Megabyte Punch is best described as a mash-up of
Mega Man and Nintendo’s
Custom Robo series, though I would also add
Metroid to the list of inspirations. Though there are a few
Mega Man-like aspects, mainly taking powers from other robots, in practice it plays out more like
Metroid, especially when it comes to level design.
The general setup places you in the role of Megac, one member of a race of robots (also called Megac) summoned by the Heartcore to protect your village from the advances of an evil empire and a rival group of Megac. While there are a few story-based dialogue moments, story largely feels secondary and really just a reason to push you from location to location.
Levels branch off of a core hub level. Both the hub and game levels worlds are, for better or worse, reminiscent of the original Metroid. Exploration is one of my absolute favorite gameplay elements, so I enjoyed it, though it can feel aimless. Though I was usually able to find my location (hint: Always go right), it wasn’t without needing to retrace my steps. As beautiful as the game is, it could do a better job of visually leading you through areas to reach specific locations.
To Megabyte Punch’s credit, exploration is usually rewarded, either with better parts or all-important "bits," which accumulate towards extra lives.
Gameplay largely involves exploring levels to reach the end, but it also includes salvaging spare parts from enemies to augment your exploration and combat skills. There’s around 150 parts to discover, opening the door to countless combinations. New parts also feed into the combat system, which is very similar to Smash Bros.. Normal attacks are usually enough to take out weaker enemies, though some require special tactics. In some cases, you need to use special attacks, which work like charge attacks in Smash Bros.. For example, you can slide kick an enemy into the air then follow up with another attack, juggling them around the level.
Normal combat only provides a small-scale view of how combat really works. It opens up when faced with numerous enemies or sub-bosses, though it really comes into full form during boss fights. These play out exactly like a match in Smash Bros.. Each boss has a set of lives that you must deplete by knocking them off a floating battleground. In order to knock them off, however, you need to damage them. More damage means a better chance of knocking them for further distances.
Local multiplayer is available, though I wasn’t able to play around with it much. A Tournament Mode is also available. Here, you fight a series of bosses in a tournament format to win parts. It’s a cool mode, but super challenging.
