While most of the world is getting excited about new PS5 games and whether Xbox is actually going to appear on Android Phones, the Retro Dodo team are still living in the 80s and 90s. I mean, the past is where the Retro Games are, so why wouldn’t we? It’s why I get so excited about ROM hacks, new versions of our favourite old adventures and classic titles that provide alternative experiences for us to work through, and there’s a brand new hack that switches up Megaman 1 with so many different features that it almost feels like a new NES release.
Some of you will have heard about modder and hacker Timaeus before; they’re the brains behind Sonic 1 Swift, the ROM hack that redesigns Sonic’s first original adventure with a bunch of new features. Well, from the Blue Blur to our favourite Blue Space Robot, Timaeus has turned their hand to Megaman 1 and created a new ROM hack ‘Law of Justice’ that improves significantly on the original game.
We’re talking new levels and weapons, brand new bosses to fight, upgraded graphics, new enemies to dispatch as you move through each level, brand-new robot masters, and a new soundtrack. It’s essentially a complete overhaul that Megaman fans will undoubtedly enjoy immersing themselves in.
I know what you’re thinking because it was the first thing that I thought about too – tell me about those new weapons. There’s a .txt file with information about the new weapons in the patch that I downloaded that tells you all about Megaman’s new arsenal, with weapons like the Disc Blade which sends a disc that goes through every enemy, and the Soul Buster that gives Megaman a second of invincibility for every enemy he hits. My favourite is the Zip Bolt, a lightening projectile that moves around Megaman and hurts enemies in his path, and the Gyro Slasher has a name that would be more suited to God of War than Megaman!
These new weapons make Megaman even gnarlier, as does the ‘stage select’ graphic showing different Megaman forms such as Boltman and Soulman. Blowman is a little questionable, but I’ll leave you to discover all about that one. I’m looking forward to having an in-depth play of this ROM hack now I’ve downloaded it and once I finish writing for the day. From what I’ve seen so far, it’s going to be a beauty!
