This is the final part of my 100 point run of Mega Man Zero. It’s time to storm Neo Arcadia, starting by traversing the shrine, climbing the perilously hazardous tower and ending with the signature boss gauntlet before taking on Copy X. These three stages represent the best of what Z1 has to offer in stage design, challenging yet fair obstacles are strewn about, and overcoming them is incredibly satisfying. Here are the details for this part.
-The Neo Arcadia Shrine is a joy to play. Three miniature levels are present within, each punctuated by their own boss fight. The result is a short gauntlet that feels refreshing to traverse, aided in particular by the fact that the bosses are all highly unique and demand tailored approaches. The first of the triad are the Pantheon Aces, these elite soldiers lack a health bar and therefore can be dealt with in a multitude of ways. Rather than defaulting to my usual strategy of damage stacking with the charged slash and Shield Boomerang, the now fully fledged pogo addict within me decided to see just how far the battle can be pushed using only the pogo. As it turns out, precision pogos can keep Zero out of firing range while simultaneously dismantling the Aces, a sublime result. The middle guard is Asura Basura, not an overly complicated battle, but highly kinetic. His propensity to jump away from Zero after taking damage results in a chasedown styled fight filled with quick slashes and stabs to counter Asura’s attempts at offense. The main boss, Herculious Anchus, is improv heaven. His pattern is conducive to reaction based gameplay, read him correctly and you’re rewarded with numerous openings to jump, slash and pogo all over the arena. Overall, this is a strong contender for one of my favorite stages in the series.
-For the Neo Arcadia Tower, I decided to undertake the challenge of clearing it using only the Triple Rod while also destroying every enemy along the way. The level is populated with numerous enemies that are either airborne, clinging to walls or sequestered in difficult to reach locations, so I figured that it was a perfect chance for me to showcase the Triple Rod’s advantages over the Z-Saber in terms of range. At the same time, missing repeatedly with the Triple Rod gives the appearance of wildly flailing about, so practice is required to land clean, precise strikes. The latter half of the climb is highly oppressive, requiring painfully specific maneuvering to avoid damage. I want to bring attention to a moment during the electric block section where I hang off the bottom left edge of a block for a split second before engaging the Seal Cannon on the right wall. Though it may seem so, that action is not accidental. During practice I discovered that performing this exact movement synchronizes the rest of the electric block cycles perfectly, giving me the exact rhythm needed to press forward unscathed. The level is filled with a myriad of minute intricacies like that, so even a momentary slip in focus results in failure. As for the boss, the Triple Rod is rather well suited to countering Rainbow Devil. It’s primary attack pattern is to form a head shape and bounce around the room, using the Triple Rod to force mitosis is ideal since you can combo stabs after it lands.
-Neo Arcadia Core, the level itself is the usual consistency check mixed with a few platforming sectors. The refights play out mostly the same, with only a few differences. Stagroff falls to a simple combo loop, Maha gets stunlocked, and Phantom is all improv. The real issue is the hyperactive maniac waiting at the end of it all. Copy X is extremely agile, letting him out of your sight for even a second can grant you a ticket to contact damage central. Making matters worse, I elect to bind myself to the Triple Rod once again, using only it’s basic strikes to defeat both forms. For specific advice, attacking with the Triple Rod while he readies a Nova Strike is a great source of damage. The first hit will knock him down and you can easily follow up with a second. Keep in mind that he can initiate a Nova Strike both low and high, angle the Triple Rod in accordance. His slide can be interrupted, but it’s brutally precise. After practicing I ended up with about a 70% success rate which wasn’t high enough to commit to it. One quirk to watch out for if playing aggressively is that for whatever reason, Copy X has super armor before the slide initiates but not during. As a result it’s very easy to take contact damage if you chase too quickly, balance is key. Ice is also his most dangerous form, aim to knock him out of it ASAP. Seraph X is comparatively simple, pogos make their final impact here, allowing you to dodge his flames and lasers while dealing damage.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Neo Arcadia Shrine | Pantheon Aces | Asura Basura | Herculious Anchus
03:39 - Neo Arcadia Tower | Rainbow Devil
06:11 - Neo Arcadia Core | Copy X
Hope you enjoyed this run! Feel free to leave comments and questions.