Cover artwork I generate from the game data. I do not use publisher artwork.
Game profile
Mega Man 2
The second entry in the series is regarded by many fans as the best classic Mega Man and is available today through Nintendo Switch Online. Its rock paper scissors robot master weapon system and precise, demanding difficulty made it a series highlight.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Platformer / Action, set in a science fiction world. Visually it is built on pixel art, and the overall tone stays somewhere between light and heavy. The structure is guided rather than open, so you are moved along instead of dropped into a map. It is built around short sessions, which makes it easy to pick up for half an hour.
It is genuinely demanding, and repeated failure is part of how it is designed. There is no story to speak of, the systems carry everything. It is a single player experience from start to finish. It is available on one platform. It sits in the budget bracket.
What stands out
- Weapon counter system
- Iconic robot masters
- Demanding difficulty
This fits you if
- you are after a proper adrenaline rush
- you usually have thirty to sixty minutes and want that to be enough
- cutscenes annoy you and you just want to play
- you want real resistance and are fine with dying a lot
- you play alone and want a complete experience without other people
- you are watching your budget
Look elsewhere if
- you want to relax and not be punished for mistakes
- you play mainly for narrative
- you want something that lasts, this is over after 5 hours
- pixel art puts you off
What it costs you in time
About 5 hours in total. That is roughly 3 evening(s), so you can realistically finish it this week.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 90 out of 100, which puts it above 85 percent of the 1206 games here and at rank 153 overall. That is a strong score, comfortably above what most releases manage.
For comparison, Platformer averages 84 points across the database, so this one sits 6 points above its own genre. The figure rests on a comparatively small number of ratings, so treat it as an indication rather than a verdict.
Released in 1991, which makes it 35 years old. A genuine classic, and worth checking how the version you buy holds up today.
The facts
- Release year
- 1991
- Genres
- Platformer, Action
- Playtime
- approx. 5 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Demanding, punishing
- Story weight
- None, pure gameplay
- Play with
- Solo
- Setting
- Sci-fi
- Visual style
- Pixel art
- Price bracket
- Budget
- Platforms
- Switch
- Critic rating
- 90 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Man 2 | 1991 | approx. 5 hrs. | 90 | Budget |
| Mega Man X | 1993 | approx. 6 hrs. | 92 | Budget |
| Risk of Rain Returns | 2023 | approx. 15 hrs. | 85 | Budget |
| Katana Zero | 2019 | approx. 6 hrs. | 85 | Budget |
If you liked this, try these
- Mega Man X Shared: Platformer, Action, Sci-fi, rated higher
- Risk of Rain Returns Shared: Platformer, Action, Sci-fi, longer
- Katana Zero Shared: Platformer, Action, Sci-fi
- Mega Man 11 Shared: Platformer, Action, Sci-fi
- Terminator 2D: No Fate Shared: Platformer, Action, Sci-fi
- Ghostrunner Shared: Platformer, Action, Sci-fi, longer