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"An improvement over the previous game, but somewhat tougher. Prepare to die often."

Mega Man III is the third game (obviously) in the sub-series of Mega Man games released on the original Nintendo Game Boy and a huge improvement over the previous two games in the series. While the original Mega Man In Dr. Wily's Revenge was a respectable (albeit short) port of the series that managed to capture the spirit of the NES Mega Man titles, Mega Man II fumbled with awkward play mechanics, cruder graphics, and terrible music. If anyone claims that the second game was the best of the Game Boy titles, then they must be wearing some expensive rose-colored glasses, because that game is anything but the best - atrocious by Mega Man standards would be more accurate. And Capcom must have agreed, because for the third game in the series, we've got an overall improvement over the previous titles with a product that stays true to what made the NES games great and yet still has a couple minor issues that keeps it from being true to form.

STORY: In his latest attempt to take over the world, Dr. Wily revives some of his older Robot Masters to counter Mega Man. This time and as per tradition with these GB entries, the bosses come from both Mega Man 3 and 4. Not necessarily rich plotting, but the early Mega Man games weren't known for the rich stories to begin with. 5/10

GRAPHICS: A definite step-up from the previous release, Mega Man III manages to do a fairly decent job of retaining the top-notch graphics from the NES version of the game... although some of the bigger foes have apparently been hit with a shrinking ray, but that's no big loss. Since the majority of the spirtework are recycled from the NES games, there's really no point in critiquing them other than to say that they've managed to make the transition to small screen rather well. The various levels also look good, with some being a step up from their NES originals (Snake Man's GB stage, for example, takes place in a jungle setting, whereas his NES stage just has a barren scaly green background for ninety percent of the level... which is pretty lame.) There are actually a couple nice cutscenes along the way and they're rather nicely done. 7/10

SOUND: Now this is MUCH better... not only is this an improvement over the previous game, but the sound quality is practically a step-up from the first game and sounds pretty close to NES quality in regards to the music and sound effects. I remember being impressed by the audio quality the first time I played this game many years ago and even today, I consider the music in this game to be top-notch, with its almost spot-on adaptations of classic stage tunes and its few unique songs. Although the sound effects aren't as perfect, they are still very good for a Game Boy title. The only real complaint I have is the constant drone of your Mega Buster charge, which seems to drown out the music and sound effects. Maybe if they cut off the sound or something... but oh well. 8/10

GAMEPLAY: Mega Man III is based on the gameplay of the NES Mega Man 4, which basically means that you can charge your Mega Buster as well as retain the abilities and functions of the previous game (slide move, Rush Adaptors, energy tanks, etc.) Of course, like previous titles, you first face four Robot Masters from a previous game (in this case, Mega Man 3), then play a brief mini-stage before facing off against four more Robot Masters from Mega Man 4 (this time, using a proper Stage Select screen, so you won't have to guess which capsule leads to which, as was the case in previous titles.) As per the course, you'll have to contend with a new robot (Punk) before facing off against Dr. Wily in the final battle... a fairly basic structure overall with a fair share of levels.

True to form, Mega Man III does the Mega Man franchise justice by not only retaining the play mechanics of the series, but also maintaining a high level with its responsive controls and solid level design. As great as the game plays, however, it is hindered with a case of severe slowdown. Although the game feels relatively slower than the usual Mega Man fare on NES, there are times when the action would practically slow to a crawl. Most of the time, this ends up being more of an annoyance than a critical flaw, but just the fact that this happens often is enough to be distracting. There tends to be a bit of an issue when it comes to sprite flickering, but this doesn't happen all that often. Aside from that, the game plays fine. 8/10

CHALLENGE: Mega Man III is fairly difficult, with some tricky jumps here and there as well as some merciless enemy placement. If anything, it's about as hard, if not harder than any other Mega Man game you'll find on the NES. Since a majority of the enemies are recycled from those games, it shouldn't be too hard to get past them, but because the levels are fairly new and have some new gimmicks here and there, it's not necessarily a cakewalk. Regardless, veteran Mega Man players shouldn't have too much trouble beating this one, but novice players might find this a bit difficult. The slowdown that this game suffers from also doesn't help matters. 8/10

REPLAY VALUE: As per the case, beating the game once is usually enough for most gamers, but others might want to challenge themselves by tackling the bosses in different orders or impose some self-challenge... mind you, this could be said for just about any game, but the Mega Man series has always been known for encouraging that sort of mentality for those who wish to pursue it and this game falls in that mold a little better than the previous GB efforts. 6/10

OVERALL: Mega Man III rectified most of the issues that plagued the previous entry in the series, but is still a far cry from the Mega Man standards established on the NES due to the slowdown and flickering issues that plague the game. If you can look past this and can tolerate the higher-than-usual difficulty that the game has to offer, then you'll find a worthy entry in the series that retains the best elements of Mega Man and a fun game to boot. Just be prepared to die often if you dare take the challenge of Mega Man III. 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/16/10, Updated 02/16/10

Game Release: Mega Man III (US, December 1992)