I don’t think there is a platforming franchise not featuring an Italian plumber as iconic as the Mega Man series. I didn’t exactly grow up with it in the 90’s, but I fell in love with the old games when I got my hands on a copy of the Mega Man Anniversary Collection for the Gamecube back in my preadolescent days. It had 8 mainline games plus two amazing arcade fighters, as well as extra features such as revamped music, turbo buttons, easy weapon cycling, and so on. It was enough for me to instantly become a fan of the blue bomber. Sadly, we don’t live in the 128-bit era anymore. We’re as far from the Gamecube era as the Atari was from the Gamecube in 2001, we’re in need of a new collection. Capcom has definitely heard our pleas, and almost succeeded at delivering it.

The Mega Man Legacy Collection is actually one of two collections available for the Switch, the second one being comprised of the less interesting 7-10 games. It bums me out that Capcom simply couldn’t be bothered to include all games in one collection just like in 2005, but at the very least they had the decency of including all of the better games of the franchise (plus the rage-inducing original) in one package. Mega Man 2 to 6 are fantastic games in their own right, and the fact I can carry them around in a big screen wherever I want is great. This Switch version has a few issues, though.

The game looks and sounds just like it used to. That means it retains the downright perfect soundtrack that Mega Man is known for, as well as some visual glitches such as flickering and some bugs when you start scrolling to your right. The game allows you to choose between a full-screen or smaller screen resolution, the latter being comprised of either a black border or some really ugly artwork from back in the day. I thought it was best to play it in a smaller resolution without any borders. It makes the game look less stretched.

There aren’t many new gameplay additions to this collection (not that this is much of an issue), but one thing I’m really grateful for is the inclusion of a rewind feature. How many times have you decided to quit the game because of one little miscalculated leap of faith or surprise enemy attack? You can now go full Doctor Strange in this game and rewind to where you once were. Despite not having many additions, I’m disappointed that the developers have decided to remove one of the best additions from the original Anniversary Collection: being able to cycle through your weapons with the shoulder buttons.

The main issue here, however, relies in the controls. Simply put, the Switch’s joycons don’t offer good directional inputs for a game like this, mostly due to the fact it doesn’t have a d-pad. This is the same issue you’ll find when trying to play a 2D fighter in this console: not having a d-pad is a nuisance for a game like this. The joycon’s analog stick isn’t exactly a much better option, by the way.

Is this Mega Man collection good? Sure thing, it’s comprised of a good chunk of why we fell in love with that blue fella back in the day. Is this the best Mega Man collection out there? I don’t think so. If all you have right now are modern consoles, this is the way to go (I’d still recommend it in other platforms, not the Switch), but if you have access to a PS2, an Xbox, or a Gamecube, just grab the Anniversary Collection instead. It features more games and some exclusive arcade bonuses not featured here.

Graphics: 7.5 The same classic sprites from back in the day, revamped to higher resolutions. The game suffers from flickering and some visual glitches. Its decorative borders are hideous.	Gameplay: 6.5 The controls aren’t exactly bad, but the Switch’s simplistic analog stick and lack of a d-pad severely hinder the precise movement you need in a game like this.
Sound: 10 There is a reason why people consider the soundtrack of most Mega Man games fantastic. They have aged like a fine wine.	Fun Factor: 8.0 It features five excellent titles and the first Mega Man. There is a nice amount of extras. This isn’t the best Mega Man collection you’ll find, though.
Final Verdict: 7.5

Reviewed on Switch.
Also available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, 3DS