Things got weird, didn't they?
You could argue that the Mega Man series on NES is extremely iterative. Since the beginning each new game has offered some new power or move; they’ve aggregated over time, and when paired with technological advancement, they inevitably led to Mega Man 5—objectively speaking, the best game in the series. But NES’ star was fading fast: the SNES was already out, and even the best-looking NES games paled in comparison to eye-candy like Super Mario World. In fact, Capcom decided not to publish Mega Man 6 in North America, a decision made by Nintendo of America. In a lot of ways, MMVI is a strange beast that brings a sense of puzzlement, rather than closure, to the NES series.
Things go haywire at an international “Robot Contest” when a mysterious Mr. X (Dr. Wily) crashes the party and Mega Man has to save the day. The intro is told through a cutscene—the first oddity in this game. In another odd departure from tradition, your faithful robotic companion, Rush, is now a transformer who fuses to Mega Man to confer two new forms: one that can break blocks and one with a jetpack. These “Rush Adaptors” recharge quickly so there’s no penalty for use. Four of the Robot Masters’ stages have alternate routes, only accessible with an Adaptor, and finding all four nets you all the BEAT letters. You can revisit stages (gasp) once you’ve found the right Adaptor, and the Energy Balancer is also introduced in this game (though you have to find it).
The Robot Masters are beyond silly. Blizzard Man looks like a giant snowball on skis, Centaur Man is a damn centaur, Yamato Man is a samurai, etc. This is the game where I started to wonder if Capcom was running out of ideas. The bosses are introduced oddly, too, with vital stats and point of origin displayed. Knight Man is from the “Capital of Science.” That doesn’t even make sense. The Mr.X/Dr. Wily stages are surprisingly easy, though they do put your Rush Adaptors through their paces. They’re filled with alternate routes, and the boss fights are engaging but basic. One of the bosses is even a giant robotic sauropod, which made me smile. But overall, the game just isn’t very good, especially after the prominent rise in quality from MM2-5. Personally, I’d avoid it, but the completionists among you have probably already downloaded it.