Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Protoman

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⭐4/10

It's hard to admit but this game was excruciating. I remember it being one of my favorite games in the series as a kid, but it really doesn't hold up. It's a shame because they switch up the formula a bit and I think the additions are a big hit. But they also take away so much of what makes the previous games special. 

The game has a huge, bizarre visual downgrade, and I guess it was to save storage space so they could add what they wanted, but I'm not sure it was worth it. It looks pretty bad. But the bigger issue is the progression, or lack thereof, with no ability to get better chips as you go along which is kinda the whole exciting gameplay loop of the previous. It's very static and boring, and you end up using the same chips through your entire playthrough. 

All of that would have been manageable, but then they commit the final sin of ramping up the random encounters which is such a terrible, brainless choice. It makes it nearly unplayable for adults with a life, and it took me two months to finish this short game, playing in 15 minute spurts before I got too frustrated and set it aside. I didn't even touch the postgame. 

So yeah, this game made a lot of improvements. The soul system is cool, the liberation missions are awesome, but everything else makes this game torture to play at times. 

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