Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection Review – The Nostalgia Isn’t Enough

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We recently played through the newest Mega Man game, which revisits the Star Force series. It’s similar to last year’s Battle Network Legacy Collection, so if you enjoyed that, you’ll likely have a good time with this one too.

The Star Force series hasn’t gotten as much attention as Battle Network, so it’s smart to release all seven games in one collection. But does Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection offer enough content to justify its cost? Here’s a breakdown of what’s good and what isn’t.

How much you enjoy the games will really depend on how fondly you remember them.

Set about two hundred years after the events of Battle Network, Star Force features a new hero named Geo Stelar. Geo becomes host to an alien being called Omega-Xis, who prefers to be known as Mega. Mega hails from a planet called FM, and Geo’s father previously tried to form a peaceful connection with it. Unfortunately, that attempt led to his disappearance, leaving Geo heartbroken and isolated.

The first game quickly introduces the ability to combine Geo and Mega into Mega Man. While the story is interesting for players new to the original Star Force games, some aspects might feel a bit old-fashioned by today’s standards. Overall, Geo’s journey – a coming-of-age story told across three games – is the main reason to check out this collection.

Considering this collection as just three games doesn’t quite capture its scope. It’s more like three different editions of the original game, plus a few variations of the second and third installments. These variations include unique cards, often based on regional releases, which will appeal to players who prefer specific versions. However, don’t expect each version to offer a completely new experience.

How much you enjoy these games will really depend on how fondly you remember the originals. They’re largely accurate remakes, with a few improvements to make things easier. Combat feels more fluid and quicker than in the original Battle Network games, and the streamlined card-building system makes the gameplay more accessible right away.

The narrative unfolds at a good speed throughout the three games, and the consistent world-building effectively gives Geo’s story the emotional impact it needs, even for players new to it.

Even though the games have some improvements, the battles themselves feel quite basic and repetitive by today’s standards. While the second and third games are better, I quickly grew tired of the grid-based combat. The first two games also make you search for a Grid Wave just to enter the digital world as Mega Man, which becomes annoying. Luckily, the third game fixes this problem.

The narrative unfolds at a good speed throughout the three games, and the consistent world-building effectively adds emotional depth to Geo’s story, even for new players. His conversations with his friends and Mega are particularly enjoyable, creating a charming and lighthearted atmosphere.

The collection of games steadily improves as you play through them, maintaining a consistently good quality. It would be great if the developer added a way to skip the tutorials, though, as repeating the same explanations each time can become repetitive and annoying.

Everything I’ve loved about these games before is still here, but this collection adds some really cool stuff too! I especially appreciate the autosaving – it’s a lifesaver! And being able to move the camera around while exploring is fantastic. It made finding things in Geo so much easier, and honestly, it just made the whole experience better.

Okay, so Star Force first came out on the DS, which feels like ages ago! Honestly, being able to play it on my PS5 now is just… weirdly cool. It’s not something I ever expected!

Being able to change the game’s pace, how often you fight, and heal after battles are all great features. While the combat is fairly straightforward and you get plenty of healing items during fights, the healing feature isn’t essential. It’s still a good addition, as is the ability to earn more money after each battle. This makes it easier to collect cards and helps keep the combat from becoming repetitive.

The game also lets you customize how much damage enemies deal and offers a way to automatically escape tough fights when you’re about to lose. I rarely needed to use these features myself, but they’re welcome options that make the game more flexible and accessible.

These improvements enhance the original games without changing what made them special, making them enjoyable for both new players and longtime fans revisiting the stories. However, the games are generally straightforward, so experienced players may not even need to use these added features.

Playing Star Force on the PS5 was a unique experience, considering it first came out on the DS. However, the game’s original two-screen design meant I had to sit fairly close to the TV to see everything on the smaller screen clearly. While you can customize how the screens are arranged, it didn’t completely fix the issue, though having those customization options is a nice touch.

The menus work well and are easy to read, and I didn’t feel like I needed the original DS touchscreen to use them. While players familiar with the older games might find some things a little annoying at first, it’s mostly just a matter of learning the new system.

The PS5 delivered consistently good performance, offering a stable picture, quick loading, and smooth gameplay in all three games we tested.

This collection includes a lot of bonus content like artwork, music, and archives of old battle cards. Whether you’ll enjoy these extras depends on how much you already like Mega Man and its history. If you’re only a casual fan, you probably won’t spend much time with them. However, the bonus content is presented nicely.

I wasn’t able to check how the game works online, but it’s a letdown that you can’t play it on different systems, particularly since it was released for both older and current consoles. On a standard PlayStation 5, the game ran well with consistent visuals, quick loading, and smooth gameplay in all three games – which isn’t unexpected, given how straightforward and undemanding the games are.

I did encounter a frustrating bug where I sometimes got stuck on dialogue boxes. This forced me to restart the game and replay the same conversations, and it happened frequently enough in all three games to become a significant problem.

If you want a game that’s easy to pick up and enjoyable for kids on your gaming system, this is a great option to consider.

So, after everything I’ve said, you’re probably wondering if I recommend the Star Force Legacy Collection. If you’re a big Mega Man fan and want to own all the Star Force games, then yes, it’s worth considering. However, for most other players, there might not be enough content to make the price worthwhile.

While the game has a charming, old-school style and a heartwarming story, it might not hold your attention throughout the entire experience. It’s a good, lighthearted option for kids, but adults might find it a bit slow-paced and better suited for when it’s on sale. I wouldn’t rush to buy it at full price.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

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2026-03-26 17:44