Video Game Review - Mega Man Battle & Fighters

Rob reviews Mega Man Battle & Fighters on Nintendo Switch...

There's never been a better time to be a Mega Man fan than now. Over the last few years, various collections have been released that bundle together various titles within the vast franchise. The latest of these collections is 'Mega Man Battle & Fighters', which sees the two arcade titles of Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, brought to the Nintendo Switch. 

Well, not quite. 

While both Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters are available as part of the Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium, this collection features the game NeoGeo Pocket Colour port that was released in Japan back in 2000. Following in the same footsteps of Samurai Shodown, Capcom Vs. SNK and King of Fighters, this pint-sized brawler offers that arcade experience - albeit on a much smaller scale. 

Playing as a boss rush mode, this collection sees you tackling the 36 original Robot Masters from Mega Man 1-7. To keep things fresh, these fights have also been remixed for the NeoGeo Pocket Colour, with each Master having a revamped move list and different behaviours. While veteran fans will feel right at home with the familiarity, these additions offer a new challenge. 

Player characters are also veritable who's who of the franchise as you're able to choose from Mega Man, Proto Man, Bass, and Duo. Each character also has their unique moves such as being able to double-jump, slide, and in Duo's case - 'The Giga Tackle'. In true fighting fashion, each character also gets their special move which ranges from Mega Man's uppercut to Eddy joining you in the fight. 

In keeping akin with the original NeoGeo Pocket Colour release, Mega Man Battle & Fighters keeps things simple with a 2-button control scheme. This allows you to perform the basic shoot and jump mechanics, while long-presses allow access to those flashy super moves and charging-up power shots. While this control scheme works perfectly well, it would have been nice to be able to customise these to take advantage of the Switch's extra buttons. Likewise, when it comes to using deleted boss powers you'll have to pause the game to then physically select what one to choose. Again, while it helps to establish that retro fell, it unnecessarily makes everything frustrating. 

Just like the other titles released as part of the NeoGeo Pocket Colour Collection, Mega Man Battle & Fighters has a few additional extras. For those wanting more, the title features a database that slowly fills up with details about the game's various Robot Masters, as well as various visual options and screen borders. Away from this and there's also a full digital instruction manual which comes in hand as the title plays in its native Japanese. For those who are proficient with retro imports, this lack of localisation is nothing new. But considering this is a modern release it could have easily had a form of translation. 

All in all, Mega Man Battle & Fighters is a fun game for those who are either fans of the Mega Man franchise, or those yearning for that NeoGeo Pocket Colour fix. It offers a pint-sized reenactment of two classic arcade games that until recently have been tucked away from us Western gamers. However, with the game being a straight-up port, it's already showing its age. Throw in the lack of localisation, and this one could certainly fly under the radar...

Rating 6.5/10 

A code was kindly provided for this review 

Mega Man Battle & Fighters is out now and can be purchased via the Nintendo Switch eShop. 

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Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev