Category:Mega Man Zero

Mega Man Zero is a spin-off of the Mega Man series. In the starting idea of the director was that Mega Man Zero 1 should have been the direct sequel of Mega Man X5; this idea was abandoned when Capcom published Mega Man X6.

Gameplay
The Mega Man Zero series starts as a clear break-out from the gameplay of previous Mega Man games, but it gradually comes back to the original schemes, still adding some innovations.

In Mega Man Zero 1 there are several elements in common with Role-Playing video games: it is important to talk to different non-playable characters in order to get some important items and Zero's weapons gain levels in a fashion similar to experience points. But the main difference is that almost all stages are connected as in a "overworld map", and further stages are accessible only after clearing the earlier ones, or the same stage has to be rivisited for a different mission with different enemies: this is a greatest gameplay innovation introduced by Mega Man Zero 1.

In Mega Man Zero 2 there's a clear step back to the past: now the stages are accessible via teleportation, in the traditional Mega Man way. Also, Zero can now earn the special weapon of defeated bosses (with the further requirement of high score at end mission), exactly as Mega Man and Mega Man X did. Still, there is innovation: Zero can unlock "forms" that give extra abilites. Moreover, two extra modes can be unlocked: "Hard Mode", that presents an extra challenge, and "Ultimate Mode", that is a reward instead, making for an extremely easy game.

In Mega Man Zero 3 gameplay is very similar to the previous title. Now the Ultimate Mode is further developed: it is required to unlock 5 mini-games. The "forms" from the previous title are replaced by new with very similar effects.

With Mega Man Zero 4 the process of reverting back to the origins of Mega Man is completed: all 8 enemy stages are accessible since the beginning, and all 8 bosses always drop their special weapon to Zero. An innovation is that Zero can temporarily acquire the weapon of any defeated enemy.

Cyber-Elves
A staple of the Mega Man Zero series is the Cyber Elf system. Since Mega Man Zero 1, the hero can collect and use little helpers called "cyber-elves". These help Zero with either temporary or permanent effects, but they "die" after being used (if "die" can be applied to an artificial creature). The player has to raise the level of the most powerful of them before these can be used.

In Mega Man Zero 1 & 2 the Cyber-Elf system is pretty much identical.

In Mega Man Zero 3 a large portion of Elves can "survive" being used, but only 2 of these can be equipped at the same time. Cyber-elves can be changed between stages only.

In Mega Man Zero 4 the system is greatly changed: there is just one durable Cyber-Elf who can progressively acquire 18 different abilities, but Zero can still choose only 3 abilities to be used in each stage.

Stages structure
All the four Mega Man Zero games feature exactly 16 stages, with similar structure. This structure is also similar to most games in the Mega Man series.
 * 1 or 2 Introductory stages;
 * 8 to 11 selectable stages, typically divided in groups of 4;
 * 1 or 2 Intermediate stages, after the first 4 selectable stage have been cleared;
 * 2 to 5 final stages.