Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection (PS5) Review: Underrated RPGs Worth Playing

Capcom has done a fantastic job of keeping classic Mega Man games playable on modern consoles, as most games can be played on PlayStation 4 and 5. Three years ago, we were treated to ports of all six Battle Network games for the Game Boy Advance. Now its successor series is getting the same treatment as the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection lovingly brings all three (or seven, depending on how you count them) Nintendo DS RPGs to PlayStation for the first time.

Gameplay in the Star Force games is a natural evolution of what was seen in Battle Network, so veterans of those games won’t have much of a learning curve. It is less of a tactics game and more of an action RPG, though. Timing your attacks and knowing when to use your shield is key, and the games will really test your reactions as they go on. It’s an interesting and deliberate change, so which RPGs you prefer will be ultimately down to taste, but the battles can be quite thrilling once you get enemy attack timings down. The transition from DS to PS4/PS5 is quite smooth, as you can tap a trigger to switch between screens at any time, and it naturally focuses on which screen you want to be looking at anyhow (it’s mostly used as a menu).

I mentioned that there are either three or seven games in the collection; that’s because Capcom went the Pokémon route of releasing multiple versions. The first was Capcom’s most ambitious as they released a trio of games, and the game you play determines what transformation you have (Leo, Pegasus, or Dragon). There are some plot differences that stem from the choice, but the main difference is gameplay. I’d suggest reading up on each form and seeing which fits your desired play style before starting, but at least it’s easy to try them out since they are all included in this collection.

Meanwhile, Star Force 2 and 3 both got two versions. Gameplay doesn’t change a ton throughout the trilogy, so if you’re jumping into all three back-to-back, you’ll likely hit a wall of diminishing returns (I’d suggest spacing them out). It is rewarding to go through the whole trilogy, though, as the same protagonist, the entertainingly named Geo Stellar, is featured, and it’s fun to see more of the world over time.

Interestingly, more work was put into allowing you to alter your experience here compared to the Mega Man Battle Network collections. While you could turn on a Buster Max mode to make those games easier, there are a lot of new features here. From reducing damage taken to getting more zenny as rewards and recovering HP after battles, there’s a wide range of difficulty options here. There are also two assists, which boost the speed of the game and let you tweak the encounter rate for enemies. These make the game way more replayable, especially if you want to try out the different versions. Finally, there’s the option to play the game with either a high-resolution filter and new high-definition character portraits or use the original pixelated view. It’s tastefully implemented, and I wound up playing with it more often than not, but it’s great to have the option to see it as originally intended as well.

There’s also a wide array of bonus content included in the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection. A bunch of artwork and design documents is included for all seven games, plus you can listen to the soundtracks. Battle card and bonus card illustrations can also be viewed, and there’s an in-game award tracker that celebrates any trophies you earn. Capcom has always done a good job with its compilations, and this isn’t any different.

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection (PS5) Review: Final Verdict

With a lot of customization options, Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection allows you to enjoy these seven RPGs on your own terms. They’re a lot of fun to revisit, and the more action-oriented approach makes them meaningfully different from the Battle Network games despite their shared DNA. It’s a no-brainer for Mega Man fans and those hankering for some action RPGs to play.

Disclosure: The publisher provided a digital copy for our Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection PS5 review. Reviewed on version 1.001.000.