This is a spinoff of a spinoff. Instead of a card strategy game thing, this game harkens back to the classic Mega Man series by bringing back the traditional 2D action platforming gameplay the series is known for. Even though this game goes back to a familiar formula, somehow this game ended up making me feel like I would rather play BN1 again during certain stretches.

• I didn't mention this when I talked about BN1, but there were a lot of callbacks to the older series. Robot masters from the OG series got redesigns which was neato. This game continues the references with its stage designs and by more redesigns of characters from other series. Even the X series gets a callback.
• This game added the ability to set a default chip, so that as long as you have that chip in your inventory, it would always show up in your draw. This is a neat idea that I think they could've taken further. I think it would've been nice if you could set multiple chips as a default as long as they wouldn't exceed the storage amount.

• Horribly balanced. It goes from brutally hard, to a cakewalk, to pretty difficult again. Enemies having shields that will just block anything you throw at them is incredibly annoying. It doesn't help that their window of vulnerability is pretty tight.
• The chip system is super annoying. They did a good job reimagining the battle network chip system into a 2D game, but it feels more tedious than fun. Early on, you are going to be super reliant on the chips to do any meaningful damage. This becomes a problem when you are limited by both MP and by the amount of chips you have. I get the need to balance out more powerful chips with higher MP costs, but when those chips are limited in use and already have a lower deck capacity, it feels like a mechanic that bogs down the game. Another issue I have with the chip system is that unlike in BN where your deck refills after each battle, this game only refills your deck after you jack out. You don't even get your deck refilled after you use a continue, so you could get rocked by a boss and be helpless for the rematch because you used up all of your powerful chips. Getting powerful chips is also less exciting when you realize that you only get 1 use per chip, so if you actually want to use that new chip practically, you have to get multiple copies of that chip. Another problem with the chip system is how slowly the custom gauge fills. When the gameplay is DEPENDENT on using chips to break auras and shields, waiting for the custom gauge to fill up to even see if you have a chance to do damage detracts from the experience just because of how long it takes. It also sucked that a lot of mobility and stage traversal was dependent on chips. It would've been more convenient if Mega Man just had those innate abilities so you wouldn't have to wait around for the custom gauge to fill up for the chance to see the chip you needed.
• Lack of QoL. Still no map and no checklists for stage collectibles. I've definitely been spoiled by modern convention.

Two games back to back that I found pretty dreadful. I'm hoping that I enjoy the next game because I see the potential of this sub-series, but so far the execution has been lacking.