When Sony released the Playstation console in the mid-90s, the industry had a shift in development priorities. Notably, Sony wanted new 3D games to be released for their system. Many studios produced 2D games on the consoles of the time, while consumers demanded 3D landscapes. Capcom wanted to reach audiences with their consistently successful Mega Man franchise. The need for a new 3D game led them to develop a whole new gameplay style, which resulted in Mega Man Legends.
A Foray Into RPG Storytelling
The move to the third dimension meant a lot for Mega Man Legends. The gameplay shifted from side-scrolling to moving in all three axes. The PS1 did not come standard with dual analog sticks at launch, so Capcom couldn’t assume players had this kind of controller. The player could rotate Mega Man’s facing direction with the shoulder buttons and move using the D-Pad in those directions. While primitive compared to modern shooters, it was a dramatic upgrade to the feel of playing a Mega Man game at the time. Players had to dodge in all directions, strafe around enemies, and switch targeting for their ranged attacks.
However, Capcom wasn’t satisfied just remaking their at-this-point well-used formula for Mega Man but in 3D. Gone were stage selection, matching enemy weaknesses, and level-based gameplay. Mega Man Legends more closely resembled an RPG. Large explorable areas were filled with NPCs, discoverables, and sidequests. The story was told through lengthy cutscenes with voiced dialogue. Mega Man Volnutt was an explorer, diving into ruins looking for treasure. He would get caught up in an adventure involving ancient relics and villains with giant robotic enemies. This was a new kind of Mega Man game and Capcom put their all into a new kind of experience.
A Would-Be Franchise
Mega Man Legends was followed by a sequel and a spin-off. One of the game’s antagonists, Tron Bonne, would star in said spin-off, being a breakout character on her own. The games themselves did not clearly connect to the prior Mega Man games and would only be later established as far in the franchise’s future. They would tell their own story, about a world flooded and covered in ruins. Ancient machines littered the landscape, and treasures were buried beneath the land. The protagonist was linked to an ancient society long lost, and many secrets would be uncovered in Mega Man Legends 2.
However, this second game would end with a dramatic cliffhanger left unresolved. While characters from the series would appear in Capcom’s spinoffs, like Marvel vs. Capcom or Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, the franchise was abandoned as Capcom focused on other games. The Mega Man franchise itself would have some dark years in the 2000s, with fewer and fewer sequels coming out year after year. The other sub-franchises of Mega Man would see more love than the Legends games, however, with it having the least installments to its name. Still, the characters were loved and remained iconic to those who remembered the PS1 (and N64 ported!) classic.
Promises of a Conclusion
Capcom elicited excitement when they revealed Mega Man Legends 3 in 2010, finally receiving an answer to the second game’s cliffhanger. It was planned for Nintendo’s 3DS system, with updated gameplay and new playable characters. Fans were promised the opportunity to be involved in the game’s development, a unique concept for a game like this. An online forum was made where users could join, each being assigned a number and given a chance to contribute to various tasks. This would range from submitting art for boss designs or voting on different concepts made for the game. Fans were excited to see what Capcom had in store.
However, it turns out this approach had another intent from Capcom: gauging interest. The numbering of users was part of a larger intent by Capcom to see if players were interested in the game. With poor marketing around the launch of this website, however, the overall user base remained low. Capcom saw this as a failure for the game’s future and canceled the game only a year after being announced. A planned and mostly finished demo went unreleased, much to the fan’s dismay. Once again, the cliffhanger was doomed to go unanswered, and Mega Man Legends seemed dead once more.
A Legend Lost, But Not Forgotten
Older games often struggle when compared to their modern counterparts. Among the first 3rd-person shooters released for consoles, Mega Man Legends is a bit poor to control and lacking in the advancements of later games. Despite this, it stands out with a fun story featuring bright characters with unique designs. The voice acting, while campy and of its time, was a major shift featured in this generation. Fans became enamored with the world and enjoyed the level of detail in the world to be explored. While we may never see a follow-up to this story, it holds a special place in the hearts of Mega Man fans to this day.
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