Experiencing a Mega Man Zero marathon [Backstory and Zero 1+2]

March 31, 2026

Apologies for the kind of silly looking text on the thumbnail - hadn't used Photoshop in a while and didn't want to delay tihs post only because I started getting perfectionist with it. It isn't a meant for a Youtube thumbnail, so I guess that I can let this fly for now.

No, not the blue one, the red one

To think that for MANY years, the Mega Man Zero series [including both ZX games] had been stuck to the GBA and DS respectively for so long until some years ago where the games finally got re-released on home platforms...although I bring that up mainly for the recognition and newer reach they can have with people, as I [of course] stuck to the tried-and-true emulation because RetroAchievements supported all the games for me to give them a try.

Now, for some quick stats about my playthroughs with them, no savestates used in any of them [only fast forward when grinding in a few places]. All of them have game completion achievements on my account at RetroAchivements, but [besides Zero 4's S-Ranks and Elf Chase + Plant Panic unlocks] the specifics aren't shown with those on the profile, so here's my own summary:

MEGA MAN ZERO Completed in Normal without Cyber-Elves, then Completed in Hard [one Cyber-Elf for health extension and two for healing at the end]
MEGA MAN ZERO 2 Completed in Normal with one Sub-Tank and no Cyber-Elves, Hard mode currently at stages after Kuwagust
MEGA MAN ZERO 3 Completed in Normal with two Sub-Tanks and no Cyber-Elves, Hard mode currently at Neo Arcadia
MEGA MAN ZERO 4 Completed in Normal with no parts used and Elf Lv0, then completed with S-Rank average with parts + lv7 Elf, Hard mode not started yet
MEGA MAN ZX Completed in Normal as Aile with two Sub-Tanks, two Life Up and Quick Charge [plus Omega defeated], Vent Normal run still WIP
MEGA MAN ZX ADVENT Died to Chronoforce, still have to get back to him lol

That's the current summary as of writing this, which could change later...but I'm saying that just to make sure that I don't HAVE to actually update this specific post for new status since this should be reflective of when I wrote this [and if I want to do an update, could do it later, dedicated posts for Z2-Z4 in Hard Mode could be interesting].

So...where do I even start with these?

My backstory with X, Zero and ZX

My two brothers had one game of either series - my oldest brother had Mega Man ZX AND ZX Advent, while the second oldest had a Mega Man Zero 4 - who had which one first is something I don't know, but it's funny how in both cases there was a catch where I never fully played through them.

In ZX and ZX Advent's case, I think I didn't want to bother my brother by asking for his cartridge, on top of [likely?] assuming he had all the save files used up, as ZX only has three slots. And if I never played ZX, then I wouldn't be playing ZX Advent. Although I think I must have tried ZX sometime for a bit when I received a R4 flashcart, but I have no memory of having got too far, maybe at most I may have seen Fistleo? But that's probably a placebo memory from having seen that fight on a video somewhere.

Zero 4 on the other hand I did quite try quite a fair amount of times...but there was a problem: Unfortunately, my brother's copy was a BOOTLEG copy [which was evident when the label was the EUROPEAN Zero 4 label but the game had the American title]...so it was actually impossible to save on the game.

And to clarify, this would be the European logo at the title screen...although now I realize there was no reason why an European copy would be casually sold at South America unless it was a weird bootleg.

This is not to say that it would have been impossible to complete - I even once tried to complete OOT on a real N64 with a cartridge that couldn't save after the Deku Tree...but unfortunately I think something happened that moved the N64 and killed the run, don't remember what, but I think it was either at Dodongo's Cavern or at the Forest Temple where the N64 froze or turned off and that was it...

...Oh, right, Zero 4. With the knowledge I learned [and looked up] now, I likely could do it - but as a kid that couldn't even get past the early levels of Cool Ball / Pop Up because I never realized the walls used up keys? I doubt it, not to say because I was dumb with games, but the Zero series sure demands some dexterity AND knowledge about stuff like the Cyber-Elf and Sub-Tanks if you want to compensate for your skill issue.

Ironically, while I never completed those two looong ago as a kid, I do remember playing first X3's PC port [downloaded somewhere, had Cain's theme everywhere lmao] and later on trying out the X games in order, completing X1 to X6, dropping X7 on a fortress stage from a headache [also PC version btw], and getting stuck in Sigma's Palace in X8. I think after X6 I did play all four Zero games on the PSP and even replayed Zero 1 without cyber-elves and Zero 4 in Hard Mode.

I wish my ancient "games cleared" text file from back then still existed to know the exact dates, but oh well, past is in the past. What led me to coming back to these recently would be that last year or so, I replayed X1 thru X4 [X1-X3 completionist blind except for secret techniques, X4 no upgrades as X]...then eventually slogged through X5 [even with Improvement Project Addenum, some stuff is still TEDIOUS], and that's where we get to the present now.

Returning to Zero...and to Nightmare Zero

Piecing together a vague timeline from my cheevos profile to know what egg was hatched first, I did start playing Zero 1 a few days after returning to X5 IPA, feeling I was being ripped off with the tedious process of Shadow Devil, fetching the Ult Armor, shredding through the boss rush in a tedious fashion because even with Ultimate Armor's Nova Strike it still takes a while, and then getting no achievements for beating the game as Ultimate Armor X for some reason. Long story short, I was a bit sour and didn't feel like redoing the last stretch at all.

So it checks out that the one I return to for a sweet refresher was Zero 1, which will sound crazy for many when Zero 1 is usually considered the weakest due to a lot of factors, and while I did also take quite a few hits on the chin from this game [mostly with the Guardians and Copy X, as well as the time to grind the saber and buster's rapid charge skills], I still found it fairly enjoyable and even surprisingly balanced to an extent for doing something like beating the game without a single cyber-elf used. Surprised the set doesn't have an achievement for that, but at least I know for sure I did that.

The trial and error I had to go at times though gave me enough material to put together a silly video from the many times I died in the process. Funny how I didn't initially think on plugging this here until I realized it was relevant to how clearing the game elf-less after years of not having played this game wasn't as smooth-sailing as my memories painted it to be.

...And then I IMMEDIATELY went for a Hard Mode run because I felt like I was still vibing a lot with the game. No skippable dialogue was a slog but at least I could fast forward with turbo button to pseudo-skip the yapping [important for EVERY Copy X attempt], the no level up for weapons forced me to get more careful, and when I got the Shield Boomerang, it was fun to use that for those few bosses with elemental weaknesses just to make sure I'd win.

Although Harpuia still doesn't need it that much when he can be looped even without elemental. I DID use a health extending elf for the boss rush though because Fefnir was consistently destroying me, so I decided to get an extra lifeline along with two heal elfs...and voila, Hard Mode completed. And I still feel like some stages in Zero 2 would be harder than what Z1 does due to their design, although that stage with the bombs after Phantom always took me quite a few tries to get right on the tree log section. Good thing that one had a free 1UP at the top and then another one on with the log robots if you wanted to risk it.

Copy X was also harder since you'd be more time fighting him with your lv1 buster and no charged slash, although the second phase is still manageable to a degree if you know the attacks as the Shield Boomerang still lets you hit with an ice attack for extra damage.

It's funny how I only started playing X6 after doing that because I was talking about the Zero 1 runs somewhere, then someone brought up X6 along the lines of "X6....ZZZZZZZZZZ" and, of course my brain would do the thing of thinking that I could manage it despite everyone's reactions to that game.

But the whole ordeal with MMX6 is a topic for another day, but it had some fun highs and some TOUGH lows, yet didn't feel directly tedious as X5 was at times, unless it was a stage [Recycle Lab, Zero's Gate Lab 2] or boss [Nightmare Mother and Gate] that clearly were designed and not too well playtested to be HELLISH.

so anyways, zero 2 is cool

Streamlining power into a Power Bomb

That song is so gooood, and perfectly made for an aircraft raid stage too. In fact, there's quite a fair share of memorable songs added here, although that one always sticks out to me.

Mega Man Zero 2 does gain the merits people give to it when comparing to Zero 1 as it does what sequels are meant to do: Improve the rough and add more of the good stuff. The cold open on the desert not only ties directly to Zero 1's ending, but also is very cool on its own when you're dashing and slashing through enemies with Departure [oh yeah, you get the saber from the start here, have fun], and even having a small easter egg if you decide to camp the enemies at the start.

You also get the new Chain Rod and Shield Boomerang after the first level as you're asked to go get them with Cerveau, instead of having to get the Triple Rod on your own in Zero 1 after completing the mission with Ganeshariff [and the Shield being given a mission later] and being missable if you didn't know or bother checking with him. Although the Chain Rod is required for Ourobuckle's stage, so it makes sense it is mandatory now.

And speaking of Ourobuckle's stage, curious players there will be rewarded with a SUB-TANK - notable because Zero 1 had zero sub-tanks available without Cyber-Elves, but here there's two sub-tanks in stages, and the other two are yet again tied to Cyber-Elves. But it is cool that the game at least can let you have ONE if you can't find the other, more so when using one doesn't waste the whole tank anymore even if your health is full, instead only spending the necessary to fill your health to maximum, thus having more than one use if your healthbar is still small from the start.

Stages in general are trickier, though, and while they are smoother in their design, they also get to use more frequently their gimmicks to catch you off-guard, like the lava things moving up and down in the fire-based stages, the timing to jump between ships in the Airship stage's first section, and a complete 180 from the relatively simple final stage of Z1: A lot of spikes in the final stage in Zero 2, same stage where you also contend with a boss rush...which oddly enough only pits you with six bosses total instead of eight, but one of them is actually unique to it (Kuwagust and Z1's Herculius tag-teaming up).

Almost forgot to mention that, Z2 has the form system, which is both nice and a nuisance at the same time. It is nice to use new forms to enhance certain aspects (Active for rolling and air roll slashes that were upgrades in Z1, Energy for more power and health pickups, Power for double damage, Defense for double defense, X form for increased buster damage)...but what is a nuisance is that getting them all is fairly unlikely to do completely blind unless you're lucky to play a very specific way in each stage.

For example, Defense form requires you to kill a set amount of enemies with the Shield Boomerang's charged throw to unlock at the end of the stage, and Power form requires you to pull a set amount of things with the Chain Rod. The Power form in particular can be annoying to get later if you didn't get it in Ourobockle's stage, as that's one of the only stages where you're meant to pull a lot of stuff with it.

It's funny that the final boss didn't actually push me into using a sub-tank, although I'd attribute Defense form helping me tank some hits, but even then, it was somewhat of a more straightforward fight than Copy X's? Gotta see if Hard mode changes thing though, which is likely.

Which reminds me the Airship stage took me A WHILE to beat in Hard Mode because now not only you're locked to low level weapons like in Z1, but also, you're locked to the Proto form, which deals AND takes double damage, so the only way to slam Kuwagust with ice attacks is to use the Shield Boomerang and not die in the process - THAT did force me to push with the one sub-tank I had to win lol

Also, something I didn't mention in the Zero 1 section is that Z1's New Game Plus doesn't keep your weapon skill levels, only keeps the Cyber-Elves collected...and Zero 2's, for some reason, doesn't keep weapon skill levels in a NG+ run either, although here you do keep your Cyber-elves along with the new EX Skills, Forms and Sub-Tanks. Unfortunately, you still can't skip any dialogue with the Start button if you've already seen it [or doing a NG+ run] - the only tweak Zero 2 does in that regard is that bosses won't repeat their dialogue if you're retrying against them, but they will if you run out of lives and continue.

Oh, yeah, didn't mention EX Skills before because getting those require you to basically replay every stage over and over until you can clear them without dying and without taking much damage, as you're required to have an A-Rank or higher active after defeating some bosses just to get their EX Skill. Only one I got was from Ourobuckle because I finished the intro stage with an A-Rank, so that was my current rank when I fought him, and not because I finished the stage itself with an A-Rank performance [which is why I didn't get more EX Skills later].

To be continued?

Listen, even I know that I've written A LOT of stuff here just from two games, and my hands definitely need some rest from typing a lot in general these days, so this will be it here for now.

But I can say in advance that Zero 3's design, while even harder than Zero 2 in some areas, explains why it is the most well liked one [plus QOL like no more weapon levels, and skippable cutscenes on retry or NG+, at long last], and Zero 4 certainly feels like it went a different path, but I still liked it a lot [it already has a page in the Game Zones area, although it needs more to be added].

ZX will be a funny can of worms to talk about along with them or on its own, but Advent will likely not make it in either case as I have yet to complete it.

But hey, I've finally wrote something like this again on this website after wanting to do that for a while. Even if it is unlikely that many people will be running into this out of nowhere, I'm still happy that I could pour all these thoughts about my experience here in the first place.