Mega Man Star Force is set in the far distant future of the Mega Man Battle Network world. Humanity's technology has advanced wildly, with the wired internet and Net Navis replaced by wireless connections, satellites, and new and more advanced tech. Players follow the story of Geo Stellar, a young body whose father was tragically lost in a space accident. His mourning is interrupted by the sudden appearance of a wave-based alien life form named Omega-Xis ("Mega" for short). Omega is hunting down dangerous space aliens who are threatening earth and needs to fuse his power with Geo's body to fight them. In exchange, he'll tell Geo what really happened to his father. The duo sets off on multiple adventures where they battle forces that are threatening earth with their combined super-form: Mega Man.

Like Battle Network, the Star Force series largely consists of kid-friendly adventure stories and little more. That isn't to say they're negative, but you're basically getting Ultraman with a little shonen battle anime twist. Geo's more interesting of a protagonist than Lan is, and the cast is pretty fun to hang around with, but it isn't the kind of game you play for the plots. The plot doesn't get in the way, and it's a fun (if not very filling) trio of adventures.

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection collects three games: Mega Man Star Force 1, 2 and 3. As with the previous Battle Network games, these are divided, Pokemon-style, into multiple versions with exclusive chips and special transformations. The first game has three versions (Leo, Dragon, and Pegasus), while the other two games have two versions each. That means the series list is slightly padded out, but all the games are full-length RPGs, so you'll get at least as much value out of the Star Force collection as from either of the individual Battle Network collections.

In a lot of ways, Mega Man Star Force is the successor to the Battle Network games. The basic gameplay is, in many ways, nearly identical. You take Geo through a fairly lengthy JRPG story that has you bouncing between the real world and the wave world of wi-fi signals. As in the previous games, you swap between the real world and a digital world. The major change is that in Star Force, the digital world is overlaid upon the real world. You'll need to find connected devices to "jack in" to the wi-fi world, and then you can traverse the airwaves to explore the hidden paths between devices.

It's a neat system that helps make things feel more grounded than in Battle Network, since you have a clearer context of where everything connects. My biggest complaint in the original versions of the game was a shoehorned-in level of touch-screen interaction that always made it a tad tedious to play. Legacy Collection replaces this with button prompts that I preferred. It really feels like the kind of game that had 3DS functionality tacked on.

The biggest change comes to the combat system, which moves away from the 6x6 grid to a new, behind-the-shoulder view. The combat screen is still grid-based, but now all the grids belong to the enemies who can move through them. Mega Man is limited to a three-grid space on the front of the screen, so he can dodge left and right. To make up for this, you now have access to an on-demand guard feature that allows you to block attacks briefly.

Combat is very similar to Battle Network. You create a folder of specialized attack chips that are semi-randomly drawn at the start of each battle and can be used in combat. Once they're used up, you have to wait for a meter to recharge before you can select your next set of attacks. There are fewer direct limitations on what you can pick, with the chip code systems being made simpler, making it easier to draw and combo multiple chips in each round. In between turns, you can access a customizable Mega Buster that automatically charges up and can damage enemies directly, giving you more ways to provide damage.

This also ties into the game's new lock-on feature. Since Mega Man can't move from his spot, you can lock on to foes. Once locked on, the next attack you perform will teleport Mega Man in front of the enemy before the attack goes off. For sword-based weapons, this is nearly essential while other weapons may benefit more from being close or far, depending on their radius. The games also double down on Battle Network's fondness for counter-attacks by hitting enemies just before they attack to stun them and adding bonuses like free cards.

In essence, Star Force trades the complexity of Battle Network for something more fast-paced and directly action-based. You still have the same card-based combat, but the combat feels more intense because actions like Guard and Charge are part of natural combat, enemy attacks are faster, and movement is more restricted. It's absolutely harder to avoid attacks and harder to create all-consumingly powerful builds, putting more emphasis on pure twitch skills and the ability to block and dodge attacks.

Star Force's combat system is in an odd territory, so it's a lot of fun but it doesn't feel like an improvement on the original Battle Network combat. I applaud the attempt at making something new, and I still think it's a blast to play, but even at its best, I preferred Battle Network's more freeform movement. If there's one thing that might prevent Battle Network fans from enjoying Star Force, it is this constant comparison. It's a shame because Star Force still has a really fun combat system.

The biggest issue in Mega Man Star Force is that it is functionally reinventing the wheel. I understand wanting to freshen up the Mega Man Battle Network combat system, but it means that going from MMBN6to Star Force 1 feels like a stumble because all of the well-honed combat design of the previous games has to be reworked around a new system. It isn't even that the system is bad, but it feels less polished. The developers of the original games clearly got more of a feel for the strengths and weaknesses of their system as time progressed, and by Star Force 3, it really feels like they had a firm grasp of how to make the games fun. Unfortunately, this being the last Star Force game also means it goes out on a strong note but there is less room to grow.

That said, I can't complain about any of the new features in Star Force Collection. The various assist mode options are nice for those who just want to experience the story, but for me, the best was the ability to set up a "toggle encounter/move faster" button. This made returning to some areas in the games, especially in Star Force 2, far less tedious and annoying, since you didn't have to fight through a bunch of disposable weak enemies. It also made it a lot more fun to just play through the game.

There are a ton of nice bonus features, including access to the various "event" chips that were previously unavailable outside of Japan, a massive collection of concept art, the ability to play through the various game soundtracks, and even the ability to play the multiplayer content online. It's very similar in that way to the original Battle Network collection, but overall, I can't think of any genuine complaints about the collection. It does everything you want it to, and it should be perfect for any fan.

The visuals have also seen an upgrade, with high-res versions of most of the character art available and the game's 3D visuals having been touched up. It's still visibly an upscaled 3DS game, but it mostly looks quite good. I wasn't fond of the smoothing on some of the in-game graphics because it made things look a bit muddy, but thankfully, you can turn it off. The music and audio have ported over wonderfully, and the excellent Star Force soundtracks sound better than ever freed of the 3DS's tinny speakers.

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection is an excellent package and a fantastic way to play what is probably the most overlooked of the various Mega Man sub-franchises. The games have their rough spots, but they're still darn fun action-RPGs that continue the legacy of the Battle Network games. If you enjoyed those games and want more or if you think the concept looks enjoyable, there's no better way to play the Star Force games than this collection.

Score: 8.0/10