The Blue Bomber & Adoption

Story

Thousands of years into the future, earth has been almost completely flooded.  Mankind survives on small islands and are constantly looking for sources of energy.  Ancient ruins hold quantum refractors that can power almost anything, but they are guarded by Reaverbots, traps and many natural dangers.  Those who search these ruins are called “diggers” and they’re all looking for a rumoured energy source that they call “the Mother Lode”.  The Mother Lode is supposed to be an infinite energy source that would fulfill all of the needs of earth as soon as it is discovered.

One day, a digger named Banner Caskett was searching through a ruin and found a newborn baby alongside a strange cyborg monkey called Data deep underground.  This digger took the small child his strange guardian to the surface world with him and together with his wife, Matilda, they raised the young boy and their biological daughter.  Twelve years into the future, the the digger and his wife are missing. The young boy, named Mega Man Volnutt, together with Roll Caskett, the daughter of the missing diggers, and her grandfather, Barrell Caskett, are searching ruins around the world for clues to their three most pressing questions.  Where are Roll’s Parents?  Where did Mega Man come from?  And, where is the Mother Lode?

The game begins with Mega Man retrieving a quantum refractor from an offshore ruin after destroying a large Reaverbot, but as their flying ship, called the Flutter, flies away, it experiences engine trouble, causing them to crash land in a forrest on Kattelox Island.  Arriving on the island at the same time are the Bonnes, a family of Air Pirates that have chased the rumour of a secret treasure buried on the island.  Along with their 41 lego men – I mean servbot helpers, they use large, often ridiculous machines to try and turn the island to rubble in search of the treasure.  Mega Man, Data, Roll and Barrell take it upon themselves to defend the Island from these bandits while searching the island for information that will help them with their own quests.

Gameplay is very different from other Mega Man titles as it is a 3D adventure game as opposed to a 2D platformer.  Searching dungeons (and trash cans) for parts to craft new weapons, upgrade your armour and explore a large world full of colourful NPCs are all new tasks for Mega Man, and it’s really fun.  You can build new special weapons as well as adjust the attack, weapon speed, range and energy for your main weapon, the Mega Buster.  Dialogue options and the morality system will change how the citizens treat you, and the decisions you make can turn your armour as dark as a sinner’s heart or as bright as the sun (okay maybe not THAT bright).  There are fun mini-games that can get you rich and famous, even though one of them is kicking balls at dogs.  Fast travel becomes an option once you repair a nifty van, enabling you to explore areas you have already been to in order to search for parts you may have missed for the Buster Cannon, or to farm enemies for money in order to help rebuild what gets damaged in some of the boss fights.  Unlike other Mega Man games there is a “lock on” function that may be a bit disappointing for Mega Man diehards, but it’s a welcome change for me.

Why It’s Great

The reason I love this game so much is the atmosphere and character interaction.  The love between the two families visiting Kattelox island had me hooked.  The silly antics of the Bonnes and their evil plans are so bizarre that I almost want them to succeed.  I’m obviously not the only one, since a prequel starring Tron Bonne as an anti-hero was made after Mega Man Legends was released.  A strange relationship forms between Tron and Mega Man throughout the game and is really fun to watch play out.  Giving gifts to Roll to improve your relationship, filling a museum, helping a pregnant lady and joining a gang are only a few of the side quests with the well thought out NPCs that are totally worth doing.

Adoption is a beautiful thing in real life and is displayed well in Mega Man Legends.  Not only did Matilda and Banner take Mega Man in as their own, but once they went missing, Barrell took care of both his granddaughter and the mysterious boy and you couldn’t tell that one was biologically his and the other wasn’t.  Christianity is a faith with an intimate connection to adoption and the value of family, biological or not.  We are helpless, dead in our sins until the Father makes us a part of his own family, though we don’t deserve and are even unable of wanting when we are left on our own.  My wife and I are foster parents and have our own daughter. I also work with teenage boys who do not live with their families too, so we are connected with many people in need of new families.  The reason it is so important to me is probably rooted in my own family history, as I am (basically) adopted as well.  My mom and I were on our own after my biological father destroyed his life with drugs, sex, violence and gang involvement.  My mom met a guy and eventually they got married and we both took his name.  Blending families is never an easy task, but the hardships serve as a reminder to me of just how imperfect I am, and how perfect God and his Grace is when I know that I don’t deserve to be loved by Him the way that I am.

Mega Man Legends has a sequel (simply called Mega Man Legends 2) that continues the story, improves on gameplay mechanics and lives up to the original in every way, so you really should play both of them. I’ve already mentioned the prequel, “The Misadventures of Tron Bonne” and can’t recommend that one enough.  Its so goofy and a lot of fun playing as the bad guy’s, I mean girl.  All three of these games are available in the Playstation Store, so they’re almost as easy to get ahold of as they are to fall in love with.  Five years ago, Mega Man Legends 3 was cancelled, and I’m still devastated.  Please email Capcom and complain to them for me.  MML3 needs to happen, thank you in advance.