Mega Man’s most cult classic video game franchise is getting a glow-up in 2023.

Jack in! Mega Man Execute!

Every Mega Man fan has their favorites from the classic NES series of games and the X and Zero franchises. But there’s one Mega Man franchise that has always had a more mixed reception: Mega Man Battle Network. 

Mega Man Battle Network is an alternative take on the Mega Man mythos where humanity focused on advancing the Internet than robotics. Everyone on earth, from the oldest grandpa to the tiniest child, has a PET, PErsonal information Terminal, which contains their NetNavis. NetNavis are people’s partners that they use to navigate the Net. There’s also a TV show, Mega Man NT Warrior, that takes a lot of inspiration from the games (Though it deviates from the games’ plotlines).

The story centers around Lan Hikari, and his NetNavi, the legendary Mega Man, as they battle dastardly foes who engage in the typical supervillain shenanigans of wanting to destroy the world and things like that. Such is the life of the average 5th grader. 

The Battle Network series had a certain charm to it. It was full of goofy computer/Internet puns, some wonky plots, and a whole heap of characters. In a way, it was kind of like the G Gundam of Mega Man. There were so many different thematically-styled NetNavis, and it was always fun seeing so many all at once. 

What separated Battle Network from every other Mega Man game was the gameplay. It functions as a real-time tactical RPG where Mega Man and other NetNavis bust viruses and enemies Navis on a 6X3 grid. You had your basic attacks, but most of your attacks came from your customized battle chip folder. 

You could purchase battle chips from shops or machines, find them on the Net, or receive them as drops from fallen enemies. With hundreds of chips to choose from, there was a lot of variety in how you approached battles, and it gave the games a lot of replay value on that alone. 

But Battle Network was not everyone’s cup of tea. Despite apparently being successful enough to warrant the creation of several spinoff titles, the Battle Network series never achieved major mainstream success. Nevertheless, it has remained a cult classic for over 20 years. 

The GBA versions of the game found themselves a modern home thanks to the Wii U Virtual Console back in 2015, but other than that, the series has laid dormant. Until now. 

Battle Network in 2023

Five months ago, Capcom, at the Nintendo Direct Mini showcase, confirmed that the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection was finally coming with the first reveal trailer. On December 13, at Tokyo Game Show 2022, Capcom blessed Battle Network fans with a second reveal trailer and a release date: April 14, 2023

The Legacy Collection will be available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC. It won’t be a simple graphical upgrade, either. Instead, it’s coming with a host of new features. 

Revamp Online Battling

The Legacy Collection will have enhanced online battling functionality, allowing players to battle each other from every corner of the world in private or public matches. 

Private matches will be for personal bragging rights or casual competitive play. Public matches will be the center stage for the new ranked ladder grind for those who want to compete for the right to call themselves the number 1 Net Battler. 

Mega Man Battle Network still has an extremely active competitive scene, with the N1 Grand Prix being the most prominent Battle Network competition. With the Legacy Collection set to streamline online play, it’s only going to ramp up even further. 

New Trading Features

Anyone who has played a Battle Network game knows how tedious it can be to acquire a battle chip with a specific letter code. 

The Legacy Collection is going to help alleviate the pains of the battle chip grind with a new battle chip trading system. Don’t have a MagCoil but want one for your battle chip folder? Trade someone for one of theirs.

You’ll also be able to download some special battle chips. The Battle Network series had some hard/impossible-to-obtain event battle chips that were all very powerful. The Legacy Collection will allow you to acquire these 15 battle chips, including favorites like the Gospel chips and BassGS. Even for veterans of the franchise, this will be the first time some people will ever use these. 

There will also be game-specific Style and Program trade functionality to allow you to swap around Mega Man’s Style Change or programs. With online battling set to be fiercer than ever before, the easier it is to optimize your Mega Man, the sooner you can join the fun. 

You’ll also be able to compare battle chip data with your friends to complete your Data_Library (Battle Network’s version of a Pokedex). For Battle Network 3-6, you can order battle chips from Higsby’s shop so long as you have them registered in your Data_Library. 

The Best Versions of Every Game

The Legacy Collection will feature all 10 main games in the Battle Network library:

Mega Man Battle Network

Mega Man Battle Network 2

Mega Man Battle Network 3 White

Mega Man Battle Network 3 Blue

Mega Man Battle Network 4 Blue Moon

Mega Man Battle Network 4 Red Sun

Mega Man Battle Network 5 Team Protoman

Mega Man Battle Network 5 Team Colonel

Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Gregar

Mega Man Battle Network 5 Cybeast Falzar

And here’s one last bit of information that should please every Battle Network fan out there: The Legacy Collection is based on the Japanese versions of the games. The global versions of some of the Battle Network games did not include all available content, like the Solar Boy Django Crossover Event from Battle Network 6. The Legacy Collection will allow all fans to enjoy every bit of Battle Network ever released. Count me in. 

Bonus Goodies

The Legacy Collection will have a hub similar to the interface of a PET. Mega Man himself will help you navigate this interface and get you where you need to go. 

The hub will include an art gallery with over 1000 art pieces from Battle Network’s history and a music player with over 188 Battle Network songs. 

Pre-order Now

You can pre-order the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection right now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam. The physical copies of the Legacy Collection will include all ten games. For those making digital purchases, you can opt to purchase just Vol 1. or Vol 2. of the Legacy Collection. Vol 1 has the first three games and Vol 2. has the last three games.

The complete collection is $59.99, and both Vol 1. and Vol 2. cost $39.99. Those who pre-order will receive four additional tracks for their PET music player and the Hub Style and Dark Mega Man skins for their Mega Man NetNavi avatar. 

It’s a great time to be a Mega Man fan.