Mega Man 4 - Thoughts

Mega Man 4 was released in 1992 in the United States for the Nintendo Entertainment System. With nearly a two-year gap between Mega Man 3 and Mega Man 4, the team at Capcom had time to implement several new ideas and innovations. Most notably, this entry introduced the charged Mega Buster shot, new characters such as Dr. Cossack and his daughter Kalinka, and not just one, but two castle stages to tackle at the end of the game.

While Mega Man 4 didn’t quite reach the legendary status of Mega Man 2 or Mega Man 3, it still received mostly positive reviews from both critics and fans. Its most enduring legacy is undoubtedly the addition of the charge shot, a mechanic that became a defining feature of the series moving forward.

What I Liked 😃

Recap Intro

image: VGJunk

Capcom clearly decided it was time to give players a proper recap of the story so far and I'm here for it. Mega Man 4 opens with what is arguably the most cinematic intro the series had seen up to that point. It summarizes Mega Man’s origin, Dr. Light’s creation of him, and Dr. Wily’s ongoing schemes to plunge the world into chaos. The intro features music, a text crawl, and animated cutscenes….well, animated-ish, but the effort is appreciated and effective. It set the tone in a way that was new for the series and added a sense of weight and continuity to the narrative.

Charged Buster Shot

image: NEPA Scene

I wasn’t a hardcore Mega Man fan growing up, but I did dabble with Mega Man 7, and I distinctly remember the satisfaction of charging up a shot and unleashing it on unsuspecting robots. That sense of power originated in Mega Man 4, where the charge shot made its debut. Even if the rest of the game had faltered, the introduction of this mechanic alone would have made it memorable.

The charge shot is both a strategic gameplay element and a visually satisfying move. Rather than repeatedly tapping the attack button to fire standard shots, players can now hold the button to charge up a blast that does more damage and has a larger hitbox. But this isn’t just a power upgrade, it’s a tactical choice. Charging a shot means you’re not firing rapidly, which leaves you vulnerable while you dodge enemies and platform through tricky stages. That trade-off introduces a layer of strategy that deepened the series’ combat and stuck around for many future titles.

Boss Designs

image YouTube

The enemy and boss designs in Mega Man 4 - particularly the mini-bosses - are a noticeable step up. The sprites are larger, the animations more fluid, and the ideas more creative. One standout is a massive rhinoceros-like mini-boss (I like to call him "Lazy Rhino") who takes up nearly a third of the screen, lounging on a platform that rises from the ground. This mini-boss appears in Dust Man’s stage, and the sheer scale of the sprite is impressive by NES standards. Another memorable encounter is with a giant mechanical whale in a water stage, specifically Dive Man’s stage. It charges across the screen and releases smaller enemies, making for a dynamic underwater battle. These mini-bosses inject variety and spectacle into the stages and reflect the developers’ growing ambition.

Let’s Talk About Music

image: Noiseless Chatter

In my Mega Man 3 post, I didn’t really mention the music and I got called out for it. Okay, not called out, exactly, but readers pointed out that Mega Man 3 has a fantastic soundtrack, and they were absolutely right.

So for Mega Man 4, I made sure to pay attention and while the soundtrack might not quite reach the legendary highs of 2 or 3, it still has its moments. Bright Man, Ring Man, and Skull Man’s stage themes stood out in particular. These tracks not only enhance the atmosphere of their respective levels but also hold up as standalone pieces of chiptune music worth listening to outside the game. The rest of the Robot Master themes are solid as well, but those three really elevated the overall experience for me.

What I Didn’t Like ☹️

Even More Castle

image: Twentieth Century Gamer

Mega Man 4 suffers from two key issues: formula fatigue - which I’ll expand on in a moment - and the developers’ attempted solution to that fatigue. One of the big changes in this entry is the introduction of a new “antagonist,” Dr. Cossack, which initially seems like a refreshing twist. The idea that Cossack is being manipulated by Dr. Wily, who has kidnapped his daughter Kalinka to force his hand, is actually a great narrative beat. I have no issue with the story, it adds a welcome layer of depth.

However, this plot twist comes with a gameplay side effect: now there are two full castle gauntlets. First, Mega Man must fight through Dr. Cossack’s Citadel, followed immediately by the familiar Wily Castle. Each has four stages, and Wily Castle still includes the traditional Boss Rush, where Mega Man must face off against all the Robot Masters once again.

And this leads directly into formula fatigue. Capcom’s attempt to address the “sameness” of previous entries was to simply double down, adding another castle sequence with nearly identical structure. But rather than feeling fresh, this approach ends up exacerbating the problem.

By the time I reached the second set of castle stages, the game started to feel like it was dragging. Having already played through Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 3 recently, this final stretch in Mega Man 4 felt repetitive and forced. The music is still good, and the level design is competent, but the core gameplay loop was beginning to wear thin. The new mechanics, like the charge shot, help inject some life into the formula, but they’re not enough to completely stave off the feeling of déjà vu.

Overall Thoughts 🤔

Mega Man 4 is a solid addition to the franchise. It introduced the now-iconic charged Mega Buster, featured strong level design, catchy music, and memorable character designs. The cinematic intro was a standout, helping to build anticipation and giving the game a sense of narrative weight that previous titles lacked.

However, despite these improvements, it’s clear that the classic Mega Man formula was starting to show signs of age by this point. For players who have been marathoning the series, the repeated structure, boss order gimmicks, and back-to-back castle segments can feel like a grind. That said, if you're spacing the games out - say, playing them months apart rather than days or weeks - some of these issues will likely be less noticeable.

In short, Mega Man 4 might not reach the same heights as 2 or 3, but it’s still a worthwhile entry that pushes the series forward mechanically, even if it stumbles a bit in pacing.

Where Can I Play This? 🕹️

Mega Man 4 is easily playable today via the Mega Man Legacy Collection on all major consoles.

I played Mega Man 4 physically on the NES. The game doesn’t really have any side content, so I finished the main game and called it quits.

Up Next 📅

Next up, I’ll be checking out a nostalgic Sega beat ‘em up. That game is Golden Axe for the Sega Genesis!