I enjoyed Mega Man 11 quite a lot when it launched on Nintendo Switch back in 2018. Although it eschewed the gorgeous pixel art that the series was so famous for, the 3D assets were beautifully done and really brought Mega Man and company to life in a new way, visually. The gameplay, however, was what truly impressed me, because Capcom had managed to somehow evoke the exact feel of the 8-bit games with the new 3D assets. Then… nothing for eight years. Until back in December of last year when, during The Game Awards, Capcom announced that Mega Man: Dual Override would be launching in 2027. The stage was finally set for the Blue Bomber’s return.
Graciously, Capcom let us come in to check out Mega Man: Dual Override in two separate preview sessions: one to sample Mega Man, and the other Proto Man. Mega Man was the first session’s focus, and he didn’t disappoint. Like in 11, Mega Man’s movements remain in the Goldilocks zone of the 8-bit games. Rock is snappy and responsive, and the feedback when firing the Mega Buster is immensely satisfying; blowing stuff up has never felt better. Is it a one-to-one replica of his classic movement and shooting? No, but it’s very close, and I would argue has been made even better in Dual Override.
The preview set players against new Robot Master Twinkle Girl and her three stages. Hidden within each are two large bolts, which are set up to challenge more adventurous and seasoned players. The bolts are either very hard to find, very hard to obtain, or a mixture of both. Initially, I was satisfied with simply fumbling through the stages trying to survive as I learned enemy patterns and routes; after that, I started getting hooked on getting all the bolts. The last set, in Twinkle Girl’s lair, were especially hard to find, and by the time I’d figured out where they were and how to get them, I felt hugely accomplished. It was nice having to think a bit and I look forward to finding all the bolts in all the stages when the final game releases.
On my third run through the preview, I was starting to get the same feeling I had when I played Mega Man 9 for the first time. I’d get my butt kicked, die, and start over, but each time I’d learned a little more about the stage and what I was doing wrong. I’d either missed a cue, or didn’t notice an enemy’s placement, or some other factor that slipped past me, and with each restart I didn’t feel frustration, but instead a sense of determination to get it right this time. Games like Celeste are great examples of this sort of engagement, where it’s never about the game doing you wrong, but your hands and eyes betraying you, instead. Dual Override had me wanting to go back to its stages over and over to beat them as best I could because doing so felt like a real accomplishment.
Previous Mega Man games have always had an aspect of exploration, such as returning to previous stages with new weapon abilities in order to unlock different pathways and powerups, and so on. In Dual Override, weapon abilities are used to facilitate a greater depth of exploration than what I’ve come to expect from the series. For instance, in Twinkle Girl’s final stage, the hidden bolts were very hard to find, to the point that I was convinced that I had missed a hidden room or some space just out of reach. Sure enough, I had, but it was only reachable by using one of Mega Man’s new weapon abilities, a charging dash that can both hurt enemies and also send the character darting across the screen. What’s more, I came to realize it also worked in midair, which was when everything clicked into place and I found the bolts.
Finally, it was time to take on Twinkle Girl. She was a definite challenge, with tricky attacks that called for minute adjustments to avoid taking hits. Twinkle Girl can shoot a fireworks shot that splits off into multiple directions, charge at the player, and do a devastating downward strike with a blast radius that also inflicts damage. Learning her patterns was tough, but as the fight progressed, I started picking up on things and building my strategy. It was here that I finally utilized Mega Man’s Override System. Override supercharges the character to unleash greater damage for a limited time, and I found that waiting until the second phase of the Twinkle Girl fight gave me the extra burst of power I needed to win.
The second session that featured Proto Man ran once more through the three Twinkle Girl stages, but they felt a lot different with Proto Man behind the wheel. The character is billed as being a much more close quarters type of combatant than Rock, and that’s a totally accurate description of him. Previous portrayals of Proto Man have included a more powerful shot with lesser range than Mega Man’s, as well as being more susceptible to damage. That has all carried over here, but boy, are there a lot of big changes to Proto Man this time around. And they are a total blast, each and every one of them.
So, what makes Proto Man a close quarters combat expert? First and foremost his shield, which has been completely rethought for this adventure. As ever, shots will either ricochet or be absorbed, but there are now offensive uses for the shield to consider. First up is the Proto Boomerang, where the shield is hurled in a looping arc not unlike Captain America’s shield. Next is the Shield Jet, a ramming attack where Proto Man charges forward at foes with his shield. Finally, Rising Shield is a Shoryuken-style uppercut with the shield. All of these attacks are devastating, especially Shield Jet, which sends enemies flying backwards. And lest ye are concerned that Proto Man is too overpowered as a result of this overhaul, he has a Cooldown function that needs to be initiated when he overheats from using these new attacks repeatedly, so there’s no risk of spamming to get through stages.
This new suite of attacks results in a more nuanced approach to fighting than anything yet experienced in a Mega Man game. I was having a great time mixing up how I would take down enemies, and like Mega Man’s various weapon abilities, Proto Man’s new attacks add their own layer to exploration. His Rising Shield attack, for instance, can be used midair and utilized like a double-jump if done correctly. Although the three stages were the same, the play styles of Mega Man and Proto Man were do distinct it almost felt like I was in a different place for each of them.
Even the fight with Twinkle Girl played a little differently for Proto Man, as he was able to utilize his Shield Jet attack without fear of it running out of juice, unlike Mega Man with his own limited ramming attack. I also found (by accident) that Proto Man’s shield will actually absorb Twinkle Girl’s fireworks shot if she aims it low enough for him to intercept it. Because Proto Man takes damage more easily, however, the fight was tougher because Twinkle Girl could kill him much faster than she can Mega Man. It feels like a lot of thought has gone into balancing things out in Dual Override.
Overall, the two rounds of previews left me incredibly anxious for next spring when the game launches. We still don’t know what the upcoming amiibo figures will do, nor do we know what the other stages and Robot Masters are like, but that’s done nothing to hamper my excitement. I think anyone with a Switch 2 or a Switch should be excited to get their hands on Mega Man: Dual Override. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more about the game in the months ahead.