Rockman EXE WS (Wonderswan Color) English Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthrough of Bandai's 2003 platformer for the Bandai Wonderswan Color, Rockman EXE WS.
This video is entirely in English thanks to a fan-made translation patch. It has been retitled Mega Man Battle Network WS to align it with the English naming conventions.
It shows two different runs in order to cover all of the different bosses and the special stage: one on normal, and one on hard. I finished with a 97% overall completion rate.
Rockman EXE WS is a part of the series known as Mega Man Battle Network in the west, but it was only ever released on the WSC, and only in Japanese.
It's a action platformer, similar to Mega Man Network Transmission on GameCube, and is the second Mega Man platformer on the WonderSwan following the 1999 Rockman & Forte title ( • Rockman & Forte: Mirai... ).
And it's certainly novel. It's cool to have an action game set in the Mega Man RPG universe, but it doesn't ever feel completely like Mega Man. The levels are full of split paths and hidden items, many robot masters of old appear in restylized forms, and it does a really nice job of incorporating the Battle Network power-up chips into the game play, but something just doesn't feel right about how it all fits together. Maybe it's how much it more leans towards Mega Man Zero's style of play than the style of the X and original series.
I did like the plot scenes. Though they didn't do much for the already simple plot, there are bright and colorful, and match the GBA RPG series' aesthetic well. Lan is a bit of a tool, but that should surprise nobody by now.
The game is uncharacteristically easy for a MM game, until you hit one of the occasions where the difficulty just spikes massively and without warning for a boss or platforming segment (Pharoah Man can go get hit by a truck for all I care at this point!) for no discernable reason. It's also oddly linear for a MM game. Each stage does has multiple paths, but instead choosing with a stage select menu, you get something more akin to Outrun with it's A-or-B path choices.
I really did like the graphics on this one. They're ridiculously animated and super goofy, but they made a nice departure from the cutesy main-series style, and they look much better than Rockman & Forte's sprites did. The music is also pretty good, though it's never as catchy as Capcom's tunes tend to be.
Overall, Rockman EXE WS is no lost classic, per se, but if love Mega Man and want to see one of the series' more exotic entries, this one will definitely entertain you for awhile. It's nowhere near as good as most of the mainline Mega Man games, but it's still a decent platformer that you'll have fun with if you can keep an open mind.
But it does still weird me out a little bit, I gotta admit. A Mega Man game developed by Tose for Bandai under license from Capcom for Gunpei Yokoi's non-Nintendo successor to the Game Boy - how does that even happen?
*Recorded using LCD shaders in Retroarch.
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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[@supper_e1823]

Not only is it a mega man battle network game, but also a platforming one too! I’ll have to try this one out at some point!

[@Dorian_Scott]

This is a solid game, and although it doesn't capture the magic of Capcom's Mega Man titles, this is still an enjoyable experience!

[@tiend15]

Shame the Wonderswan never came to the United States. It's really cool that handheld consoles got great exclusives. Neo Geo Pocket, Gameboy Advance, Wonderswan!!

[@NintendoComplete]

tiend15 Seriously! Rockman Battle and Fighters on Neo Geo Pocket was incredible, have you seen my video for it? I personally did the translation:)

[@kidrobot.]

what exclusives did it get??

[@dreamcastdazia4753]

@@kidrobot. A lot. Like the game in this video for example

[@charaznableplays2110]

This game looks quite good.....Whats more amusing its that it uses the Opening Theme of The Anime as The Title Screen theme....

[@NintendoComplete]

This Wonderswan-exclusive might not match the quality and polish of Capcom's own Mega Man games, but it's a solid platformer that'll entertain as long as you keep your expectations in check.

[@Dorian_Scott]

That's What I Said!

[@ExtremeWreck]

NintendoComplete Not really XD.

[@kevinvu5432]

I believe it did came out in the US but it got renamed

[@NintendoComplete]

Kevin Vu It was a Wonderswan exclusive and the Wonderswan was never released in America.

[@kevinvu5432]

NintendoComplete I was confusing it for Megaman battle chip challenge which was originally released on the wonderswan but when ported to us, it was moved to GBA. Trust me I know all about the wonderswan.

[@DeskoDev]

Yep, I guess this really is a Mega Man Marathon. Awesome!

[@auralunaprettycure]

This looks absolutely beautiful, I'm shocked by the quality of games on Wonderswan Color they honestly look gsmeboy advance or perhaps SNES esque (it visually reminds me of Mega Man X!)

[@xoXDonnieXox]

How tf did I not know this existed?!?!. I'm an avid battle network and X fan but I didnt know shit about this. I'm disappointed in myself

[@plentyofpaper]

I did not know this game existed. Add another to my list of games to catch up on!

[@kaizer3000jp]

Cool! Megaman exe with classic megaman gameplay!!

[@Waluigiman]

There was one on the Gamecube called Network Transmission too.

[@GardevoirBoy]

Game Boy Advance was introduced, the lifespan of the Wonderswan Color fell dramatically. Of course, Gunpei Yokoi designed both the Game Boy and Wonderswan. Too bad he didn't finish the Wonderswan.

[@HsienKoMeiLingFormerYANG]

Recall after disastrous that knowledge as Virtual Boy.

[@katkid2405]

This and Network Transmission... are the only games on the series i haven't beat yet... nice playthrough though.

[@angelriverasantana7755]

Whaddup, Alfonso!

[@willytor7899]

have you played 4.5 and battlechip challenge?

[@MrVariant]

Thanks for the description lol Pharoah Man a badass like the ruby spears cartoon. Shame this and network transmission for GameCube won't be on the mmbn legacy collection.

[@amso7169]

trust me, you don’t want network transmission

[@MrVariant]

@@amso7169 I beat it and liked it back in the day (it was tough) let alone even if you think it's bad, preservation helps a ton like tmnt cowabunga collection having quality of life to improve the nes and game boy games. Even showed me Raphael is useful with his short range when attacking in mid air that I did a vid on.

[@HsienKoMeiLingFormerYANG]

This Japanese WS only-exclusive should port over well wide open GBA-exclusive platform. Come on now, Even Megaman and Bass was largely forgettable on Super Famicom (SNES) around 1999. Capcom never let game such Classic Megaman GB Collection, Rockman.EXE remake (Starforce crossover) for solid international release on 2009 and lastly BN4: Double Sun & Moon enhances remastered alongside bonus 4.5 real operations mode.

[@FeuilleOSC]

If this game would not exist, Megaman.EXE would be called like this

[@foughtthelol]

Wow! A Mega Man sidescroller with a progressing plot.

[@overlordalfredo]

I own the physical Rockman games for Wonderswan, but I was always looking for an english translation. *Do you have a good source to check out for Wonderswan Emulation and such fan-translations?*

[@PippinFisherreed]

It’s on the archive to play, good sir and/or madam!

[@overlordalfredo]

@@PippinFisherreed what is the archive?

[@雪鷹魚英語培訓的領航]

Crazy how excellent the portraits are compared to the stilted sprite animation. Even better than GBA!

[@MultiVince95]

Brilliant

[@BonesawIsReady]

Which LCD shaders are you using for this? Looks great.

[@precto1149]

I wonder what are those +40 battle chip used for 1:15:10

[@Zyugo]

Poor AquaCustom never gets used.

[@vanesslifeygo]

I had no idea this existed. I really, really would have wished this was instead a Zero 5 or ZX 3.

[@apostolosbulgarakis3845]

Wow good job can you do this in other "battle network" games ?

[@NintendoComplete]

I'm not sure about that. Those are much longer since they're RPGs.

[@Angelina-bn5nq]

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[@inktendo]

This could-and should-have been ported to the GBA

[@kyarocksauttpathdtcatspl720]

did the wonderswan color got released in the us?

[@tamtam21801]

No

[@kyarocksauttpathdtcatspl720]

this game needs to be in the gba

[@tuvyamaeir4684]

What did you play this on and where can I do the same? Because I'm struggling with finding something with good control mapping.

[@musicvevo3521]

Cool :Dlike

[@knuclear200x]

I hope you'll playthrough those, especially clock tower

[@NintendoComplete]

knuclear2010 I might record the ones that have English patches, but most of them are way too text heavy to translate and subtitle videos of

[@DarkbluesEXE25]

Wonderswan color is GBA Bandai

[@yukatoshi]

In English? How?!

[@placebo_yue]

oh, its a completely different game than the GBA ones! to be honest i don't like those much. The battles aren't much fun and the mazes are a total nightmare. I don't undestand why there's like a dozen of those games, i could sorta understand having the first one and a sequel but that's it

[@knuclear200x]

Did the Wonderswan have anything good at all? I feel like NeoGeo Pocket had more quality titles

[@NintendoComplete]

Oh yeah, it had Final Fantasy, Saga, Front Mission, Klonoa, Romancing Saga, Clock Tower, Riviera, Kerorikan.... lots of good stuff!

[@NintendoComplete]

Oh, and can't forget Pocket Fighter

[@overlordalfredo]

@@NintendoComplete Rockman games were also really fun on the system. Also Judgement Silversword and Guity Gear Petit 1&2 were really nice. Those are also perfectly playable without Japanese knogledge.

[@jpruitt77]

@@NintendoComplete Pocket Fighter is a great game.

[@fshoaps]

Not in any way a Nintendo game to be clear.

[@lidianyrodrigues2794]

Mega man?

[@charaznableplays2110]

Megaman.exe to be exact!

[@hollowowlyt]

The animations look so weird lol

[@deatheternal720]

1:05:12 lol wat

[@NintendoComplete]

Lol got too close to the edge I guess

[@deatheternal720]

@@NintendoComplete haha. Good run. :D

[@hdofu]

get glitches that make it unplayable with this game >

[@BOLSUS]

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