Mega Man 11 (Steam)

For this iteration of Joystick Junkies - a videogame based "bookclub" I have with some college buddies - we played Mega Man 11. This time around we got the chance to meet in person and discuss the game, which was a ton of fun because there was some staunch disagreement within the group. I have a slight history with the Mega Man franchise, having played some of the early entries on my HTC phone emulator back in middle/high school. What I remembered playing was a classic NES platformer that felt challenging, but still rewarding - not too dissimilar from Shovel Knight, which I played earlier this year. Mega Man 11 kept that initial formula, while giving it a fresh coat of paint and some accessibility options in the form of an item shop. I didn't find a need to interact with the item shop, as each death felt like my own fault. This wasn't typical for the group, as most people used all of their currency to stock up, effectively trivializing the game. I like the way that I chose to play, and I ultimately had a great time with the game. In addition to the accessibility options, they also added two toggleable "gears" - one for power and one for speed. I found this mechanic added some depth, although at times it seemed that certain screens and boss battles were designed around use of the speed gear, while the power gear was less of a mandatory feature. Like always, each stage had it's own obstacles, enemies and theme that matched the bosses typing. Also like always, certain stages and bosses were far more manageable than others. Some of my favorite stages were Acid Man and Tundra Man, while Torch Man was one of my least favorite. The final Wiley gauntlet was enjoyable too, with some classic mechanics getting revisited. Overall, Mega Man 11 was a fun game that maintains the original soul and identity of the series. If you enjoy the classic early entries - like most of my friends did not - then you will probably appreciate this modern rendition.

Play it for the:

Classic platforming with a fresh coat of paint
Punchy soundtrack
Blue bomber

Reviewed on 2026-08-17

The Yellow Devil appears again, and just as tricky as ever.