Mega Man Battle Network 4 Blue Moon

"Someone shrunk the world but expanded the gameplay."

Megaman: Battle Network 4 Blue Moon

Graphics: 6

This game sees the first set of serious aesthetic changes in the series' short history. I can't help but think this is directly because of those recent games that have used a super-high resolution to make the games look smooth on the Game Boy Player. Because this game is higher resolution and smoother than any of the others... but the method they used to achieve this effect makes the graphics look a bit muddy, under-detailed and washed out. Most of the characters have been shrunk to increase their resolution, and wind up looking just plain bad compared to their old detailed selves. Less like a standard anime, and more like constantly chibi-versions of anime. The navis mostly look the same as the real world sprites, though strangely, navis who are new to the series or bigger than the others tend to look better. Next to Aquaman, Junkman, or especially Shademan, Megaman looks downright muddy and flat. The worlds in which you travel are smaller than the ones from the old games, but again, higher resolution. And strangely, there seem to be fewer of them. The entire world in general is pretty small, with ACDC Town being cut down to include only five buildings instead of LOOKING something like the town it's supposed to be. Most of the real-world environments consist of only a screen or two, up to a maximum of five or so tiny screens (especially the foreign countries, one of which is a single tiny screen the size of the inside of Lan's house). The Internet doesn't look as good as it did in game 2 or 3 either, despite being higher resolution. It's just not as well designed with the exception of the Undernet. Battles however remain exactly the same as they were in other games, though I'm pretty sure these sprites got a real overhaul to make them look good and smooth. They're as smooth as the rest of the game, while still maintaining the size, detail, and care they got in previous games. Battle-Chip pictures and character portraits look fifty times better too, looking like something out of a CD-console game instead of a GBA game. The game is higher-res and smoother, which is why the score isn't even lower than this, but I don't like that they cut out so much detail from the in-game character sprites to make them this smooth. I want to be able to see the symbol clearly on Megaman's chest, I want to see the ribbon in Mayl's hair clearly. I don't mind some slight pixelization if the detail is good. Maybe in the next game they'll work on updating the graphics WITHOUT shrinking the entire planet and cutting it into ribbons.

Sound: 8

Everything you've come to expect from the Battle Network series, some pretty good tunes with some decent rhythms to them, coupled with sound effects that match what they're supposed to be. Of note is the dark pulse that occurs when you have the option of using Dark Chips, it gives a real sense of the dark power they tempt you into using. No complaints here, but it's not among the best on the system.

Gameplay: 7

Oh boy... gameplay time. First off, there are only three levels! What happened to the spectacular level designs of games 1 and 2? There are only three puzzle areas in this game, and two of them lead up to the same boss. I suppose they ran out of ideas, or they want this series more action oriented. Oh well... I guess this is how the series goes from here on out.

The game is relatively short compared to the others... but it forces you to play through multiple times to get everything. As you progress through the game you won't encounter many enemy duplicates. Almost every virus is unique from the other viruses... but that's because the duplicates are reserved for the NEXT two times you play through. When you beat the game and start over with that same data, the viruses are all beefed up to their level 2 versions. But since you start with all the stuff you got in the first game, you might be able to completely waste them with impunity. You also get to fight navi masters the second/third time around that you didn't get to fight in the first game. So really, the only way to see everything in the game is to beat it three times. This is a clever, but crummy way to expand the gameplay time. You accomplish the same general tasks each game with a variation or two and stronger enemies to fight. If it wasn't for these facts, the game might have gotten a nine or ten, because the game's combat has been sharpened to a fine point. It's fast and furious on playthroughs after the first, with more chip variety (though fewer chips overall) that now plays more into the types.

Each type of chip corresponds to a Soul, and you can sacrifice that type of chip to Soul Unison. The Souls are kind of the connection Megaman gets from his friends after facing them in combat, they allow him to take on their abilities and characteristics in addition to his own strengths, mid-battle. These range from the ability to smash obstacles with impunity, having a superfast charge shot, recycling old Chips, and even charging up their corresponding type of Battle Chip to deal more damage (Turning them from deadly to devastating in some cases). They only last for a few trips to the Custom Menu, but they can turn the tide of battle if used properly.

Speaking of turning the tide of battle, there's also the Dark Chips. This game centers around the conflict of Good VS Evil, and this is portrayed in the gameplay itself by the Dark Chips. Partway through the game, Megaman will acquire a dark power that enables him to use the Dark Chips when he's running low on life and performing poorly in combat. These rank among the strongest attacks in the game, but using them will slowly turn him black, and activating them will permanently reduce his max HP by 1 point. Once activated, Megaman will turn evil and be able to lay the enemies to waste with the superpowerful chips. If you rely on them too much, his heart will turn darker, until he activates what the game calls his DarkSoul. This prevents the Soul Unisons I described before, but it makes him almost invincible in combat with normal viruses (when his HP drops to 1 he goes into "berserk mode" and lays the viruses to waste on his own without your input) and allows him to use the Dark Chips any time, no matter how well he's performing in combat.

For normal chips, there are fewer of them, but more variety. There are no longer six different versions of the Spreader that have different areas of effect, for instance. So if you look, almost no two chips in your folder (other than variations of the same chip) will have the exact same effect. I personally like this, cut down on the clutter and give me the abilities I'm looking for instead of giving me the same abilities over and over. The fast combat and useful chip selection makes the game pretty fun to play through, perhaps even three times though I haven't done that yet.

Story: 6

The story is about standard for Battle Network, but mixed up a little. This time there's no real "evil" organization, though they swear up and down there is one. I won't spoil the plot, but suffice to say the ending is bittersweet instead of the happy "we beat the bad guys" endings of the last three games. The game is actually less intense for most of it, focusing more on Lan moving through life than the attempts of a crime syndicate to take over/destroy the world, though that idea pops up here and there too. Overall, I like it, but I wish they would've done more with Lan's personal life. If they were going to focus more on that, then why couldn't they go deeper into it? Decent story, good enough to move the gameplay along, though some segments drag on way too long and involve too much running about in old areas.

Overall: 7

Battle Network fans will probably love it, but those new to the series may want to begin with earlier games. If you don't already love the characters, your interest will probably be far lower. For some reason though, Capcom just can't seem to move the series forward in a general way. Of course, I suppose its fans wouldn't have it any other way.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/21/04