3.5/5 ★ – BlueSorcerer's review of Mega Man Zero 4.

Mega Man Zero 4 is arguably the most divisive entry in the Zero series. My opinions on the game have changed a bit, but I still largely have a similar perspective. Visually, Zero 4 is the best of the series. Pretty much natural given its course of development. The game’s soundtrack isn’t a bad listen either, even though the audio sounds a little choppy. My feelings are comparable to those of Zero 3’s soundtrack, but there are still some tracks that I have grown really fond of such as Holy Land, Esperanto, the Boss Encounter theme, Mid-Boss theme, Straight Ahead, and Falling Down. My other favorites included: ● Cyber-Elf Menu Theme ● Deep Sea Stage ● Hibernation Chamber ● Ragnarok Control Theme ● Craft's Theme ● Vs. Craft ● Rust and Dust ● Teleporter Circuit ● Final Stage Theme ● On the Edge ● Boss Theme ● Epilogue Theme ● Credits Theme In terms of the story, it has an interesting shift. Not long after Omega’s defeat, humans have become an even greater target for Neo Arcadian forces. In the opening of the game, a caravan is seen eluding a barrage of Neo Arcadian forces as Zero intercepts the enemies and rescues the caravan. The leader of the Caravan, Neige, explains to Zero and the Resistance that they are planning to settle in Area Zero, the last known habitable locale outside of Neo Arcadia. And as this is happening, Zero learns of Dr. Weil’s recent activity and his new enforcer named Craft, who shares a connection with Neige. Dr. Weil’s plan is to destroy Area Zero using Ragnarok, a giant death cannon far up in space. Eclipse Cannon, we found your rip-off. Regardless, it still amazes me how mad Dr. Weil is. He certainly couldn't care two shits less. As late as some of these character introductions in the story are, I do like the shift in narrative to focus on the conflict from the perspective of humans. These human characters have layers to them and I can understand where they are coming from based on their experiences. I will say that I don’t have much to say about Neige’s character. Her relationship with Craft was engaging, but I felt like there wasn’t much to her character outside of that. But speaking of Craft, his character was quite interesting. I liked learning about his relationship with Neige and how he used to be a friend to all humans. But with everything that has happened by this point and seeing law as meaningless, he sides with Dr. Weil despite the stakes involved. Craft’s contrast in thinking was really fascinating to me. And it’s his interactions with Neige and Zero that later cause him to have a change of heart and shoot the Ragnarok cannon at Neo Arcadia in an attempt to kill Dr. Weil. Very much a complicated ambition, but it was cool to see him experience a Darth Vader redemption moment right before his end. Because of Craft’s actions, the Resistance has to scramble to Neo Arcadia to save as many inhabitants as possible. And although lives were saved, plenty more were lost. The stakes of this game really are at an all-time high excluding Omega’s presence. So how is the gameplay this time around? Ooh boy it's something. At its core, Zero 4 is fundamentally exactly like its predecessors. To me, where it isn't is where this game suffers. There are several instances where the level design and difficulty are honestly unnerving for me. I did like the levels for Area Zero, the Hibernation Chamber, Defend the Settlement, The Prison, Deep Sea, Hanging Gardens, Ragnarok Control Center, and Teleporter Circuit for the most part. But every other level was decent or a little too gimmicky for me. Most of the levels had bothersome parts that weren’t the greatest to play through. As for the bosses, I liked those of Carnage Force 0, Sol Titanion, Hell the Giant, Tech Kraken, and Pegasolta Eclair. Every other boss, though, was kind of annoying. The boss fights against Heat Genblem, Mino Magnus, Craft, and Dr. Weil were the most difficult to deal with. I tried to get better at them where I could, but a number of these guys just throw so much at you. As much as I like your character, Craft, your boss fight is another story. Zero 4 is a game that can quickly kick your butt if your focus isn’t sharp, and man does this show. On another note, Zero 4's weapon library feels… nerfed, if I had to pick a word. I'm sure it still has its merits, but I don't got too much on it. For starters, the new Zero Knuckle is… well… consent is not a privilege. Yet in all seriousness, the Zero Knuckle was honestly a step down from the weapons in the first three games for me. The Zero Knuckle lets you selectively take enemy weapons and use them against other enemies. It sounds cool in concept, but I got very little use out of it. It was essential to grab overhang poles to traverse in levels, pull switches, and remove vines, but that was about it for me. Then there's the Cyber Elf system. I appreciate it being more narrowed down but Zero 3 had it down right. Here, you are given one Cyber Elf that you have to grind energy crystals for to evolve and give you new abilities, like greater health, greater agility, and the elemental abilities. But you can't manage Cyber Elves in real time anymore like you could in Zero 3 meaning you can only feed them energy crystals outside of the stages. That kind of sucked. Lastly there's the recipe system and I’m just going to be honest: I didn’t like it. The purpose of the recipe system is to let you combine parts you acquire in the levels to get certain abilities like a double jump, better stats, and sub-tanks. But it just doesn't sit right with me. Sure you can get hints about recipes to make by talking with NPCs, but I still didn’t click with it. I did experiment with the system more this time around, but I quickly disregarded it. This game just doesn’t make Zero as fun to play as in Zero 2 and 3. I know I have been bashing the game mechanics in this review, but I don't want to say that this is a terrible game. Because in retrospect, it is not that. I just feel that when you perfect so much about the series in its predecessor only to remove those qualities, it just feels backwards. But the game still has its merits for what they are worth. But now, all that’s left to talk about is the endgame. The final stage is pretty solid and the music playing in the background adds a tense, climactic feel that is appropriate in tone; not just for the end of the game but the series. As it happens, Dr. Weil survives the destruction of Neo Arcadia and Zero commences his final battle with the nefarious antagonist. Everything has culminated up to this point and not only does the player realize this, but so does Zero. Where Zero 3 did a great job with establishing weight, Zero 4 does a great job with establishing trust. Many humans from Neo Arcadia were bitter t the Resistance and especially Zero because they lost Copy X, who they recognized as their leader. When the humans not only saw Zero as the one responsible for killing Copy X but witnessed him try to create peace for humans and Reploids, this makes it really hard for them to trust Zero’s and the Resistance's actions. But everything up to now has changed and that can be seen. Back in Zero 1, Zero awoke with no memory of himself—no sound judgement—yet he saved Ciel because she needed help. Reploids like Zero were designed for war and to do whatever would ensure harmony between them and humanity. Zero immediately jumps in to aid Ciel even with just his Z-Buster. Because it's what he has to do, whether it's right or wrong. By Zero 4, Zero sees that he has always fought for those he believes in and learned to trust them. He doesn't care about justice or being called a hero. He only cares about fighting for both the people he trusts and everlasting peace. As he put it, "If an enemy appears in front of me, I will destroy it!" Storytelling such as this allows Zero 4 to conclude on a climactic and satisfying note. With the elimination of Dr. Weil, Ragnarok is destroyed and all of the humans and Reploids have been saved. Chaos has been averted and peace has been ensured, but all at the cost of losing Zero. In the credits, Ciel breaks down atop a hill while shooting stars continue to fly in the night sky behind. The music gives off a triumphant but emotional feel as Ciel expresses her sentiments and tells Zero to watch over and believe in everyone as she sustains this newfound peace, closing the curtain on Zero 4 and Mega Man Zero in its entirety. Looking back, Mega Man Zero 4 was quite a way to go out. The quadrilogy of games had a great story, characters, development, music, presentation, and themes. I quite enjoyed the Zero series on the whole. As for Zero 4 itself, it was not a remarkable game from a gameplay standpoint. But it’s still a solid entry all things considered and was truly one hell of a way to go out.