Mega Man 11

Mega Man 11 retains the gameplay style of the classic Mega Man series of games, and features a 2.5D graphics style with 3D polygonal characters and 2D environments. Players control Mega Man in an attempt to stop Dr. Wily from using the Double Gear system that he invented many years before when he was at Robot University. Players travel through eight linear stages, which can be chosen in any way the player sees fit, and have to face Doctor Wily's newest Robot Masters, including Block Man, Fuse Man, Blast Man, Acid Man, Tundra Man, Torch Man, Impact Man (known as Pile Man in Japan), and Bounce Man (known as Rubber Man in Japan).

Mega Man can perform classic moves such as the chargeable Mega Buster and slide, as well as obtain new weapons by defeating Robot Master bosses at the end of each level. Unique to this game is the Double Gear system, which grants Mega Man two additional abilities: the Speed Gear and Power Gear. The Speed Gear lets Mega Man slow down time, allowing him to dodge attacks, while the Power Gear increases the attack power of Mega Man's weaponry, allowing him to fire two charged shots at the same time or a single, very powerful charged shot; however, there is a limit, showcased by a bar above Megaman's head, so if Mega Man uses them too much, he will overheat, making him unable to reuse them again for a few seconds. When Mega Man's health is critically low, he can activate both gears at the same time, slowing time and performing a powerful charge shot. This can only be used once and leaves Mega Man weakened after the limit expires: he can't charge his shots, can only fire a single solar bullet at a time and he will only have one unit of life energy, making the next hit he takes fatal for him, and even the cooldown period where he can't use the gears is longer because of the severe strains.[2]

The game has additional features including Time Trials, Missions, Global Leaderboards, a character gallery and more.[3] The game also features difficulty settings, last seen in Mega Man 10, expanding upon them for a total of four: Newcomer, Casual, Normal, and Superhero.[4] The Nintendo Switch version has Amiibo support, which can be used to unlock in-game items.[5]

The story begins with a flashback of Dr. Light and Dr. Wily when they were students at Robot University at the exact moment they had their falling out. The committee is debating over choosing either Light's research of robots with independent thoughts or Wily's Double Gear system to continue work on. Despite Wily telling Light that they can't build the future on his so-called empty optimism, Light's research was chosen over Wily's because the Double Gear system puts an incredible strain on the robots that use it and could be dangerous in the wrong hands. Angry at being pushed aside and shut down in addition to being blocked by Light at every instance Wily destroys his prototype Double Gear and swears to Light that one day he will show the world and him he was right all along.

After the flashback ends with Wily waking up disturbed (presumably the flashback served as a really bad dream), he suddenly remembers the Double Gear System. He immediately puts his plan into action, swearing revenge on Light.

Meanwhile, at his lab, Dr. Light, Roll, and Auto are checking up on 8 latest generation models of Robot Masters (Block Man, Acid Man, Impact Man, Bounce Man, Fuse Man, Tundra Man, Torch Man, and Blast Man) for maintenance. Just as they finish with Block Man, Wily barges into the lab in his Wily Capsule and tells Light that he has perfected the Double Gear system. Mega Man (who was sweeping off-screen) rushes in to try to stop Wily, when at that moment the Robot Masters show up and Wily decides to use them as test subjects. Before they can escape, Wily uses the Speed Gear mode of his Double Gear to speed up the capsule and snatch the Robot Masters via tractor beam. Mega Man demands Wily to release them, but he takes them to his Fortress to have them reprogrammed and fitted with his upgraded Double Gear Systems.

Just as Mega Man is about to leave to stop Wily, Light stops him and explains what the Double Gear System is and what it's capable of. He then warns Mega Man that if Wily really has perfected it, the latter won't stand a chance, but Mega Man refuses to let Wily get away. Realising that Mega Man won't be stopped, Light reveals that he kept and repaired the prototype Double Gear System that Wily used to own. After briefly warning Mega Man of its potential danger (with Mega Man accepting the risk), Light installs the Double Gear into Mega Man after several days so he can stand a chance against Wily's new army.

After defeating 4 Robot Masters, Light explains to Mega Man that the Double Gear system was partly responsible for him and Wily falling out. Light believed that if robots were given the power to think for themselves, they could be true partners with humans. Wily, however, stated that even robots who think independently would be mere tools to humans, but by giving them power and speed boosts, then humans would finally respect robots for what they are and any robot could be a hero with the Double Gear System installed. However, when the committee chose Light over Wily, the latter stormed off never forgiving his old friend for not even giving him a chance.

Back in the present, Light ponders about his decisions back then, and muses if he had shown him there was a way to work together instead of telling him that he was wrong, they might still have been friends even admitting that the Double Gear System can be used for good if used properly. Light then gives Mega Man the Rush Jet modification for Rush (Mega Man's robotic pet dog) with Mega Man then setting off to defeat the remaining Robot Masters.

After defeating all 8 Robot Masters, Auto attempts to locate Wily. At first, it seemed as if Wily disappeared, when suddenly the lab's signal was intercepted, and Wily himself appeared on the screen. Angered that Mega Man not only defeated the Robot Masters but he also he used his prototype Double Gear System, Wily beckons Mega Man to come to his Gear Fortress so he can deal with him on his own. Mega Man heads out to stop Wily.

After traversing the fortress, (while defeating the Yellow devil MK 3, Mawverne and the resurrected robot masters) Mega Man confronts Wily in his new Wily Machine and the two battle. In the end, Mega Man is victorious, causing Wily to resort to "Plan B", which was simply to kneel and beg for mercy. The "plan" fails when Mega Man doesn't fall for it, but Wily then mocks him, believing his loss wasn't caused by Mega Man, but rather the Double Gear System, which was his own technology, proclaiming himself as the better genius. Suddenly, Light walks in. Light asks Wily to look at Mega Man and explains that Mega Man holds tremendous power, but is intelligent enough to use it wisely; in a way, he is Light and Wily's ideas combined. Light asks Wily to atone for his crimes and be friends with him again, as before, so they could make other amazing ideas become reality, just like Mega Man. Wily refuses, stating his plans have only begun, and then escapes. Light fears he and Wily may never be able to work together again. As the fortress begins to collapse, Auto arrives, telling Light he had finished doing what he asked of him. With that, the three of them escape the collapsing fortress.

Back at the lab, it's revealed that Light and Auto were at the Gear Fortress to find the parts in order to rebuild the Robot Masters. Auto uses Mega Man's Double Gear System to carry the Robot Masters to the repair room, so they can be sent back to their owners (during which he overheats and faints).

The game was announced in December 2017[6] as part of the celebration of the series' 30th anniversary, along with the announcements of re-releases of earlier Mega Man games. Mega Man 11 features 3D polygonal characters and hand-drawn environments, departing from the pixel art-based approach from previous games, and is displayed in 2.5D.[7] It was directed by Koji Oda and produced by Kazuhiro Tsuchiya,[8] with character designs by Yuji Ishihara,[9] and music by Marika Suzuki.[10] According to Tsuchiya and Oda, the departure of Mega Man producer Keiji Inafune was mainly the reason for the long hiatus of a new game, as there was a huge hesitation for anyone to step up and become "the new Mega Man guy" until Oda himself did so.[11]

Mega Man 11 was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on October 2, 2018,[12] except in Japan where it was released two days later. An alternate soundtrack in the form of a DLC add-on for the game was made freely available to those who pre-ordered the game.[2] A Mega Man Amiibo was released alongside the game for the Switch version.[13] A demo featuring Block Man's stage was released on the Nintendo Switch on September 6, 2018, and on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 the following day.[14]

Mega Man 11 was met with positive reviews by critics. IGN gave it a 7.5/10 rating saying "It's not revolutionary, but Mega Man 11 feels almost like a classic Mega Man game, and is a good foundation for the next 10 games"[25] while GameSpot gave it a 7/10 rating praising the game for its "great sub-bosses and intense robot master fights[,] some new stage gimmicks [being] a lot of fun and endearing personality of the series com[ing] through in the visual and character design", while criticizing the stages for being "far too long and hav[ing] some questionable elements[,] the difficulty spikes throughout levels lead[ing] to frustrating setbacks [and] the Double Gear System never seem[ing] quite as useful as you want it to be".[24] Nintendo Life gave it a 9/10 rating, writing that "Mega Man 11 is an excellent resurgence for the Blue Bomber, imbuing the tried-and-true classic gameplay with modern touches and new ideas that expand on existing concepts in interesting ways."[26]

• Official website