Mega Man & Bass

About

Mega Man & Bass swaps the usual solo heroics for a tag-team approach letting you switch between Mega Man and his rival Bass across 12 stages of robot warfare. The story follows Dr. Wily and Dr. Light uniting against King a rogue AI claiming robotic superiority. Players battle through themed levels collecting weapon upgrades and using each character’s unique moveset. Fast horizontal scrolling and tight shooting mechanics keep the action snappy though the lack of checkpoints adds tension. The game stands out for letting Bass take center stage for the first time with his faster speed and different special moves. Critics noted the balanced difficulty and creative level designs like a museum filled with explosive exhibits. Originally Japan-only it found wider audiences through the Game Boy Advance port. The 1998 Super Famicom release remains a cult favorite among series purists for its pixel-perfect controls and punchy boss fights.

Storyline

After Mega Man 8, Dr. Wily's whereabouts were still unknown, and he built a new castle to prepare his comeback. But a robot calling himself King appeared planning to conquer the Earth, believed that robots were not meant to simply serve humans, but rather that they were superior and therefore should rule the Earth. King ousted Dr. Wily from his own new castle, and he stole the data of robots created by Dr. Wily and Dr. Light to form his own robot army. To stop King, Dr. Wily and Light made a truce and sent Mega Man and Bass to put a stop to King's rebellion. When King attacked a robot museum to gather its data for his army, Proto Man attempted to stop him, but King cut him in half with his axe and he is sent to Dr. Light's Laboratory for repairs. Mega Man/Bass confronted King, but he withdrew, claiming not to have time for them, and left the Green Devil to take care of them. Mega Man and Bass set out to put a stop to King's plans.