Mega Man Battle Network 6, known as Rockman EXE 6[1] (ロックマンエグゼ6 Rokkuman Eguze Shikkusu) in Japan, is the sixth and final installment in the mainline Mega Man Battle Network series by Capcom released on the Game Boy Advance. It was released in two versions: Cybeast Gregar and Cybeast Falzar, known as Cyber Beast Glaga[1] (電脳獣グレイガ Dennō Jū Gureiga) and Cyber Beast Falzer[1] (電脳獣ファルザー Dennō Jū Faruzā) in Japan. They introduced several new characters, the Cross System and Beast Out as Lan Hikari and MegaMan uncover the history of the Cybeasts Gregar and Falzar.
Though Battle Network 6 ended the story, a final title, Rockman.EXE Legend of Network for cellphones, was released exclusively for Japan the following year.
Story elements from Battle Network 6 were loosely adapted for the Rockman.EXE Beast and Rockman.EXE Beast+ anime seasons.
Introduction[]
Direct from Instruction Manual
Thanks to Lan Hikari's efforts, the evil aspirations of Dr. Regal, the leader of the Dark Chip Syndicate "Nebula", have come to a screeching halt, and peace has been restored to the world once again.
Lan has since returned to his normal daily life, hanging out with all his friends. Graduation from elementary school seems to be right around the corner. But that all changes one day when Ms. Mari, Lan's Teacher, tells the class she has sad news. "One of your fellow classmates is moving to another school," she says, calling Lan to the front of the class.
To the class, Lan explains, "...Um, my Dad got transferred, so my family has to move. I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys."
The next Sunday...with everything packed and ready to move, Lan's friends gather around him. Mayl shyly begins to talk. "Lan, I...was just thinking how great it would be if we could graduate from elementary school together, and then go to junior high school together... it'd be so nice.... being together... always... (sniffle)"
"Mayl..." says Lan, completely surprised.
"I'm sorry...I told myself I wouldn't cry."
"We'll see each other again, and I'll definitely be back someday! So, don't cry...(sniffle)"
"Yeah"
"I'm glad you understand. Well, everyone, I better get going. Take care!" And with that, with Lan waving from the back seat, his parent's car heads off for Cyber City where a host of new Adventures awaits.
Playable characters[]
Main[]
- Lan Hikari, a 6th-grader who just moved from ACDC Town to Cyber City. Lan's grades aren't the best, but his Virus Busting skills are top notch. He's already saved the world 5 times from Net mafias.
- MegaMan is Lan's NetNavi, a virtual person who can explore the second reality that the Internet has become. In a NetBattle, Lan and MegaMan make a powerful team.
[]
Link Navis (リンクナビ Rinku Nabi) are NetNavis of other characters that Lan can operate. Each Link Navi can remove specific obstacles in the internet, has their own Charge Shot, and one exclusive Battle Chip. Their maximum HP increases by 100 as the story progresses, with a max of 800 HP. Except for Custom 1, Mega Folder 1 and Giga Folder 1, Navi Customizer programs are disabled.
Gregar version[]
- HeatMan returns from Mega Man Battle Network 2 as the Fire-element NetNavi of Mr. Match, who now works as a new teacher in Cyber City. He is Lan's first Link Navi in the Gregar version. He can remove Fire and Tree obstacles on the Net.
- SlashMan is the Sword-element NetNavi of Pat Fahran. He helps Pat gather ingredients and in her cooking, using his giant claws as knives. He can remove Tree and Tornado obstacles on the Net.
- ElecMan returns from the first Mega Man Battle Network, this time operated by Count Zap's wife, Ann Zap. The Elec-element NetNavi makes up for the crimes committed whilst he was in the World Three organization by maintaining the lighting in Sky Area. He can remove Water and Cloud obstacles on the Net.
- EraseMan is the Cursor-element NetNavi of Dark Scyth. He and Dark Scythe are assassins, having been trained by Dusk, operator of ShadowMan. He can remove Water and Cloud obstacles on the Net.
- ChargeMan is the Fire-element NetNavi of Al Ferry. He runs a railway express through the Net, transporting goods and Navis. He can remove Fire and Tornado obstacles on the Net.
Falzar version[]
- AquaMan (SpoutMan) returns from Mega Man Battle Network 4: Blue Moon, once again operated by Shuko Kido. This Aqua NetNavi helps Shuko with her part-time job at the aquarium, which she takes up in order to support her brothers, and is Lan's first Link Navi in the Falzar version. He can remove Water and Fire obstacles on the Net.
- TenguMan is the NetNavi of Master Feng-Tian. He helps out Feng-Tian's apprentices master the use of the Wind. He can remove Fire and Tornado obstacles on the Net.
- TomahawkMan returns from Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Colonel, still operated by Dingo. This time, the Wood-element NetNavi assists Dingo in introducing people to the cultures of his home town. He can remove Cloud and Tree obstacles on the Net.
- GroundMan is the Break-element NetNavi of Moliarty. He aids Moliarty in his work by drilling through rocks and other obstacles throughout the Net. He can remove Water and Tree obstacles on the Net.
- DustMan is the Break-element NetNavi of Mr. Press, and is in charge of recycling the trash throughout the Net. He can remove Tornado and Cloud obstacles on the Net.
Features[]
Battle changes[]
Various effects have been changed from the previous installments. Enemies on Ice panels no longer take double damage from Elec attacks, but now get the freeze status effect (a condition from the first game) when hit with an Aqua attack. Enemies in Freeze status take double damage from Breaking type attacks.
Another new status effect is "Bubble", normally caused by the Bubble Star chip series (this status effect became common in the Mega Man Star Force series). Enemies will be encased in a bubble, unable to act, and will take double damage from the next Elec attack.
Lava, Sand, and Water panels do not make a return; however, other new panel types exist. The chips "Coming" and "Going" Roads make draw panels, which do as the name describe. Another panel, which is rare and cannot be made via chips is the Geyser, which periodically causes fire damage to those standing on top of it and may be removed if hit by an Aqua attack. The Geyser panels also have an attack pattern in which they alternate between the player's field area and the enemies' area.
Battle chip exclusive to Link Navis can now trigger counter hit when used at the right timing, allowing for 2x damage for next chip. This was not possible in Battle Network 5.
Folder building[]
Chips are now restricted depending on their MB size, and this has hence resulted in many chips (mostly non-boss chips) coming from being Mega chips to Standard chips now, allowing the player to load more Navi chips into the folder. A Tag System also has been introduced, where the two selected chips (both chips' capacities must not exceed 60MB) are "tagged" and always appear with each other in the Custom Screen. Additionally, a notable number of chips have been given the * code, inclusive of some Navi chips, allowing more fluid unicode folders to be constructed in the game, and some * Navi chips are required for Program Advances. These Navi chips include ProtoMan, Colonel, and Bass chips. The Program Advance chips for some of these program advances are WideBlade B, LongSword B and ProtoMan SP B for Double Hero, Voodoo Doll and Bass for Gospel breath.
Cross System[]
The Cross System is similar in concept to the Double Soul from previous games, in that MegaMan merges with another Navi (referred to as a Link Navi), but it does not use any Battle Chip sacrifices, and may last for the entire battle unless MegaMan is hit with an attack the Cross is weak to, in which case he takes double damage and loses the cross for the rest of the battle.
Beast Out and Beast Over[]
Beast Out is when MegaMan absorbs a Cybeast, either Gregar or Falzar, to become Gregar/Falzar Beast MegaMan. During Beast Out, MegaMan gains several abilities, inclusive of a rapid-fire buster, and chips being auto-targeted so short-range chips become more useful. He can also charge non-elemental chips to unleash the Beast Out's special attack. When used with a Cross, this forms a Cross Beast, with the benefits given by the Cross and the Cross Beast having its own unique special attack. Beast Out can also utilize Full Synchro.
Beast Over occurs when a Beast Out or Cross Beast expires due to the Emotion Window counter running out, MegaMan entering a "Tired" state. In this state, he cannot achieve Full Synchro at all (though he can still use Crosses), but gains the option to use Beast Over. In this state, MegaMan becomes fully uncontrollable for the following turn, becoming invincible and randomly jumping about, firing the buster, and using loaded chips with double the attack power.
Removed Features[]
With the Boktai series' dwindling popularity in the US, Konami decided to not release an North American and European versions of the third game.
Due to compromising with their limited low-cost GBA cart size, Capcom opted to remove most of the Boktai related elements in the game. Gun del Sol EX, Otenko, Django 1-3, and Count1-3 were chips that were removed from the international versions. Some, however, can be obtained via Gold Mystery Datas (which Capcom forgot to remove). Django and the Count chips can be obtained via chips, but both freeze the game. The Program Advance "Crossover" (Django1, Django2, and Django3 in order) still function. It, and Otenko, however, use a white dot rather than the actual sprite. Interestingly though, the Standard GunDelSol chips still exists normally in the game, as well as the Bat Key and Solar Boy Django/Sol Trance poster in Lan's room.
Another removed feature was additional areas in the game, as well as the area maps located throughout the Net for navigation. The Boktai area, Immortal Area was removed. Undernet 3 and Graveyard 1 were also removed for unknown reasons, since it is unrelated to Boktai (likely due to limited cart space). Graveyard 2 remained, renamed simply as "Graveyard". The Bat Key was given a different function. It opened the Immortal Area in the Japanese version. In International versions, it opens a purple gate in the Graveyard which has the Attack MAX NaviCust Part, which was an e-Reader Item Card in the original Japanese. A number of items and enemies have been shifted around so the player can still complete the game, notably a new Net Merchant in Undernet Zero.
The Japanese game had many features that were locked away using the Card e-Reader+ peripheral. The international games has changed it so e-Reader Request BBS jobs and some exclusive Item Cards can be earned normally in-game. The Modification Cards however, are completely removed.
All removed features from the localized version of Battle Network 6 were re-added in the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection.
Others[]
Inside computers where boss fights will occur, a panel with a skull image precedes the boss's zone (with the following cutscene normally triggering immediately after crossing it) warning the player of the incoming battle. This feature was also carried over to the Mega Man Star Force series.
Boss characters[]
The game has 7 chapters[2] with bosses at the end. There are also side bosses in certain chapters. For this game, certain bosses are only fightable in a specific version. They are denoted by a split of this manner: “Cybeast Gregar-exclusive”/“Cybeast Falzar-exclusive”.
Optional bosses:
- SlashMan/TenguMan (Since chapter 4)
- ElecMan/TomahawkMan (Since chapter 5)
- EraseMan/GroundMan (Since chapter 6)
- ChargeMan/DustMan (Since chapter 6)
Post-game bosses:
- ProtoMan
- Bass (can be fought earlier as an option, but mandatory to complete post-game)
- Count (not available in the US and European Game Boy Advance versions)
Release Notes[]
- In Japan, both versions of the game had a special edition called Rockman EXE6 Cyber Beast Glaga: Beast Link Gate Deluxe Edition (ロックマン エグゼ6 電脳獣グレイガ ビーストリンクゲートDX(デラックス)エディション) and Rockman EXE6 Cyber Beast Falzer: Beast Link Gate Deluxe Edition (ロックマンエグゼ6 電脳獣ファルザー ビーストリンクゲートDX(デラックス)エディション), the bundle included a Beast Link Gate "Netto Version" (ビーストリンクゲート「熱斗バージョン」), Link Battle Chips (Blues, Black Bomb, Blizzard Ball, Colonel Army), and a Link PET_EX jacket.[3][4]
Development Notes[]
- Mega Man Battle Network 6 was only decided to be the final game of the series midway through development, as a reaction to make a new series for the next game system. So the many graphical changes (including MegaMan's brand new battle sprites), were only used for this game.[5]. While writing for Battle Network 5, writer Masakazu Eguchi didn't know BN6 would be the finale[6].
- The ending of the game was purposefully done to not include the adult cast to convey the message of the children bearing the next generation[6].
- The Folder limits were redone due to Director Masahiro Yasuma wanting to re-evaluate Navi Chips. Unsatisfied with tournament players using plain Mega Chips like Full Custom, he wanted to go back to putting in Navi Chips like assembling a team. To balance powerful chips like Life Aura, they implemented a capacity limit[6].
- The power of evil was removed in Battle Network 6 due to the uncontrollability concept overlapping with Beast Out[6].
- Some screenshots in Rockman EXE series official website show the Progress PET icon instead of the Link PET. This is a common occurance before they finalize the PET's design.
Officially Acknowledged Issues[]
- While most Battle Network games have the Incident Occurrence music disappear once the final boss is beaten, this game is notorious for retaining it as it will be the only music to play in the postgame while playing as Lan. Capcom had to address this common complaint in an FAQ[7]. This complaint was prevalent enough to be mentioned by the presenter and fan, Hajime Shachou, at Tokyo Game Show 2022’s Capcom TV stream for the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, and was fixed in that release.
Gallery[]
Boxart[]
Logos[]
Promotional Art[]
Merchandise[]
Video[]
Trivia[]
- While the soft resetting for most Battle Network games takes the player back to the title screen, this game begins at the CAPCOM screen. This change is due to the game checking for the Wireless Adapter and the Beast Link Gate at a different time than other games.
- Out of all the original Crosses, there are no Navis from Mega Man Battle Network 3 to provide a Cross.
- In Lan's room the player will notice that there is a poster of a dog howling. That dog is Gow, from Mega Man Battle Network 5.
- A number of characters return or related to past organizations:
- In Gregar, there are three Navis and operators related to WWW and Gospel: HeatMan, ElecMan, and EraseMan (Dark Scyth being the apprentice of Dusk).
- One Operator in both versions have either ties or came from Team Colonel (Dark Scyth in Gregar due to being an apprentice of Dusk, and Dingo who was the former member of Team Colonel).
- This is the game with most references and counterparts from the Mega Man X series. With Mayor Cain being the mayor from Cyber City and the presence of Iris and Colonel in the main plot, with the two also being "siblings" in this universe as well.
- This is the only game in which the final boss is determined by its version.
- With the destruction of the Dark Chip Factory in Mega Man Battle Network 5, Dark Chips are all but gone. Creating a rippling effect to the game systems:
- Battle Chips which used to be exclusive only to Evil emotion MegaMan in previous games (e.g. Anubis, Muramasa and Static) can be used by normal MegaMan now.
- Dark Chip-esque Giga Chip featuring Bugriser is available which modifies the player's charge shot to an extremely powerful attack, only that it depletes BugFrags rather than HP.
- The removal of the DS Navi Chips, is replaced by the V1/V2/V3 and V1/EX/SP system for Navi Chips.
- Content from this game was present in the first version of Spinjitzu Smash!, a Ninjago flash game that was on its official site and had gameplay similar to the Mega Man Battle Network series.[10]
See also[]
- List of Mega Man Battle Network 6 Battle Chips
- List of Mega Man Battle Network 6 enemies
- List of Mega Man Battle Network 6 upgrades
- Mega Man Battle Network 6 Walkthrough
External links[]
- Rockman EXE 6: Cyber Beast Glaga instruction manual at Nintendo
- Rockman EXE 6: Cyber Beast Falzer instruction manual at Nintendo
- Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Gregar European manual at Nintendo
- Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Falzar European manual at Nintendo
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rockman EXE no Subete
- ↑ Rockman EXE no Subete
- ↑ Capcom Site on EXE6 DX Edition
- ↑ EXE6 DX Edition press release
- ↑ inside-games Rockman EXE 15th Anniversary Special Staff Discussion pg.2
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Rockman EXE 6 Ultimate Navigation COMP interview (English translation)
- ↑ Capcom Support FAQ: After beating the final boss, selecting "Continue" will start from the state before its defeat (2nd run does not start) / BGM does not change
- ↑ Capcom USA News post
- ↑ Rockman-Unity post
- ↑ The Cutting Room Floor: LEGO Ninjago: Spinjitzu Smash