31/40

By Charles - March 15th, 2026

Mega Man 5 always felt like one of the more boring titles in the NES series, but playing it through for a review made me appreciate this game a lot more. I never realized how much it did with the NES hardware!

Mega Man 5

NES, 1992

~$3700 Sealed

~$200 Used

Other Releases:

Virtual Console

Mega Man Legacy Collection

Mega Man Anniversary Collection

Presentation

8

Mega Man 5 has fantastic graphics once again, and somehow they're even more detailed than last time. It feels like there is more dimension to these backgrounds, especially in the Proto Man stages. Mega Man 5 succeeds in utilizing a lot of unique colour schemes and level designs - they all feel different. The music is pretty good, but just like in 4, the soundfront used is somewhat weak. It's a little better but is cancelled out by weaker composition. There are also less tracks in the game. The menus are much better since the health bar-filling issue is fixed.

Bosses look great but have weak weapons.

Controls

9

Mega Man 5 updates the charge shot a bit and it feels more useful as there are more groups of enemies. In general, Mega Man still controls well. Rush has been updated - the Rush Marine is gone and the Rush Coil gets a great new upgrade. Instead of being a trampoline, Rush jumps up as a platform, more like a double jump. This is fantastic and is way harder to mess up. In the place of the Rush Marine is the Super Arrow, which flies across the screen before sticking to a wall. You can stand on it both on a wall and in midair, and it can also be used to damage enemies. Mega Man 5 adds some really cool items that, while not absolute game-changers, make things feel fresh. Unfortunately, the Special Weapons are absolutely awful and the Rush Jet still feels annoying to use.

Mega Man gets to try out some new equipment.

Content

6

As expected, Mega Man 5 is a short game. Once again, there are 16 levels, but now the Robot Master stages have special coins to collect - once you get all 8, you unlock Beat the Bird, who automatically attacks enemies. These are neat and add a little more depth to levels. There is also a new type of "M" Tank, which fully heals Weapon Energy. Mega Man 5 also has a semblance of a story - Proto Man has apparently gone rogue and Dr. Light has been captured. While the levels are easier than in the past 4 entries, they all feature new ideas that feel fresh and not gimmicky. There are some things in Mega Man 5 that Mario was never able to do on the NES. Level design is also way better with more complex rooms.

Backgrounds look layered with unique colours.

Fun Factor

8

Mega Man 5 is a really fun game with a lot of great level ideas and new game elements. It's definitely a little easy, but it's the type of difficulty that adds to the replay value. It's not a cake-walk but doesn't have any frustrating sections. The music is decent, although a bit annoying here. These shortcomings have to be considered, but they don't overshadow the good aspects of 5 as much as they did for Mega Man 4. 5 really feels like an adventure - it's creative and isn't just another one in the series. I think Mega Man 5 might be the most underrated NES Mega Man.

Mega Man 5 has some really fun level ideas.

Worth the Time?

Worth the Money?

Mega Man 5 is really fun. I think you're missing out if you skip this game. It's easy enough so you will finish it pretty quickly.

Just like Mega Man 4, this isn't a particularly iconic game in the series. Stick to the Legacy Collection.

Screenshots from [Mega Man X Legacy Collection] © [Capcom/Capcom], used for review purposes.