Is the third time the charm for Mega Man?

After the humongous success of Mega Man 2, it's no surprise Capcom decided to immediately start developing a sequel. Does Mega Man 3 succeed in once again improving the Mega Man formula, or is it a quick cash-in to capitalize on the popularity of it's predecessor? Let's find out!

The story in Mega Man 3 is once again absent from most of the game, which is a shame since it's a bit more interesting than previous titles. The newly reformed Dr. Wily teams up with Dr. Light to create a peace-keeping robot named Gamma. Unfortunately, 8 robot masters suddenly went berzerk and have stolen the 8 crystals needed to power Gamma. There is also a mysterious robot called "Break Man" who confronts you multiple times throughout the game and may just have a secret.


Mega Man, and NES games in general, have never been know for their stories so it's up to the gameplay to truly make something special. Taking the improvements Mega Man 2 made to the series, Mega Man 3 also adds a few of it's own to create a similar, but not stale experience. There are 8 brand new robot masters to take down, each with their own unique stage and weapon you gain upon defeating them. Replacing the 3 assist items from Mega Man 2 is your robotic dog companion, Rush. You can use Rush in a variety of different ways to help you pass tricky obstacles. You'll probably be using Rush Coil most often, where Rush acts like a spring to get you to high places, but he also can turn into a jet and a submarine which can help traverse tough sections in a level. Mega Man also gains the ability to slide and it comes in handy for dodging projectiles and getting through small areas. These additions don't drastically alter the way the game is played, but they are fun and add to the experience.



The Mega Man series has always been top-notch when it comes to audio and visual presentation and the third installment is no exception. All the levels are colorful and unique and the high energy soundtrack will pump you up as you blast your way through the treacherous stages. Who can forget the snake covered floors in Snake Man's stage or the psychedelic bubbles that fill Gemini Man's stage. Compared to the stages in Mega Man 2, some of the levels here have somewhat of a more muted color palette leading to a darker feel in the game. It's not a major issue, but it the levels do feel grittier and almost more depressing.The music is just as catchy as ever, and these are some of the best 8-bit tunes to grace the NES, here are a few of my favorites:

Title Screen

Manget Man

Snake Man



As with many games of it's time, Mega Man 3 poses a fairly large challenge. The level design is fair, but unforgiving and you'll need to manage your health wisely if you want to get far. One area where I think Mega Man 3 falters a bit is in it's addition of four extra stages after you've beaten the initial 8 robot masters. On paper this sounds great, but in reality it's not as good as you might hope. These extra stages are basically harder version of 4 of the levels you've already played. If trekking through old levels wasn't bad enough, you also have to face off with all 8 of the robot masters from Mega Man 2. The Doc Robot stages as they are called are a bit tedious, but they in no way ruin the game. The Wily Castle is also surprisingly easy, throwing E-Tanks at you like candy. When it all comes down to it though, Mega Man 3 still has all the things we love about Mega Man, the level design is some of the best in the series, the music is fantastic, and the weapons are fun to use. While it may not be on the same level as it's predecessor, it's still an excellent game and any fan or the series owns it to themselves to play this game.

Score: 8.5 out of 10