Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection serves as a blueprint for how developers can bring DS titles to modern systems. The collection, which comprises multiple versions of the three Mega Man Star Force games, is a unique time capsule of a very different type of Mega Man game that’s a bit of a continuation of the Battle Network series while also changing things up for the DS. It’s definitely a mixed bag and not for everyone, but there’s directions here that developers can take when rescuing their lost DS libraries and bringing them to current audiences.
The Mega Man Star Force trilogy are isometric action RPGs and a continuation of the Battle Network series. The story is about an 11-year-old named Geo Stellar who can merge with an alien to become Mega Man and travel between the real world and digital EM Waves. The story and gameplay in each of these games feel clunky and dialogue-heavy. It would have been nice if there were a way to fast forward or make the dialogue font smaller so more text could fit on the screen.
Perhaps the most divisive feature about both the Battle Network and Star Force trilogies is that they utilize Battle Cards, which you can combine to do different attacks and transformations. I’m not really a fan of anything where I have to sort through cards in a game. It’s tedious and takes me out of the gameplay when this would be a lot more fun as a straight-up action RPG.
Despite these personal shortcomings (that many other Mega Man fans have), there’s a good amount of assist and difficulty options to make the game work a little more for modern audiences. There’s a speed boost where you can adjust your movement speed as well as an option to adjust enemy encounters. You also have options to turn on guaranteed escape, damage reduction, HP recovery, and other settings to make the game a little more accessible and palatable for our busy lives.
If there’s one thing Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection does a great job at, it’s translating the DS’s dual-screen interface to a controller. DS games are an interesting landscape for retro preservation. Some games make extensive use of the touch screen and stylus. Others use the second screen to convey additional information, such as menus and maps.
So what’s the best way to access the second screen on a modern console? In this collection, you press the left trigger to swap the screen. The information on the second screen, such as menus, messages, and your cards, doesn’t always need to be on the screen. Since you can switch interfaces, the rest of the screen is taken up by the game. This is a brilliant way to get DS games on modern systems.
The games themselves look great and don’t look too pixelated on a higher resolution. The art style is very much the anime sprite aesthetic of the DS era, and it holds up very well. Cutscenes and animations look great, too. There’s nothing about the visuals or interface here that makes it seem like these were games released for a unique two-screened system in the mid 2000s. This is the way to bring the DS library to modern audiences, and publishers should take note. Regardless of the quality of the Star Force titles, this is a particularly well put-together package that just works.
Part of translating DS games that had internet connectivity to modern consoles means figuring out how to get network options working. In this collection, you have ranked matches, casual matches, friend matches, and the option to trade cards with other players. You also have the option of adding friends to your list for more streamlined multiplayer play.
As you’d expect from a Legacy Collection, the package also features a gallery with artwork, design documents, battle cards, and bonus cards. If you’re a fan of this aesthetic and the character designs, then this archive is for you. There are also soundtrack albums and the option to change the music for the menus. I’m thrilled that this is the norm for retro compilations these days, and that Capcom brought out a great amount of material for this archive. I’m also a huge fan of the included in-game awards. I do most of my gaming on my Switch 2, which doesn’t have achievements, so I’m a fan of any game that has in-game achievements.
Mega Man Star Force games were probably a pass when they first came out to fans of the original. Unfortunately, the Legacy Collection doesn’t do much to change the minds of those exclusively enamored by the original blue bomber’s adventures.
Unless you’re a huge fan of this particular iteration of Mega Man, you’ll likely stumble over clunky gameplay and story elements. But if you’re interested in how gaming history is kept alive and ideal ways to bring DS titles to modern platforms, then this collection might be worth your perusal. This compilation proves that with the right interface, DS classics can find a comfortable home on modern platforms.
Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection serves as a blueprint for how developers can bring DS titles to modern systems. The collection, which comprises multiple versions of the three Mega Man Star Force games, is a unique time capsule of a very different type of Mega Man game that’s a bit of a continuation of the Battle Network series while also changing things up for the DS. It’s definitely a mixed bag and not for everyone, but there’s directions here that developers can take when rescuing their lost DS libraries and bringing them to current audiences.
Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection serves as a blueprint for how developers can bring DS titles to modern systems. The collection, which comprises multiple versions of the three Mega Man Star Force games, is a unique time capsule of a very different type of Mega Man game that’s a bit of a continuation of the Battle Network series while also changing things up for the DS. It’s definitely a mixed bag and not for everyone, but there’s directions here that developers can take when rescuing their lost DS libraries and bringing them to current audiences.
The Mega Man Star Force trilogy are isometric action RPGs and a continuation of the Battle Network series. The story is about an 11-year-old named Geo Stellar who can merge with an alien to become Mega Man and travel between the real world and digital EM Waves. The story and gameplay in each of these games feel clunky and dialogue-heavy. It would have been nice if there were a way to fast forward or make the dialogue font smaller so more text could fit on the screen.
Perhaps the most divisive feature about both the Battle Network and Star Force trilogies is that they utilize Battle Cards, which you can combine to do different attacks and transformations. I’m not really a fan of anything where I have to sort through cards in a game. It’s tedious and takes me out of the gameplay when this would be a lot more fun as a straight-up action RPG.
Despite these personal shortcomings (that many other Mega Man fans have), there’s a good amount of assist and difficulty options to make the game work a little more for modern audiences. There’s a speed boost where you can adjust your movement speed as well as an option to adjust enemy encounters. You also have options to turn on guaranteed escape, damage reduction, HP recovery, and other settings to make the game a little more accessible and palatable for our busy lives.
If there’s one thing Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection does a great job at, it’s translating the DS’s dual-screen interface to a controller. DS games are an interesting landscape for retro preservation. Some games make extensive use of the touch screen and stylus. Others use the second screen to convey additional information, such as menus and maps.
So what’s the best way to access the second screen on a modern console? In this collection, you press the left trigger to swap the screen. The information on the second screen, such as menus, messages, and your cards, doesn’t always need to be on the screen. Since you can switch interfaces, the rest of the screen is taken up by the game. This is a brilliant way to get DS games on modern systems.
The games themselves look great and don’t look too pixelated on a higher resolution. The art style is very much the anime sprite aesthetic of the DS era, and it holds up very well. Cutscenes and animations look great, too. There’s nothing about the visuals or interface here that makes it seem like these were games released for a unique two-screened system in the mid 2000s. This is the way to bring the DS library to modern audiences, and publishers should take note. Regardless of the quality of the Star Force titles, this is a particularly well put-together package that just works.
Part of translating DS games that had internet connectivity to modern consoles means figuring out how to get network options working. In this collection, you have ranked matches, casual matches, friend matches, and the option to trade cards with other players. You also have the option of adding friends to your list for more streamlined multiplayer play.
As you’d expect from a Legacy Collection, the package also features a gallery with artwork, design documents, battle cards, and bonus cards. If you’re a fan of this aesthetic and the character designs, then this archive is for you. There are also soundtrack albums and the option to change the music for the menus. I’m thrilled that this is the norm for retro compilations these days, and that Capcom brought out a great amount of material for this archive. I’m also a huge fan of the included in-game awards. I do most of my gaming on my Switch 2, which doesn’t have achievements, so I’m a fan of any game that has in-game achievements.
Mega Man Star Force games were probably a pass when they first came out to fans of the original. Unfortunately, the Legacy Collection doesn’t do much to change the minds of those exclusively enamored by the original blue bomber’s adventures.
Unless you’re a huge fan of this particular iteration of Mega Man, you’ll likely stumble over clunky gameplay and story elements. But if you’re interested in how gaming history is kept alive and ideal ways to bring DS titles to modern platforms, then this collection might be worth your perusal. This compilation proves that with the right interface, DS classics can find a comfortable home on modern platforms.
by Kayla Merritt
