Mega Man Legends is the start of the third major series in the Mega Man franchise, following the Classic and X games. I have played through those games many times, but never got far with this one before. Now that I have beaten it, I can say I had a good time but it's not my preferred gameplay type for Mega Man.
The story is there, but not particularly engaging. The writing has never been one of the franchise's strong points, at least in the ones I've played, so that's not surprising. I will give it credit for trying to add some flavor, but I was never really interested in where the story was going or the character interactions, so I largely tuned the cutscenes out.
It's a 3D action game with mild platforming elements, and it works well. For a fifth-gen game, the controls are pretty good. Movement feels good and the auto-lock makes combat simple but intuitive. I encountered few if any issues due to the controls, and I'd call the gameplay a good evolution of the type in the previous Mega Man games. However, the lack of variety is a weak point. Other Mega Man games experiment with different level types and gradually increasing challenge, but this one has pretty repetitive level design that doesn't really evolve throughout the game. I get that the control style doesn't lend itself to platforming too well, but I wish something had been done to make the levels different.
One of the main characteristics of the game is the exploration. The island can be explored on foot, which can be slow and hard to navigate between rooms, but usually you can call on Roll to transport you to where you want. I'll admit that I tended to have trouble figuring out where to go. I played this over multiple non-consecutive days, and I did feel the need to look up a guide to find out what the game wanted me to do. I'm not sure whether to consider this a criticism, but from my experience this tends to happen during most non-level-based games from this era, so it's not exclusive to this game. I think a map with indicators would have helped the game be more clear with that you have to do.
There are lots of things to find and people to talk to, which is appreciated as it encourages you to spend more time to find upgrades. I didn't do every optional mission, but the option to do things outside the main story does help flesh the game out.
The combat offers some nice variety but could have been improved. You have your normal cannon, which can be upgraded in various ways, whether you want to improve the power or range or both for example. There is good strategy involved, and I did frequently adjust the upgrades for different situations. However, I can't say the same for the special weapons. Throughout the game, you obtain weapons with limited ammo such as grenades. They would have been a good addition if they had any use outside situations where they're required. You can only use one weapon at a time and have to go to the R&D lab to change it for another, so it's not very easy to experiment with them all. Their power leaves something to be desired, as I always found that the regular buster was more convenient. Like the buster, you can upgrade the special weapons, but the upgrades are so expensive that I did not find them worth it. Considering how important special weapons have been to other Mega Man games I wish they were better handled here.
I'm pretty fond of the graphics. They are blocky, but stylized in a way that works with the limitations. The characters have a cartoonish style and decently expressive faces during cutscenes, so it holds up better than things from the era that aim for more realism such as Resident Evil. The cutscenes are also nicely dynamic with camera angles, even if nothing groundbreaking.
The music was a bit of a letdown. It's serviceable, but not particularly catchy. I liked the TV studio and hospital music most, but the themes during the main action are less inspiring than I was expecting from a Mega Man game. Then there's large parts with no music, which fits the atmosphere but perhaps not ideal.
I'm a bit mixed on Mega Man Legends, but I liked it overall. The combat is fun and I like the exploration, but I wish the special weapons had been handled better and the game is a bit too open-ended at times for my taste. I might have a different view when I eventually replay it, maybe when it gets rereleased on current platforms.
