Summary
A group of incredibly dedicatedMega Manfans have released translated and working versions of eight mobile phone games that were only released in Japan. Capcom’sMega Manfranchise has been going on for over 35 years, though fans of the Blue Bomber have been put through a rather rough few decades. While Capcom in recent years has been revitalizing the franchise with newMega Man Legacy Collectionpackagesand the release of games likeMega Man X Dive, a lot of fans have been doing their best to keep the series relevant.
Fans who have been starving for new content outside re-releases from Capcom have taken to making some of their own games orrevisiting some obscureMega Manreleases. Some of these more obscure games were released for mobile phones, specifically the DoCoMo Java-based mobile i-Mode phones. Companies like Capcom and Square Enix developed games for these phones, but most of them have been lost due to the shutdown of these phone services.
Thanks to the efforts of fan group SciLab Secrets, the goal of preserving some of theselostMega Mangameswas achieved, and was released for fans to download through the fansiteRockman Corner. These eight titles areRockman EXE: Phantom of Network,Rockman EXE: Legend of Network,Rockman DASH: Great Adventure on 5 Islands,Rockman Pinball,Rockman GP,Rockman Panic Fire,Rockman Bug Sweeper, and a trial version ofRockman 1which gives players the ability to play as Roll, a humanoid robot who is considered the sister of Mega Man. All of these games are playable courtesy of the DoCoMo Java (DoJa) emulator.
Emulated gameplay footage was uploaded to YouTube, showcasing how each of these games played. Games likePinballandGPwere simple pinball and racing titles made for mobile devices. Bug Sweeper is aMega Man-themed minesweeper puzzle game andPanic Fireis a puzzle game that tasks players with guiding the blue bomber to an exit while avoiding Fire Man’s attacks.
The more interesting games that were archived by SciLab Secrets would be two obscureMega Man Battle Networkgames,Phantom of NetworkandLegend of Network, which are similar to the GameBoy Advance titles, but sport brand-new original stories and NetNavis. The other would beGreat Adventure on 5 Islands, aMega Man Legendsgame, though it currently only includes the last level in the game.
Games Preserved by SciLab Secrets
There are many more games that are currently being decrypted by the fan group, such as the remaining content for5 Islands, as well as games likeRockman TennisandRockman Diver. Regardless, this is a huge victory for video game preservation, as fans can now try out these incredibly obscure games that they may have never heard of before.
Mega Man
The Mega Man series follows the aptly-named main character (called Rockman in Japan) as he battles against the sinister Dr. Wily and his horde of Robot Masters. The long-running series features a wide array of well-known characters and villains like Zero, Dr. Wright, Roll, Vile, Bass, Metal Man, and more. Players make their way through special themed levels and defeat the Robot Masters there to obtain their weapons, which can be used against other enemies.
