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Mega Man & Bass

From Mega Man Wiki
<-- First of the seriesMega Man & Bass seriesRockman & Forte: Challengers from the Future -->
Game Info

Box Art
General information
Game Title(s):Mega Man & Bass, Rockman & Forte
Developer(s):Capcom
Publisher(s):Capcom
Release Date(s):
SFC:
JP: April 24, 1998
GBA:
JP: August 10, 2002
NA: March 11, 2003
EU: March 31, 2003
Genre(s):Action, Platformer
Game mode(s):Single Player
Platform(s):Super Famicom, Game Boy Advance

Mega Man & Bass is a platformer game in the Classic era. It follows Mega Man 8, though it is not officially numbered and can be considered a spin-off. Initially released exclusively in Japan as Rockman & Forte (ロックマン&フォルテ, Rokkuman ando Forute) for the Super Famicom (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) in 1998, the game was ported to the Game Boy Advance in 2002 and released internationally in 2003, coinciding roughly with the franchise's 15th anniversary.

The game reuses many elements from Mega Man 8, including basic gameplay, art style, most of its enemies and two Robot Masters, though these elements were ported down from a 32-bit system to a 16-bit one. New and central to Mega Man & Bass is the character selection, allowing players to start the game either as Mega Man or Bass, who each use different abilities to take on the game's stages and new robot villain, King.

Story

A mysterious robot named King has issued a threat to steal the data from the Robot Museum to construct an army, declaring that robots are superior to humans and should rule the world. King has also ransacked Dr. Wily's laboratory, forcing to evil doctor to stay at Dr. Light's lab. Mega Man and his rival Bass, Dr. Wily's robot, are sent out to investigate the threat.[1]

Arriving at the Robot Museum, Mega Man (or Bass) finds King already there, being confronted by Proto Man. King reiterates his views of robot supremacy and Proto Man attempts to stop him, but is badly damaged. King escapes with the data, leaving a Green Devil behind to fight Mega Man/Bass, but the hero destroys it and starts the journey to take on King's Army.

Spoiler Warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

After defeating King's eight Robot Masters, including two that he recruited from Dr. Wily's numbers, Mega Man/Bass uses their weapons to gain access to King's palace, where he confronts the King Tank, King Plane and finally, King himself. King initiates a battle, which at first appears futile due to King's impenetrable tower shield, but Proto Man shows up, intent on settling the score. Realising his normal attacks are not enough, Proto Man uses all his energy for a powerful "Big Bang Strike" that destroys King's shield, but exhausts Proto Man, who urges Mega Man/Bass to finish the battle.

After King is defeated, he reiterates his beliefs in robot supremacy, but begs for Mega Man/Bass to end his misery and helps Proto Man evacuate, not wishing to see his fellow robot destroyed. However, when Bass questions him or Mega Man offers to take him back to Dr. Light, King reveals that he was built by Dr. Wily, who promptly appears on a monitor screen and commands him to keep fighting. When King hesitates, Wily uses a device to boost his "brainwashing level", overwriting his programming. King retreats, but summons the Jet King Robo, a giant mecha comprised of the King Tank and Plane, which he pilots. After the mecha is destroyed, King comes to and realises that his palace is going to explode, urging Mega Man/Bass to escape and ensuring him that he will follow. However, after the hero has left, King reveals that he has no means of escape and is seemingly engulfed in the explosion.

Mega Man/Bass pursues Dr. Wily to his newly built fortress, where he refights the eight Robot Masters and destroys the Wily Machine and Capsule, sending the doctor tumbling to the ground in his defeat.

Mega Man's ending

After the battle, Mega Man returns home, where he is welcomed and congratulated by his friends and family. He feels sad and guilty that he could not save King, but his sister Roll shows him a letter that King sent to them, indicating that he survived the blast. In it, he reveals that he has seen the error of his ways and intends to use his power for world peace, looking forward to meeting Mega Man again in the future as a friend.

Bass's ending

Held at buster-point by Bass, Dr. Wily claims that he built King and had him fight Bass not to deceive him, but rather to test his strength, and recognises that by defeating King, Bass has proven that he is the mightiest robot in the world. Bass does not believe him, but Wily reveals that he has plans for a new model, "King the second", and proposes that this new King and Bass can work together. However, Proto Man enters and destroys the computer with the blueprints, foiling these plans.

Dr. Wily commands Bass to destroy Proto Man, but he hesitates, and Proto Man reminds him that he is strong and able to act on his own rather than having to follow Wily's orders. However, he explains that Bass has not been able to defeat Mega Man because he only fights for himself. After Proto Man has left, Bass denounces his statement, declaring that he will keep fighting solely to destroy Mega Man.

Characters

Mega Man

Mega Man.

"This outstanding example of the robot race was developed as a kind household robot that lives a serene existence working as Dr. Light's assistant. However, in order to stop evil Dr. Wiley's plan of world conquest, this peaceful metal man requested Dr. Light to modify him into a battle robot."[2]

Mega Man serves as one of the playable characters in the game. His story is largely the same as Bass's, with differences in gameplay and ending.

Bass

Bass.

"Bass is a "special Wiley numbered" war robot, one of a battalion created by Dr. Wiley. His life's work is to defeat Mega Man with his own hands. But, in order to defeat King, the self-proclaimed "world's strongest robot", Bass had to make peace with Mega Man... temporarily."[2]

Bass serves as one of the playable characters in the game. His story is largely the same as Mega Man's, with differences in gameplay and ending.

King

King.

"A robot that plans to take over the world and create a total robot supremacy. He stole the robot creation data from Dr. Light and Dr. Wiley and used it to generate an army of evil robots. He likes chess, but considers himself so good that no one can give him an even match."[3]

King serves as the primary antagonist for most of the game, whose fortress must be stormed after defeating his Robot Masters.

Dr. Wily

Dr. Wily.

"Albert W. Wiley was Dr. Light's classmate at robot engineering school, and has become his rival in professional life. He became involved in creating evil robots in his bid for world domination. Wiley was attacked while developing a new fortress and now lives in Dr. Light's research center."[3]

Dr. Wily's name is spelt as "Wiley" in the manual, similar to Mega Man 3, but as Wily in the game.

Rush

Rush.

"A support robot that Dr. Light made for Mega Man. Possessing an excellent sense of smell, Rush is outstanding at sniffing out hidden items."[2]

Rush can be summoned by Mega Man using the store-bought Rush Search weapon.

Dr. Light

Clockwise from top left: Beat, Roll, Auto (centre), Eddie, Dr. Light.

"Number one in Robot Engineering and Mega Man's creator. He goes all out to create robots that help mankind in peaceful ways. WHenever he sees someone in trouble he's the type of guy who just can't stand by and watch."[2]

Dr. Light appears on the CD Data Base screen, urging Mega Man or Bass to find the missing robot data.

Roll

Roll.

"An assisting engineer robot created by Dr. Light, Roll is loaded with practical advice for Mega Man and Bass. She's always ready to assist the mission with helpful hints."[2]

Roll can be talked to using the Transceiver (or Com System) item, allowing her to give hints about the stage, the boss, and how many CDs still need to be found.


Auto

Auto.

"An assistant robot that helps Dr. Light with his research and in developing power-up parts."[2]

Auto operates the Shop in this game and can craft items for Mega Man and Bass out of the Bolts they find. He is referred to as Lightott in the manual, a rendering of his Japanese name.

Eddie

"An item transport robot that Dr. Light created. It now has the ability to fly and can transport items rapidly."[2]

Eddie can be called by Mega Man using the store-bought "Eddie" weapon. His name is spelt "Eddy" in the manual.

Beat

"A support robot bird that Dr. Kossack made for Mega Man as a present. It is currently being modified to perform crash attacks as well as transport items."[2]

Beat can be called by Mega Man using the store-bought "Beat" weapon. Unlike other appearances, he does no fight for or carry Mega Man, but merely drops a damage-absorbing shield on him.

Treble

Bass with Treble.

"A support robot that moves with Bass. Gospel can transform as well as form one unit with Bass."[2]

Treble can be called by Bass using the store-bought Treble Boost weapon, which allows him to fuse with Bass into a super form. He is referred to as Gospel in the manual, his Japanese name.

Proto Man

Proto Man.

"Dr. Light's first attempt at making a humanoid robot. He moves of his own free will. He attempted to foil King's plot but was defeated."[2]

Proto Man appears only in story cutscenes. His name is given as Blues in the manual, his Japanese name.

Gameplay

Mega Man fires a charge shot in Cold Man's stage.

Mega Man & Bass is a platform-shooter game similar to most other Classic series games and especially Mega Man 8. The player controls a character who jump, shoots and climbs through eight Robot Master stages, selectable from a stage select screen, in order to take on a set of fortress stages in the end - beating each Robot Master awards a version of his signature weapon for use within stages, with each boss being particularly weak to another's weapon. Unlike most games in the series, only three Robot Master stages can be selected from the start, though others need to be unlocked gradually by completing these (see Stages).

The biggest change to the formula is the choice between two playable characters, the eponymous Mega Man and Bass, who can be selected when starting a new game, but cannot be switched later on the same file. Each character plays through the same stages and acquires the same weapons from bosses, but has a different set of base abilities, as shown in the table below:

Mega Man Bass
Attacking
Shots deal normal damage and can be charged Shots deal half damage to most enemies and cannot be charged
Shots go through walls Shots do not go through walls, but can be upgraded to do so
Can only shoot straight forward Can shoot in any direction except straight down
Moving
Can walk while shooting Cannot walk while shooting, but can jump
Can slide under obstacles Can dash forward
Limited jumping ability Can double-jump and jumps further after a dash
Bass shooting diagonally at an enemy in Magic Man's stage.

Like in Mega Man 7 and Mega Man 8, the player character can once again collect Bolts, which drop randomly from enemies as they did in 7 rather than being hidden in limited numbers. These Bolts can be traded in for items and upgrades at Auto's Shop between stages, some of which are only available to one of the two characters (see Shop items). Unlike some other games, no upgrades can be found in the stages themselves, and the game lacks Energy Tanks, removing the option to easily refill energy during boss fights.

A secondary objective, though it provides no gameplay benefits, is the completion of Roll's CD collection, which contains data about Robot Masters and other robot characters from this and previous games. A total of 100 CDs can be found in the Robot Master stages, usually hidden or buried out of the way. Once found, the CD's data can be viewed regardless of save file, and as some CDs require a specific character's abilities, obtaining all of them requires visiting the stages as both Mega Man and Bass.

Enemies

Minor Enemies

Note that regular Bass Buster shots deal only half a point of damage to most enemies.

Name Sprite Description HP Damage Stage(s)
Ammoner An ammonite that sits on land or swims back and forth backwards in water. Its exposed front can be shot to make it retreat into its shell, rolling backwards when on land or sinking when in water. If it collides with the floor in doing so, it is destroyed. N/A 4 Pirate Man's stage, Dr. Wily stage
Batton M64 A bat that starts on the ceiling and waits for Mega Man/Bass to come near, then wakes up and chases after him. Unlike other Batton versions, it does not return to the ceiling. Can only be harmed while it is awake. 1.5 2 Cold Man's stage, Burner Man's stage, Dynamo Man's stage, King stage 2
Big Telly A giant Telly R that flies overhead and drops a bomb, which splits into flames and causes fire to rise up from the bottom of the screen. The screen-filling fire can kill Mega Man/Bass instantly, but recedes after a short time. 8 7 (contact)
4 (bomb)
Burner Man's stage
Block maker A stationary machine that outputs ice or concrete blocks, which slide and can be stood on, but harm Mega Man/Bass if they fall on him or push him into a wall. The blocks break on collision and can be destroyed using Spread Drill, though the machine itself is indestructible and acts like a wall. N/A 4 Cold Man's stage, Burner Man's stage, King stage 2
Bunby Tank DX Drives left and right and periodically stops to turn towards Mega Man/Bass and fire two rockets forward if he is near. Its body and head have a separate health pool - if the body is destroyed first, its head separates as a flying Bunby Top DX, which circles around, then follows. 6 (body)
3 (top)
12 (rockets)
4 (contact)
2 (rockets)
Astro Man's stage, Burner Man's stage, Dynamo Man's stage, King stage 1
Bunby Top DX The head of a Bunby Tank that separates after it is destroyed. It first circles around quickly, then slowly follows Mega Man/Bass, periodically stopping. 3 4 Astro Man's stage, Burner Man's stage, Dynamo Man's stage, King stage 1
Burner Block A stationary block that periodically grows a flame pillar upwards, which blocks shots. N/A 2 Robot Museum
Changkey R A flame that launches into the air in groups of three, which then drop down at an angle. It is slower than the original Changkey and can be destroyed at any time. 1 2 Robot Museum
Cline G A Chinese dragon that curls in circles until it is attacked, then darts towards Mega Man/Bass. Destroying any segment other than the head cuts off its tail at that point, causing it to become faster the fewer segments it has left; focusing on the head destroys it fully. 6 (head)
1 (segment)
6 (head)
3 (segment)
Burner Man's stage, Tengu Man's stage
Crunchran An enemy that resembles a moving hole, which glides across the ground and follows Mega Man/Bass. When he is on top, a crocodile maw comes out and snaps at him. Mega Man can only harm it with the Mega Buster during its brief attack animation, while Bass can point the Bass Buster downward to attack it at any time. 1.5 5 Astro Man's stage, King stage 2
Dig Mole Jumps up from below and drills through the floor, destroying it permanently. Some fall straight down after jumping, while others cover an area of up to four squares, advancing one tile forward with each jump. They respawn endlessly. 1.5 2 Ground Man's stage
Dodonpa Cannon A stationary cannon that can turn and fire at various angles. The cannonballs fly in an arc and can be destroyed. 5 (contact)
0.5 (cannonball)
6 (contact)
2 (cannonball)
Robot Museum, Cold Man's stage, Burner Man's stage, Tengu Man's stage
Electric Generator A stationary generator for electric sparks that home in on Mega Man/Bass, but can be destroyed. 3 (generator)
1.5 (spark)
4 (contact)
2 (spark)
Dynamo Man's stage
Fire Metall A Metall with a flame on its head, which occasionally grows into a fire pillar. The flame lingers for a while after it is destroyed. 2.5 2 (contact)
4 (fire pillar)
2 (flame)
Robot Museum, Dynamo Man's stage, King stage 1
Gori-Three A stationary, gorilla-like enemy that periodically throws objects. It comes in three varieties, which never appear on the same screen together:
  • Throws bombs diagonally downward, which explode harmlessly when they hit a wall.
  • Throws blue bubbles, which bounce around diagonally at high speed.
  • Throws spike balls forward, which travel a set distance before exploding into spikes that go left, right and diagonally.

All of Gori-Three's projectiles can be destroyed through damage.

24 (Gori-Three)
6 (bombs)
3 (bubble)
6 (spike ball)
7 (contact)
4 (thrown object)
2 (spikes)
Burner Man's stage, King stage 1, King stage 2
Hannya Attacker A Shield Attacker with a hannya mask. Flies left and right within a set range and can only be harmed by attacking from behind. 6 3 Ground Man's stage, Burner Man's stage, Tengu Man's stage, King stage 1
Hogale Submarine A giant whale submarine that slowly swims across the screen. It does not attack, but is hard to avoid due to its size. 18 6 Pirate Man's stage
Joe Classic A Joe with a shield like the traditional Sniper Joe, which protects its front. It may shoot forward, jump up at random, or lob a grenade and crouch on the ground until it explodes, putting its shield away during any of these. It can be hurt from above or below with special weapons or by aiming the Bass Buster. 6 (Joe)
3 (grenade)
3 (contact)
2 (projectile)
4 (grenade)
Robot Museum, Astro Man's stage, Ground Man's stage, Burner Man's stage, Dynamo Man's stage, Magic Man's stage, Tengu Man's stage, King stage 1, King stage 2, Dr. Wily stage
Kaizock A stubby pirate robot that walks forward, walking off platforms and stopping at walls before turning around. Some of hang from the ceiling on one arm, swinging back and forth until destroyed. 4 4 Pirate Man's stage, Magic Man's stage, Dr. Wily stage
Kamikamin Disguises itself as a regular Chest, which wakes up when fired at. Once awake, it jumps back and forth at a high speed and latches on to Mega Man/Bass, draining health until he shakes it off by mashing the direction buttons. It is only vulnerable after waking up. 1 1 (at a time)
Ground Man's stage, Pirate Man's stage, King stage 2
Kao Na Gāna Totem-like statues that appear in Ground Man's stage. They do not attack in this game and act like walls, but destroying the brown ones causes the spiked ceiling, floor or wall to close in a bit further. The red ones must be destroyed to open the gate to the next room, but do not affect the spikes. 4.5 N/A Ground Man's stage
Metall SV Hides under its helmet until Mega Man/Bass comes near, then shoots bullets in three directions and wanders around, hiding again after some time or when Mega Man/Bass leaves. It is invulnerable while hiding. 1.5 2 (contact)
2 (projectiles)
Robot Museum, Cold Man's stage, Astro Man's stage, Ground Man's stage, Tengu Man's stage, Dr. Wily stage
Metrenger Worms that endlessly spawn from an indestructible hatch on the ceiling and crawl around. They are hard to hit on some of their animation frames. 1.5 2 Ground Man's stage , King stage 1, King stage 2, Dr. Wily stage
Mokumokumo A robot head hiding inside a cloud. It follows Mega Man/Bass around and latches on to him, limiting his jumps and movement. Firing or moving rapidly can shake it off and briefly expose the head, though without destroying the enemy. They are sometimes created by cloud machines or by Cold Man in his boss battle. 2 N/A Cold Man's stage(boss), Tengu Man's stage, Dr. Wily stage
Mole Drill bits that constantly spawn all over in certain corridors, drilling up or down through solid tiles and through the air. They never drop Bolts. 2 2 Robot Museum
Monking A A monkey that appears during the Atetemino Proto fight, throwing coconuts at Mega Man/Bass from the handlebar near the top. It sometimes leaves, but comes back after a while. It briefly appears before the boss door to mock the player and make the lights go out, but it flees before it can be fought. N/A 2 (contact)
4 (coconut)
King stage 1
Monopellan A helicopter enemy that hovers mostly in place, shooting at Mega Man/Bass. After destroying it, the rotor remains and will carry off any item dropped by the enemy if it is not collected quickly. 1.5 4 (contact)
2 (projectile)
Robot Museum, Cold Man's stage, Astro Man's stage, Ground Man's stage, Dynamo Man's stage, Magic Man's stage, Dr. Wily stage
Mukamukade A large, segmented worm that emerges from a hole and travels on a set path. Only the head can be damaged, and the worm respawns endlessly. 12 4 Ground Man's stage
Mukamukade B A large, segmented worm that emerges from a hole and travels on a set path. Only the head can be damaged, and the worm respawns endlessly. It is tougher than the regular Mukamukade, but can be destroyed with a well-timed Remote Mine or Ice Wall. 20 4 King stage 1
Muragattori A robotic bird that drop down from above, then jets forward. They spawn infinitely in some areas. 1 2 Astro Man's stage, Burner Man's stage
Onbuubattan A grasshopper carrying a smaller one. They jump around together, but destroying one may leave the other intact. They are flat and difficult to hit while on the ground. 1.5 (big)
0.5 (small)
4 Astro Man's stage, Burner Man's stage, King stage 1, King stage 2
Oni Robo A robotic oni that throws its club forward, which falls to the ground and explodes. They operate machines, which they will crank periodically between attacks:
  • Cranking the wind generator reverses its direction, sucking Mega Man/Bass towards it or blowing him away.
  • Cranking the cloud machine causes a Mokumokumo enemy to appear.

Once the Oni Robo next to a machine has been defeated, the machine will shut down as well.

12 (Oni Robo)
3 (club)
4 (contact)
2 (club)
Tengu Man's stage
Penpen EV A penguin that spins in place on the ground, then quickly slides forward, slowing down until it stops and resumes spinning. It will also stop instantly on hitting a wall. 6 4 Cold Man's stage, King stage 2, Dr. Wily stage
Plasma± Two small, stationary robot that create a vertical barrier of electricity between them. If one is destroyed, the barrier disappears, but a new part will soon spawn from the remaining one and take its original position, making it necessary to destroy both halves in short succession to fully eliminate the enemy. 4.5 4 Dynamo Man's stage, King stage 1, Dr. Wily stage
Potom A ceiling-mounted cannon that shoots slime downwards, which splits into two harmful puddles on the floor that linger for a short time. Two variations exist: a stationary one (Potom No. 1) and a moving one (Potom No. 2). 3 2 (contact)
3 (slime)
Astro Man's stage, Burner Man's stage, King stage 1, King stage 2, Dr. Wily stage
Rabbiton An ice-skating rabbit robot that jumps over pits, obstacles, or when near Mega Man/Bass. 3 3 Cold Man's stage, King stage 2
Rompers Small toy soldiers that latch on to Mega Man/Bass, temporarily immobilising him and causing him to lose many Bolts, though without directly damaging him. Green Rompers fall from the sky or are spawned by the King Tank; Red Rompers are rarer and have less health. 5 (green)
2 (red)
N/A Magic Man's stage, King stage 2
Sea Mine A sea mine that floats in place and hurts Mega Man/Bass. It can be pushed away with the Wave Burner. N/A 8 Pirate Man's stage, Dr. Wily stage
Shell'n A clam that periodically opens up to release three bubbles, which go forward a bit and float up. It is only vulnerable while attacking, and only from the front. 4 4 (contact)
2 (bubbles)
Pirate Man's stage
Shupponpon A toy train that goes forward on rails and may temporarily disappear into tunnels. Mega Man/Bass can stand on its roof, allowing him to cross rails that he would otherwise fall through, but other parts of the train are dangerous to touch. N/A 1 Magic Man's stage
Shururun A robot that jumps straight up from pits at regular intervals. It respawns infinitely, no matter how many are destroyed. Astro Man can summon Shururuns from the ground during his boss battle, though these will stop spawning when destroyed or after some time has passed. 0.5 3 Astro Man's stage, King stage 2, Dr. Wily stage(boss)
Spear Periodically pokes out of holes in the ground or in the background wall. Some move faster than others. It cannot be destroyed. N/A 4 Burner Man's stage
Spinning Gabyoall Moves back and forth on a platform, speeding up while Mega Man/Bass is at the same height. Shots will briefly stun it, but only the Wave Burner can destroy it. 1 3 Cold Man's stage, Burner Man's stage, Tengu Man's stage, King stage 1
Surumaker A squid robot that pursues Mega Man/Bass in quick bursts, swimming in place between movements. 3 4 Pirate Man's stage, Dr. Wily stage
Sydecka A massive, stationary beast that releases missiles from its back, which fall down in front of it. If Mega Man/Bass is within range, it can also fire the drill on its head straight forward, which deflects shots. Some will only fire their horn. 60 (Sydecka)
1 (missiles)
10 (contact)
2 (missiles)
4 (drill)
Burner Man's stage, King stage 1, King stage 2, Dr. Wily stage
Telly R A spinning robot that slowly floats towards Mega Man. They are usually spawned endlessly from holes or the edges of the screen. 1 3 Burner Man's stage, Dynamo Man's stage, Tengu Man's stage, King stage 1, King stage 2
Tencrow Birds that appear in groups of three and move back and forth in a sine motion. If one is destroyed, the remaining ones will fire small blades at Mega Man/Bass. 1 (Tencrow)
1 (blade)
3 (contact)
2 (blade)
Tengu Man's stage, King stage 2
Wall Teck A robot that walks up and down walls, shooting projectiles foward when they are at Mega Man/Bass's height. 3 4 (contact)
2 (projectiles)
Astro Man's stage, King stage 1, King stage 2, Dr. Wily stage

Minibosses

Name Sprite Description HP Damage Stage(s)
Melody Response Cannon Plays a short melody on the three buttons in its room, which flash and play a note. Mega Man/Bass must repeat this sequence to progress; making a mistake causes the gun on the ceiling to fire at him. It is encountered twice; the first encounter has a three-note sequence, while the second has five notes and places the buttons in more difficult locations. N/A 2 Astro Man's stage
Mother Mukamukade A giant, segmented worm that goes in an out of the ground, ceiling and walls, travelling across the screen in various elaborate patterns. Sometimes, its head emerges from the ground to spit out two eggs that hatch into small grubs, which walk around and are difficult for Mega Man to shoot. Only the head can be damaged, taking massively increased damage from well-timed Remote Mines. 96 (contact)
4 (eggs)
1 (grubs)
4 (contact)
2 (grubs)
Ground Man's stage
Move Cannon A pair of cannons that move up and down the side walls, firing destructible homing projectiles or slime that turn into immobilising puddles. Each closes its eye when attacked, briefly becoming invincible, and destroying one will spawn another cannon until 4 have been destroyed on each side. Alternatively, the hatches at the top can be destroyed directly to prevent more cannons spawning (and end the fight if only one cannon and no hatches are left).

If the Move Cannons are left intact for too long, they can sync up and create a laser beam between them, which moves up and down rapidly and can be impossible to avoid when under it and playing as Bass.

1.5 (cannon)
1.5 (homing projectile)

1.5 (slime)
15 (hatch)
3 (contact)
2 (homing projectile)
1 (slime)
4 (laser)
Dynamo Man's stage
Sisi Roll A giant lion-headed wheel that bounces around a vertical room and smashes the floor blocks, briefly stopping between bounces. Rather than defeating it, Mega Man/Bass must trick it into clearing the way to the door at the bottom, and destroying the Sisi Roll simply causes a new one to spawn. 28 5 Magic Man's stage, Dr. Wily stage
Snoler A giant snowman that can leap and stomp on Mega Man/Bass, blow him away, or fire a batch of smaller snowmen into the sky, which fall down on parachutes. 28 (Snoler)
4 (snowman)
4 (contact)
3 (snowman)
Cold Man's stage

King stage 2 contains two encounters that are treated differently from regular minibosses, as they use the King/Wily boss music, feature lengthy battles and cause the player character to teleport out of the room after the fight; however, as they do not mark the end of the stage and have no health bars, they can be considered minibosses rather than bosses.

Name Sprite Description HP Damage Stage(s)
King Tank The first miniboss of King stage 2. It moves across an elevated platform and possesses four destructible parts, each of which enables a specific attack and can only be damaged while using that attack:
  • A machine gun at the front, which fires a barrage of projectiles roughly towards Mega Man/Bass.
  • A hatch at the back, which opens to release Rompers enemies.
  • A turret at the top that raises to fire four bombs into the air, which fall down at the character's location and can explode through the platform.
  • Treads, which enable it to speed up and ram the walls; they are invincible to most attacks, but can be damaged with Remote Mines.

All parts except for the treads must be taken out to defeat it.

16 (most parts)
20 (treads)
2 (contact)
2 (bullet)
5 (bomb)
King stage 2
King Plane The second miniboss of King stage 2. It flies away from Mega Man/Bass and must be pursued over a bottomless pit by jumping across small platforms, which spawn endlessly and fly forward through the sky, leaving more distance between them when playing as Bass.

Like the King Tank, the Plane has several ways of attacking: It can fire fists from its bottom cannons, which break flying platforms they collide with; create bubbles, which either contain useful items or flashbangs that temporarily turn the screen completely white; or charge up an ultimate attack with the crystal in the centre, which cannot be avoided and must be stopped by damaging the crystal enough.

34 (plane)
0.5 (bubbles)
8 (fists)
25 (crystal)
1 (contact)
4 (fists)
8 (laser)
King stage 2

Bosses

Name Sprite Description Stage Weakness
Green Devil A stationary Devil made of green slime that splits off clumps of its substance, which either disappear on the ground or slither at different speeds and can be destroyed. It must be attacked repeatedly to create a hole in its body, which exposes the vulnerable eye, but rapidly closes itself again. Robot Museum N/A

Robot Masters

Each of the eight Robot Masters grants his weapon to Mega Man/Bass after his defeat, and is weak to another Robot Master's weapon, with many becoming briefly stunned if their weakness is used against them. Once defeated, the Robot Master will no longer be present if his stage is revisited, though all Robot Masters must be fought a second time in the final stage.

Name Sprite Description Stage Weapon Weakness
Cold Man An ice-themed robot that attacks mainly by creating a spiked wall and sliding it across the room. As his health gets lower, he can also summon Kumokumoku cloud enemies that impede Mega Man/Bass's movement if they are not destroyed, or rarely summon three ice bursts from the ground that briefly immobilise the character. Cold Man's stage Ice Wall Lightning Bolt
Astro Man A levitating robot orbited by two spheres that block shots, except for Magic Cards. He spends most of the battle teleporting around at the top of the room, from where he will swoop down, fire energy projectiles, or create holographic clones that mimic his energy attack. He can also send his spheres twirling down or glide across close to the floor, stopping at three points to summon jumping Shururun enemies from the ground. Astro Man's stage Copy Vision Magic Card
Ground Man An excavation robot that transforms into a small drill machine to scoot along the ground, attacks as a giant drill from above, or sends out Spread Drills, which split into smaller drills in various patterns. He does not walk, but will instead bury underground and pop out at a different location. Ground Man's stage Spread Drill Remote Mine
Burner Man A fire-themed robot who can dash around, throw bombs, dive-bomb to create flames left and right, or use his Wave Burner flamethrower while slowly advancing towards Mega Man/Bass. He may also set traps, which are mostly hidden in the ground and immobilise Mega Man/Bass if he touches them.

His weakness, the Ice Wall, can be used to push him onto the spikes at both sides of his arena for extra damage, though many of his moves allow him to destroy or avoid the wall.

Burner Man's stage Wave Burner Ice Wall
Pirate Man A pirate robot that is fought underwater with a constantly sinking water level, though Pirate Man can cause it to rise again. He attacks by shooting mines and detonating them, and can encase himself in a bubble to float up and bound around diagonally in a similar manner to Armored Armadillo. The bubble can be popped through damage, and his weakness will pop it instantly. Pirate Man's stage Remote Mine Wave Burner
Dynamo Man An electric-themed robot that dashes across the room before using one of several electricity-themed attacks. He may send out floating electric gates in various patterns, summon five energy balls that dart towards Mega Man/Bass (or his Copy Shot clone) after a while, or fire energy into the air, which comes crashing down as lightning in hard-to-predict patterns. The last attack can be averted by provoking him into shooting the energy forward instead.

When he is low on health, Dynamo Man can jump into a device at the top of the room to regenerate health. Both sides of the device must be destroyed to end this effect.

Dynamo Man's stage Lightning Bolt Copy Vision
Magic Man A robot magician whose attacks are based on magic tricks. He can throw magic orbs forward, throw fast-moving cards that steal health from Mega Man/Bass, or jump into the air to throw a ball that splits into three doves, which fly around. Attacking with his weakness will often stun him and prevent most of his attacks from being used. Magic Man's stage Magic Card Tengu Blade
Tengu Man A flying tengu robot that flies back and forth at the top of the screen, occasionally swooping across or landing on the platform below to slash foward and throw a blade in an inverted arc. He can also drop his Tengu Blade on the platform, which spins across while creating a whirlwind that entraps Mega Man/Bass inside. Tengu Man's stage Tengu Blade Spread Drill

Fortress Bosses

Name Sprite Description Stage Weakness
Atatemino Proto A giant bagworm attached to a pulley mechanism. Mega Man/Bass must weigh down a platform above a lava pool on the left to pull up the boss until its head pops out at the bottom, allowing it to be damaged. During the fight, a respawning Monking A enemy tosses coconuts down from the handlebar at the top, and Atetemino will also retaliate by summoning smaller versions of itself from the lava or firing rockets forward.

When the boss is defeated, the platform drops into the lava, which can still kill Mega Man/Bass and result in a loss if he does not jump off in time.

King stage 1 Copy Vision
King (phase 1) In his first phase, King stands on the right side of the screen, firing X-shaped lasers from his torso and occasionally jumping across the room. Shooting at him causes his tower shield to block the attack and results in a counter-attack, making it impossible to damage him. His attacks must simply be survived until Proto Man shows up, who destroys King's shield in a cutscene and initiates the second phase. King stage 2 N/A
King (phase 2) In his second phase, King jumps around, occasionally chopping with his axe or dashing foward while twirling it around. He may also fire a laser from his forehead gem, which bounces around the room similar to Gemini Laser. His weakness, the Thunder Bolt, stuns him temporarily. King stage 2 Lightning Bolt
Jet King Robo The Jet King Robo is the third phase of King's battle and is assembled from the King Tank and King Plane, with King himself in the cockpit. It drives back and forth on the right side of the screen and attacks by shooting homing energy projectiles from its arms, dropping bombs, or charging up a laser attack, which is unavoidable unless stopped by destroying the crystal in its chest before it finishes charging. He also sometimes rams to wall on the left.

The boss can only be harmed by attacking the cockpit, and Mega Man requires a charge shot or special weapon to do so. When playing as Mega Man, a moving platform enables him to reach it, though it is missing for Bass, forcing him to rely on his diagonal aim and double jumps.

King stage 2 Wave Burner
Wily Machine Dr. Wily returns in a Wily Machine similar to the one from Mega Man 8. It possesses several attacks, most commonly firing rockets foward and sending its spinning blade across the floor while flying back and forth. It can also descend to charge up a laser (which can be interrupted by firing into its mouth), charge forward, or fire energy projectiles from the right side of the screen. Only the cockpit window can be damaged. Dr. Wily stage Remote Mine
Wily Capsule The Wily Capsule teleports across the room and randomly unleashes one of three attacks, either creating eight energy balls that spin outward, spreading four energy balls that dart at Mega Man/Bass, or releasing four bombs that home in and can be destroyed. Only the cockpit on the upper half can be damaged. Dr. Wily stage Magic Card

Weapons

Mega Man or Bass can acquire various weapons throughout the game, which can be selected from the pause screen (or by pressing L/R for Special Weapons) and usually require Weapon Energy to use. Both characters obtain the same weapons from Robot Masters and they act identically, though their appearance may be different.

Name Sprite(s) Description Character Acquired from
Mega Buster Mega Man's standard weapon, which does not use Weapon Energy. It can be charged by holding the button, then releasing it to fire a charge shot that is bigger and deals triple damage. It can only be fired straight forward, but shots go through walls. Mega Man Start of game
Bass Buster Bass's standard weapon, which does not use Weapon Energy. It cannot be charged, but instead fires rapidly while the button is held, and Bass cannot walk while using it. It can be aimed up and diagonally, but not directly downward, and shots do not go through walls except with the H. Buster item. Standard Bass Buster shots do half as much damage as Mega Buster shots, except against bosses. Bass Start of game
Bass Buster (H. Buster) While the H. Buster item is equipped, Bass Buster shots are smaller, but can go through walls. These shots do the regular amount of damage. Bass Shop
Bass Buster (S. Buster) While the S. Buster item is equipped, Bass Buster shots are larger and do twice the amount of damage. Bass Shop
Special Weapons
Ice Wall   Summons an ice wall that can be pushed, bouncing back and forth between walls. It can be stood on to gain extra height or ride it safely across spikes. The wall cracks over time, then disappears. When used in water, it floats to the surface. Both Cold Man
Copy Vision   Creates a temporary holographic copy of the user, which is stationary and constantly shoots forward. It can trick some homing attacks. Both Astro Man
Spread Drill   Fires a giant drill forward that falls down after some time. It can be split into two smaller drills by pressing the button again, which can each be split into two even smaller drills. The drills can destroy certain ice or concrete blocks, which may contain items. Both Ground Man
Wave Burner   Uses a flamethrower while the button is held, which undulates in a wave motion in front of the user. It can light certain fuses to destroy blocks, and destroy Spinning Gabyoall enemies. Underwater, it is replaced with a wave that pushes enemies away without harming them. Both Burner Man
Remote Mine   Fires a floating mine forward, which can be streered up and down as it travels and will attach to the first enemy or wall it hits. Pressing the button again detonates it, with the explosion dealing damage repeatedly if the target remains inside of it. Both Pirate Man
Lightning Bolt   Causes lightning to crash down all over the screen, hitting all visible enemies. Both Dynamo Man
Magic Card   Throws a fast-moving card that returns to the user. It can be aimed upwards and can bring regular pick-up items (Energy, Weapon Energy, 1 UPs) back with it. If it is fired rapidly, the cards come out at slightly different heights. Both Magic Man
Tengu Blade   Slashes in front of the user and then creates a cutter blade, which flies forward and can bounce off walls, gaining height in the process. Sliding or dashing with the weapon equipped turns the move into an attack. Both Tengu Man
Other
Rush Search Mega Man summons Rush, who digs at a spot in front of him, unearthing different items depending on where he is used. The items can be junk, pick-ups, or buried CDs. Mega Man Shop
Beat

Mega Man summons Beat, who flies by and drops a blue shield on him. The shield nullifies all damage except instant death, but drains Weapon Energy over time and drains it faster while absorbing damage. Mega Man Shop
Eddie Mega Man summons Eddie, who provides him with up to three random pick-up items, draining the weapon's energy for every item he gives. Mega Man Shop
Treble Boost Bass combines with Treble into a form similar to Super Bass. In this form, he can fly freely and fire powerful projectiles in three directions forward, but constantly drains the weapon's energy while transformed. Bass Shop

Stages

The stage select screen.

Mega Man & Bass uses a unique stage select model that differs from other Mega Man games. Rather than being able to tackle Robot Master stages in any order or unlocking them in batches, the player is sent to a branching stage map after completing the Robot Museum stage and given a choice between three Robot Masters. Completing any one of these stages unlocks the ones linked to it, resulting in either two or three additional Robot Masters opening up.

Robot Master stages:

After beating any of the Robot Masters on the second column, a special Teleporter stage becomes available. This stage contains eight separate challenges, each of which requires a different one of the eight Robot Masters' weapons, but they do not have to be completed all at once and reward the player with 100 bolts each to purchase items with. Once all eight puzzles have been finished, the fortress stages open up.

Fortress stages:

Other features

Two other areas can be accessed from the stage select screen. These are not stages, but can instead be browsed via an on-screen interface. They can be visited at any time that the player is on the stage select screen, regardless of completion, and the Data Base can also be accessed from the title screen.

  • Shop - Also known as Light Research Center. Lets the player trade in Bolts for items.
  • Data Base - Roll's CD collection. Tracks all the CDs found and enables viewing of their data cards.

Items

Mega Man or Bass can find and collect/interact with various items throughout the game. Many of these can drop randomly from defeated enemies, and these items can also be obtained from Rush Search or Eddie when playing as Mega Man. Energy, Weapon Energy and 1 UP items look different for Mega Man (left) and Bass (right), but function identically.

Name Sprite Description Location
1 UP   Awards an extra life. Random drops, Item Shop, various stages
Energy (small)   Restores 2 points of health. Random drops
Energy (large)   Restores 10 points of health. Random drops, various stages
Weapon Energy (small)   Restores 2 points of weapon power. Random drops
Weapon Energy (large)   Restores 10 points of weapon power. Random drops, various stages
Bolt (small) Awards 5 bolts to use in the Shop, up to 999. Random drops
Bolt (large) Awards 15 bolts to use in the Shop, up to 999. Random drops
Bolt (giant) Awards 100 bolts to use in the Shop, up to 999. Each challenge in the Teleporter stage causes one giant bolt to appear upon completing it for the first time; they cannot be obtained in any other way. Teleporter stage
Chest Can be shot at to open them, revealing a set item such as an Energy refill or a hidden CD. Some of them are Kamikamin enemies in disguise. Ground Man's stage, Pirate Man's stage, King stage 2
Party Ball Can be shot at to receive a large Energy pick-up. They only appear while the Item Presenter upgrade is in the inventory. Any stage

CDs

CD sprite.
Roll holding a CD.

A total of 100 unique CDs can be found throughout the stages to complete Roll's CD collection. Though they grant no gameplay benefits, collecting them unlocks info cards in the Data Base, which contain pictures of and information about most of the Robot Masters and other major robot characters from the Mega Man series up to the game's original release. Data Base completion is global and not connected to a specific save file.

CDs can be found in each of the eight main Robot Master stages and are usually placed in hidden locations. Some require certain special weapons to obtain, while others are intended to only be accessible to either Mega Man or Bass, requiring the player to play through the game as both character to unlock all of them. To faciliate finding CDs, a store item can be created that will allow Roll to analyse and inform the player how many CDs are currently left in the stage.

Shop items

By collecting and trading in Bolts (called screws in this game) in the Shop, Auto can create items for the player to use. These generally come in three categories: single-use items, permanent upgrades, and equippable items. The last of these types grants an upgrade by equipping the item on the pause screen, but only one can be equipped at a time.

More rows of items become available in the shop after defeating 3 (2nd row) and 6 (3rd and 4th row) Robot Masters, and items may be different depending on whether Mega Man or Bass is the player character. In total, buying all available items in store costs 3180 bolts for Mega Man and 2680 for Bass (not counting single-use items, of which can be bought an unlimited number of times).

Rarely, Auto will have a bolt left over after creating an item. This does not affect the item's quality, but leaves the player with an extra bolt, which is typically meaningless as the smallest amount of bolts from other sources is 5 and all costs are multiples of 10.

Name Icon Description Type Row Cost Character
Spare Body   Awards the player an extra life. Single-use 1 50 Both
Energy Balancer (E. Balance) Causes Weapon Energy pickups to refill the weapon with the lowest energy, if no weapon is equipped that needs recharging. Permanent 1 120 Both
Exit Unit   Allows the player to exit already completed stages by selecting the item on the pause menu, keeping any new items found in the stage. Permanent 1 50 Both
Shock Guard (S. Guard) Protects Mega Man/Bass from dying on instant-death spikes once. When these spikes are touched, the character instead becomes briefly invincible and the item is consumed. Only one S. Guard can be held at a time. Single-use 1 10 Both
Transceiver (Com System)   Allows Mega Man/Bass to contact Roll from the pause screen, who may give hints about the stage. Required for the E. Analyze and CD Counter upgrades. Permanent 1 100 Both
Item Presenter (I. Present) Party Balls appear at certain points in the stage, which can be shot at to open them and receive a large Energy pick-up. It only affects the next stage, then it disappears. Single-use 1 60 Both
E. Analyze   Allows Roll to give information about the boss's weakness when contacting her with the Transceiver. Permanent 2 50 Both
S. Recover   Energy pick-ups restore more health when collected while this item is equipped. Equippable 2 200 Both
C. Attack Mega Man or Bass's attacks deal 2 extra points of damage while the character has 7 or less health remaining. Equippable 2 200 Both
A. Charger Mega Man continuously charges his Mega Buster without having to hold down the button. Equippable 2 50 Mega Man
H.S.D. Bass can dash faster. Permanent 2 100 Bass
Eddie Unlocks the Eddie "weapon", which summons him from the sky to supply Mega Man with up to three random pick-up items. Each item provided by Eddie drains the weapon's energy. Permanent 2 100 Mega Man
S. Booster Bass can climb ladders faster. Permanent 2 100 Bass
Rush Search (R. Search) Unlocks the Rush Search "weapon", which summons Rush to dig for items. Some buried CDs can only be acquired with this. Permanent 2 100 Mega Man
Treble Boost (T. Boost) Unlocks the Treble Boost weapon, which allows Bass to fuse with Treble into a form similar to Super Bass. Bass can fly in this form and fire strong projectiles in five directions at once, but constantly drains the weapons energy while active. Permanent 2 100 Bass
E. Saver   Weapon Energy costs are cut in half while this item is equipped. Equippable 3 200 Both
D. Absorb   Taking damage restores Weapon Energy. The more damage taken, the more Weapon Energy is restored. Equippable 3 300 Both
S. Armor   Damage taken is cut in half while the item is equipped. Equippable 3 200 Both
A. Recover Mega Man slowly recovers Energy while standing still. Charging the Mega Buster does not prevent this effect. Equippable 3 450 Mega Man
S. Buster Bass Buster shots are bigger and deal twice as much damage. Equippable 3 300 Bass
H.S.C. Decreases the time it takes to charge the Mega Buster. Permanent 3 150 Mega Man
H. Buster Bass Buster shots are smaller, but travel through walls. They deal the same amount of damage. Equippable 3 300 Bass
Beat Unlocks the Beat "weapon", which summons Beat the bird to grant Mega Man a shield. The shield prevents all damage (except instant death), but drains Weapon Energy over time, draining more while preventing damage. Permanent 3 300 Mega Man
CD Counter   Allows Roll to tell the player how many CDs are left in the current stage when contacting her with the Transceiver. Permanent 4 (Mega Man)
3 (Bass)
100 Both
CD Finder Allows Mega Man to see buried CDs that can be dug up with Rush Search. Permanent 4 300 Mega Man

Relation to Other Games

Gallery

References

  1. Mega Man & Bass English Instruction Booklet, "a declaration of crime... ...from the criminal!".
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 Mega Man & Bass English Instruction Booklet, "good guys".
  3. 3.0 3.1 Mega Man & Bass English Instruction Booklet, "bad guys".

External Links