Playing with Protoman has always been a Megaman fan’s dream come true, but most hacks out there are little more than sprite and pallet swaps that look nice but that’s about it. MetHy, on the other hand, went above and beyond, and totally nailed it with this amazing hack. Protoman here plays exactly like he does in Megaman 9 and 10, complete with his signature shield that actually reflects enemy bullets, but what I really love are all of the numerous details that give it a professional polish: the reworked opening intro, the blues whistle that plays before he teleports in, his flailing scarf, the Proto Dash attack, the Proto Coil and Jet sprites. All of this could easily pass for Capcom’s handiwork.

For even more authenticity, Protoman comes with the same weaknesses that he has in his debut titles, which includes farther pushback when taking hits, a longer Charged Shot time, and a two-shot limit. Kudos to MetHy for keeping his double-damage intake optional; a huge plus because of how excessively fragile he feels when it’s enabled. Another thing is that Megaman 5 is one of the easier games in the series, but is harder with Protoman, since he requires more finesse to compensate for his drawbacks.

As for Second Strike, I can’t say that I really enjoyed it. The reworked stages are hard without requiring pixel-perfect kaizo maneuvers, and I appreciate the branching paths, but the difficulty curve doesn’t do it for me. I get that it’s really meant for players who have already beaten the original game and want something with more bite, but the constant barrage of tricky enemy placements, one screen after another, wore on my patience. Some platforms and sections are not visually intuitive, so there were times when I needed a moment to read the stage, instead of the design telling me everything I need to know. A great effort, and it’s probably a bit more forgiving with good ol’ Megaman, but I find the challenge a bit much with Protoman.

Overall, an excellent hack that provides the most complete Protoman experience that anyone could ask for. Second Strike with Protoman isn’t bad, but that crazy difficulty curve is just not for me. Definitely worth trying for anyone who wants a challenge though.