Review: Megaman 7

Any time there's a number higher than "3" after a title the general public is more than likely to raise a suspicious eyebrow or two. If one "universe" - let's call it - has been rehashed that many times, there's a good chance that the idea well has run dry. However, there are notable exceptions, and Megaman 7 is one of them.

Although Capcom rigidly stuck to series conventions in the design of the Blue Bomber's seventh installment, they showed some creativity in trying out a few new things. The most notable change is that the absolutely punishing difficulty from previous games was dropped from a nine to about a seven.
Most of the difficulty relief comes from a lessened focus on high-flying, block-disappearing platforming. It's still a hell of a challenge, but toning it down just made for a more enjoyable overall playthrough.

Rush.

The second change goes hand in hand with the difficulty - the store. Every few enemies you destroy will drop collectable bolts which serve as currency to buy extra lives, energy tanks and powerups. Most of these items can be collected within the levels, but are always out of the way requiring the player to take a great risk to get them.

Then there's the third change - secret areas. These hidden treasure troves usually contain some sort of permanent upgrade or new weapon for Megaman to use, and sometimes force you into an impromptu boss battle. The way these areas are accessed kinda reminded me of Super Metroid in that most of them required you to use a specific weapon to trigger something in the environment to change which would open a new path. And these would have been really rewarding if I didn't look up how to find them in a blind rage due to the impossibility of beating the Wily stages without them.

The Super Adapter - You're Dead Without It.

Once again the game is all about pattern recognition and proper weapon selection. Once you memorize those things, it's actually a breeze. The journey to that point is long, but it's a blast, and you feel seriously accomplished when you finally finish it. The game looks great, sounds fantastic and plays like a dream. Not a must play, but certainly worth your time if you come across it.