've been released ten years ago, but whether that's a bad thing will be up to the player.
Mega Man: Dual Override Gives New Players a Fighting Chance
As soon as I chose the first level in Mega Man: Dual Override, the game gave me an option of three choices of Chip Sets. These are custom abilities that will help out Mega Man newbies survive a bit longer out there on their journey to defeat all eight of the Robot Masters.
The first was built for Survival, and when activated, it essentially gave Mega Man a shield that protected him against a couple of attacks. Choosing this also gives you an extra E-Tank you can use in the menu if you're about to lose.
The second option was built for Fire Power, which was my go-to during my demo. This one gives Mega Man an auto-charge for his gun, letting you shoot powered-up attacks much easier since you don't need to hold any buttons down to charge. You can also use Double Charge shots to deal extra damage.
And the third option is for Mega Man purists who want to play the game at its hardest difficulty -it doesn't give you any extra support, but you can call in Rush to give you a little jump boost like the older games.
I'm not sure if there will be more custom chip sets that you can unlock as you progress through the eight Robot Masters (at least, it seems like there's eight on the main stage select screen), but I didn't see any indicators that hinted towards unlocking more.
And of course, the Override feature, which is the subtitle for this Mega Man game, lets our hero (and Proto Man) release their limiters to "gain strength beyond their normal capabilities" for a brief period of time.
This power-up will build up over time as you deal (and take) damage, but after you use it, your functions perform at reduced levels, essentially turning you into a useless robot that can barely shoot. I actually didn't enjoy the vulnerable cooldown period, as it left me defenseless while fighting bosses and whatnot. However, I could see myself using it for a tough boss once their health has been taken down quite a bit. Otherwise, I didn't like to use it during the normal platforming segments before the boss fights. It just felt unnecessary.
Dual Override Feels Like Classic Mega Man, for Better and Worse
Overall, if you've played a Mega Man before, you're going to feel right at home with this entry, and if you're a newcomer, prepare to die.... a lot. It may be a more "modern" game in the series, but there is still that frustrating aspect of enemies and projectiles flying toward you at all times while you're trying to carefully cross over gaps or spikes.
Each main boss has three stages, with about two collectibles in each (not sure what they are used for). After beating a boss, you'll presumably get a new outfit for Mega Man that lets him use a new power-up to help defeat the rest of the bosses. Of course, these power-ups have limited use, so you can't just cheese your way through a stage by using them willy-nilly.
Image: Capcom
Image: Capcom
Image: Capcom
Image: Capcom
I didn't get the option to play as the other hero for Override, Proto Man, but he seems to be a main part of the story. I'm just not sure if he will be unlocked from the get-go in the main game or if you have to unlock him later on somehow. But based on the marketing, it seems more like the former.
All in all, Mega Man: Dual Override is shaping up to be another great Capcom game in this era of amazing Capcom games, but I'm just worried that it won't do enough new things to make it an easy recommendation. We'll see what happens once we get closer to its 2027 launch.
