Released near the end of 2001 on the Game Boy Advance, Mega Man Battle Network took people by surprise. Part of that was attributed to the new setting and change for the Blue Bomber's look, but a bigger reason for the reactions was the drastic change in overall gameplay. The change worked out, and the game's success led to a series that lasted six entries on the GBA. To celebrate this, we get Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection.

Much like the previous collections for Mega Man and Mega Man X, we get the complete series split into two parts. The first volume contains the first two games in the series as well as both versions of the third game, while the second volume contains both versions of entries four through six. When combined, it makes for a collection that contains 10 games, but unlike the previous Mega Man compilations, all of the entries came from the GBA. The more action-oriented Mega Man Network Transmission from the GameCube isn't here, and neither is the DS version of Mega Man Battle Network 5, though that omission can be forgiven since that was essentially the duo of GBA games with no changes except for a touch-screen map. With no technical differences between the games, it makes no sense to split it into two volumes instead of just one, especially since it wouldn't have taken up much space to do so.

The first game introduces you to a world that's very different from what was seen in previous Mega Man and Mega Man X titles. Your main protagonist isn't Mega Man but a kid named Lan who lives in a world where everything is connected online and everyone has their own personal devices with their own digital companions, known as PETs. It just so happens that Lan's own PET is a program called Mega Man.EXE that looks like a modified version of the beloved Blue Bomber. When an organization is attempting to take over the world by infecting all sorts of devices with viruses, Lan takes it upon himself to do what he can to stop them. That means using his device to jack in and send Mega Man.EXE to fight off the infection.

The whole "saving the world" part is very typical of a Mega Man game, but this one stands out for having a more lighthearted theme. After all, your main character is still a kid going to school with classmates who may fit certain personalities but remain friendly, with no real bullies in sight. There's a lot more dialogue, especially with Mega Man and Lan talking to each other, as the former is more responsible while the latter is aiming to be a bit lazy and have fun. The same can be said for Mega Man's interactions with his fellow cyber citizens; they display the same type of personalities that Lan finds in the real world — minus any discernible faces to go along with them.

The core gameplay resembles that of a JRPG, at least partially. When wandering around as Lan or Mega Man.EXE, the world is presented from an isometric viewpoint. NPCs can be spoken to, and you can visit shops to get more powers for use later or find powers and cash hiding in the environment. The main difference for both characters is in the functionality. Lan can't fight, but he is needed to locate places that he can jack into so Mega Man can get to work. Meanwhile, Mega Man takes on the tradition of heading into random encounters for a fight.

Combat is where things play out differently, as it takes on elements from different genres to craft its own battle system. Presented from a three-quarter viewpoint, Mega Man and his enemies move around in a six-by-three grid that's color-coded to denote which squares Mega Man can move in, and which ones are for enemy use. Before moving into battle, the game takes on the properties of a modern deck-building game, where you're presented with a random selection of battle chips from your deck. You can select up to five chips at a time if they fit certain criteria, such as being the same name or letter type. Those chips have abilities that range from being bombs that cover a wide number of grids to chips that let you temporarily seize opposing squares for that turn. Once the chips are chosen, the turn begins but is played out in real time as you move around the board. Use your chips until the meter fills up to pause the action and let you choose more chips to play with again. Should you run out of chips, you can use your blaster to harm enemies, but the shooting is slow and the damage is paltry.

The battle system was tremendously fun when the game first released all those decades ago, and it remains just as enjoyable today, especially since so few games have adopted this system. It does a good job of satisfying the blasting element the series is known for, while also making it adapt well to a more strategic bent. There's a nice risk/reward setup, where you can skip on using chips for a turn to get a bigger hand on the next one, and the deck-building element further strengthens that strategic mindset. The game is of a pretty decent length for a handheld RPG and clocks in at roughly 20 hours or so, but the story and fresh combat system make it feel like a breezy jaunt by the time the credits roll.

The problem is that the rest of the games in the series don't evolve much from that first game. Every story runs into the same premise as the first, where some mysterious organization wants to take over the real world by using viruses, and the solution lies in escaping to the virtual world to take care of it. Lan may be a cool character, but the constant need to go through tutorials for every game makes him out to be somewhat of a dunce. The overall story advances as far as the overarching world goes, so it does give players a reason to keep going through the games if you're in it for the plot.

As for gameplay, the advances are there, but it feels like a drip feed rather than something big and exciting. The second game added more overall chips. The third game splits into two versions with chips that are unique to them and can't be traded away. The fourth game adds a counter system, while the fifth game adds a few missions that slow down the battle system enough that it is a chore to go through. The sixth game is where the changes become more significant, as you finally don the special powers of the big bosses you defeat, like you could in the classic games. You could also inherit the powers of special Cybeasts, which act differently in that you lose power over time but gain new powers that are much stronger when it comes to delivering damage. Those powers of bosses and Cybeasts can be combined to deliver even more damage, making this even more of an action game that happens to have a little strategy. You can also lose control and let the game itself control Mega Man in exchange for even more devastating attacks. Seeing all of this change in the sixth game makes you wish that these changes didn't have to happen so late in the series, but it also seems understandable when you realize that these games came out every year for practically the entire lifespan of the handheld.

Aside from the games, there's a good deal of extras here. There's the expected gallery of illustrations, and it is quite lengthy considering how many titles are present and the fact that these are more recent titles, which increases the chances that this work is being saved versus having to scavenge for what wasn't discarded. The same goes for the music player, which has just about every song from every entry. For those wondering about online play, it's present for both battling and for chip trading, and this applies to every title. It works well, but don't expect any trading crossovers from the different variations of 3 onward, since that wasn't in the original code. For completionists, the Patch Cards and Download Chips that were previously only in Japan are here in digital format and usable in every game that supports them. They do a good job of making the games a bit easier, but it pales in comparison to the Buster Max setting, which powers up your normal arm cannon to deliver 100 HP damage per hit. Except for some of the bosses, it essentially makes every enemy a one-shot kill, which makes it perfect for those who just want to go through every game with minimal friction.

Despite the age of the GBA, most of the games released on that system still hold up today thanks to the reliance on sprite-based graphics. That applies to every game in this package. Provided you don't turn on the smoothing filter that only seems to smear the graphical elements, the pixel artwork looks clean, and the animations look great. The transitions between the real world and virtual one are awesome to look at, as are the backdrops when in a fight. The text has been given an overhaul to make it more readable, while the controls still feel rather intuitive to use. The audio is also great, with the sound effects coming in sharp. The music sounds richer thanks to a better stereo separation. The only issue you'll have with the presentation aside from the lack of an option to remove the borders on the side of the screen is the fact that you'll see no improvements to the presentation as you go from game to game. In fact, you'll notice just how many elements have gotten recycled over time, making you realize what the team did to hit that yearly release cycle.

Even though it has no tag there yet, it should come as no surprise that the compilation works perfectly on the Steam Deck. The only part that might have given the system any trouble would be the front end, since it features a fully polygonal Mega Man.EXE, but that runs fine without a hitch, though the MangoHUD reading places the battery life at four hours on that screen. Get into any of the games, and the battery life shoots up to almost six hours on a full charge. This should come as no surprise, as this is merely emulating the GBA with a minimal amount of flourishes added.

As a compilation, Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is fairly well done. The gameplay concept works not only as an alternative for a standard Mega Man title but also as an action/strategy title. Combined with the deck-building elements, it makes the game resonate with a modern audience, and the extras are sure to please any fan. Players will wish that the series weren't so repetitive over the years, as that doesn't play out as well for a title like this compared to a straight action-platformer.

Score: 7.5/10