Mega Man Zero 4

Another new element is the weather system, which allows players to choose between two weather conditions for each of the eight main stages. The difficulty of the stage varies depending on the chosen weather condition, with the stage being harder if the weather icon has an orange border around it. Sometimes, there are secret passages in some stages which the player can only reach by setting the weather to "hard". The trade-off for an easier level is that Zero cannot learn an EX Skill from a boss..

Cyber Elves, a core element of previous Mega Man Zero installments, are no longer required from the player. Shortly after the introductory levels, a Cyber Elf will arrive for Zero to equip. This elf has most of the powers of the all the Cyber Elves from previous games, which are unlocked as you raise its level by feeding it E-Crystals. Zero may select one power from each of the three categories: Nurse, Animal, and Hacker. The player's ranking at the end of a level is no longer given a penalty for using the Cyber Elves as long as they are kept under the maximum power limit. In addition to this, Zero can now equip body chips to enhance his abilities, including double-jumping and self-recovery, similar to early Mega Man X titles.

Zero cannot rely on finding secret disks to give him enhancements as in Mega Man Zero 3. Instead players must collect enemy parts dropped randomly from defeated enemies. Recipes for combining these parts can be learned by talking to NPCs the player rescues and by talking with a Cyber Elf after its stages of evolution. However, the majority of the recipes are given not through conversation, and instead from random combination of parts.

Minigames & Modes

Like its previous installations, Mega Man Zero 4 has multiple modes. A new mode to feature in this game is the Easy Mode, which is, like the Normal Mode, available from the start. It makes the game easier for players, but at the cost of preventing them from acquiring EX Skills or changing the weather conditions.

After completing the game once on normal mode, players can access a hard mode or start a new game over the old one. Also making a comeback is the Ultimate Mode, which once again can only be unlocked when certain criteria are met.

Like the previous game, there are also seven mini-games that can be unlocked once certain criteria are met. They are as follows:

• Lumberjack - Beat the game with an overall S-Rank.
• Lava Surf - Beat the game with a complete database.
• Busy Basket - Beat the game once on Hard Mode.
• Slam Harvest - Beat the game under one hour.
• Plant Panic - Beat the game without feeding your Cyber Elf any E-Crystals.
• Elf Chase - Beat the game without using any recipes.
• Energy Lab - Surpass the high score on all the other mini-games.

Plot

Characters

Mega Man Zero 4's main and playable character is Zero. Traveling with the Resistance he is helped by Ciel, who saves game data. Ciel's "surrogate daughter" Alouette, aids Zero with Cyber-elf items and as in past installments, he is provided with weaponry and tips on battle by Reploid engineer Cerveau. Neige, a human reporter fleeing with the rest of the refugees to Area Zero, is the leader of the band who oppose Reploids.

Doctor Weil returns from Mega Man Zero 3 and is now ruler of Neo Arcadia. The new Leader of the Army is Craft, who uses his position to secretly help his love Neige, even if it means accepting Weil's tyrannical rule.

The primary bosses, the Einherjar, the Eight Warriors, are:

• Fenri Lunaedge - a Fenrir-inspired reploid revived to serve Weil (very reminiscent of Blizzard Wolfang from Mega Man X6). Boss of the Hibernation Chamber stage, defeating him when it's snowing gives you the Hyougetsujin EX Skill (Ice Blade EX Skill).
• Heat Genblem - A hard headed model soldier who controls the Particle Beam area. Defeating him when it's sunny gives you the Shouenga EX Skill (Flame Fang EX Skill).
• Mino Magnus - A Minotaur-inspired reploid. Originally used for recharging large masses of viable energy. Boss of the Magnetic Zone stage, defeating him when it's stormy gives you the Tractor Shot EX Skill.
• Noble Mandrago - controls the surrounding around her for maintenance and regeneration. Boss of the Underground Forest stage, defeating her when it's sunny gives you the Tsuibangeki EX Skill (Sky Chaser EX Skill).
• Pegasolta Eclair - an extremely vain Pegasus-type Reploid who is in control of a large-scale aerial climate-controlling unit called the Hanging Gardens. Defeating him when it's cloudy gives you the Buraitotsu EX Skill (Thunder Stab EX Skill).
• Tech Kraken - a former member of the late Phantom's army, who seeks Zero to avenge his death. Boss of the Deep Sea stage, defeating him when it's raining gives you the Ice Javelin EX Skill. He looks like Volt kraken from Megaman X
• Popla Cocapetri - a self loving reploid used for jamming computer communications and by making incursions into Reploids' optical sensors. Boss of the Living City stage, defeating him when it's sunny gives you the Time Stopper EX Skill.
• Sol Titanion - based on the fairy queen Titania and the Sun, who conveys fairy-like characteristics, especially being quite playful, which façades her love of torture. Boss of the Artificial Sun stage, defeating her when it's sunny gives you the Burning Shot EX Skill.

Story

Humans have begun leaving Neo Arcadia since Dr. Weil assumed power. Labeled as human Mavericks for opposing his rule, a caravan led by a journalist named Neige is attacked by Weil's army of Variants on their way to freedom. Zero and the small handful of resistance members happen upon them as they drive cross-country in their convoy and come to their aid. After rescuing the caravan, Neige explains that they were in route to Area Zero, one of the last natural habitats that can support human life outside of Neo Arcadia.

Shortly after parting ways, Zero learns of a plot to destroy Area Zero from Craft, Doctor Weil's second in command, called "Operation Ragnarok" . It was meant to destroy all environments outside of Neo Arcadia, so that life could not be sustained outside of it; this was meant to force all humans to return and live under Weil's rule.

After defeating four of the Eight Warriors, Area Zero itself comes under attack by Neo Arcadia. Zero fights through it and sees Craft at the end. Zero and Craft fight, with Zero winning but Craft still alive. Neige appears to break up the fight, and Craft kidnaps her. Zero then goes to the prison where Neige is held and rescues her.

After stopping the Einherjar Warriors, Zero learns that they were just a distraction, and an orbital satellite, Ragnarok, can wipe out the environment with its cannon. But before Weil can use it himself, Craft rebels against him and attempts to fire upon Neo Arcadia in an attempt to kill Weil, regardless of the fact that innocents might be killed, but is stopped by Zero.

Weil had teleported directly onto the station and manually directed its flight path into a crash landing into Area Zero. As the station plummets toward the planet, Zero teleports onto it and makes his way to Weil. Zero questions him as to how he survived the initial strike on Neo Arcadia.

Zero learns that Weil was a human, made into a bionic/reploid hybrid Weil by the same people who exiled him and Omega into space at the end of the Elf Wars. His new body is incapable of aging, or more importantly, dying as it constantly repairs and upgrades itself. Weil purposely set the station to crash knowing full well he could survive the impact and oversee the destruction of Area Zero personally. Weil then fuses with the Ragnarok core and attacks Zero as the final boss. After an intense battle and destroying Weil's fused body, Ragnarok breaks apart down to Earth, leaving Zero unable to escape.

Ciel passes through Area Zero where it is confirmed that Zero did not teleport back. For the final scenes of the game, the player sees Ciel atop a hill, on her knees and crying during the credits. Afterwards, she stands up and expresses her faith in Zero, and the hope that he'll return someday. The scene fades to white, and then to an image of Zero's helmet as it lays shattered, along with various other metal pieces, in a rocky crater.

Development

Capcom Japan's announcement of a sequel to Mega Man Zero 3 didn't come as much of a surprise, with the pattern of development news following the previous two Mega Man Zero games. Capcom updated its official site quietly with information stating the game would be released in Japan in April.

Critical reaction

Mega Man Zero 4 has been called a "refined version of an outstanding platformer series" with a more streamlined weapon and Cyber Elf system. Critics were quick to state that it hadn't changed much and that it was "more of the same". One reviewer, however, stated that the level designs were "slightly less challenging" than those of previous installations, but more inventive.

The new simplified Cyber Elf system received mixed reviews. GameSpot thought the new single Cyber Elf was an improvement, whilst Jeremy Parish of 1up.com stated that it signalled a return "to the old-fashion Mega Man game structure", which he found "unfortunate since the Zero games' greatest strength was their willingness to break the trite and true Mega Man mold".

Critics were mostly neutral about the weather system, saying that diehard players wouldn't make use of the system. It was touted as a nice idea, but that the effects weren't "pronounced enough to make most levels worth playing through twice".

References