Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection Preview
The Mega Man games continue to be re-released through collections, with the Mega Man Star Force series being the latest recipient of a collection. Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection brings three games together (a total of seven versions). The games in the collection are:
- Mega Man Star Force: Pegasus
- Mega Man Star Force: Leo
- Mega Man Star Force: Dragon
- Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker × Ninja
- Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker × Saurian
- Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace
- Mega Man Star Force 3: Red Joker
This or That?
Each game’s versions have differences that vary between games, as was the growing trend at that time. These include different main transformations, stat boosts, boss differences, class differences, and more. If these differences matter to a player’s experience, it is recommended to do your research ahead of time. Personally, I chose Dragon, Zerker x Ninja, and Red Joker for my preview.
The games all came out within a roughly three-year period, originally for the Nintendo DS. The Star Force line of games came as a follow-up to the Mega Man Battle Network series from the Game Boy Advance. Having experienced a number of the Battle Network games but none of the Star Force games, I was excited to give it a try.
Aside from simply being interested in the games due to their Battle Network lineage, I was eager to see how the DS experience translated outside of the dual screens. My preview time with the game was a positive experience overall, and the game adequately ports the experience over to a single screen. Although I never played the original titles with the dual screens, I can only imagine that the transition to one screen is relatively smooth. The second screen is essentially placed in the corner, is adjustable, and functions as needed.
The More the Merrier?
Aside from the adaptation of the game from two screens to one, there are a number of options, filters, and features available in the collection. Players are able to adjust the layout of the screen as well as toggle a filter to smooth the edges of the graphics. There are new difficulty and assist options, including auto-save, adjustable battle settings, and more.
For me, being able to move faster and to adjust the difficulty to push through certain sections was greatly appreciated. Surprisingly, the game’s combat holds up pretty well despite being experienced in pretty much a completely different way. I was a bit skeptical in general of the perspective switch from the Battle Network games to the Star Force series, but any concerns have been dispelled.
When originally released, the first Mega Man Star Force title had relatively strong sales. However, the continued decline of sales for the second and third titles eventually led to a potential fourth game being cancelled. Despite this, I can see why there was interest in the series, but I can also understand why the same interest waned over time.
Fans of Mega Man in general or specifically the Battle Network games, will definitely have something to look forward to with the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection. Although the games’ story and characters are not the greatest, they are definitely a product of the time that they were released in. The game, as it should, runs well on modern hardware and if I didn’t know better, could even mistake it for a more modern experience. Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection releases on March 25, 2026 on all modern consoles, and marks another subseries of the franchise fully available.
*** A PlayStation 5 preview code was provided by the publisher ***
