We last left on a pretty good note. Zero refused to be chained down by the past or physicality and the Mother Elf can now roam free. There’s just one little wrinkle we’ve yet to take care of: the tyrant with a chip on his shoulder being in charge of society as we know it. Zero, Ciel and a handful of other Resistance members have hit the road as they try to combat Weil’s rule. One day, they meet a curious group: humans who have fled Neo Arcadia to establish a life elsewhere. And moreover, they’ve actually found a perfect spot to settle: the now-flourishing crater where Eurasia hit the world. Of course, Dr. Weil won’t take such news well. To ensure nobody exists outside of his influence, he’s sent a team of Reploids with attitude to ruin the environment. With their reverse Captain Planet powers combined, they are Ragnarok, and now Zero has to fight fascism for humanity and nature.
We’ve got one last Zero game left. Mega Man Zero 4 does a rare thing for the Mega Man series at large and actually ends. Although many aspects of the previous Zero games have been wrapped up, there’s some time left to dispose of Dr. Weil, bring the Cyber Elf evolution to a head, and even touch on something from the X series to bring the narrative to a close. That said, this might be the most experimental Zero game next to the first, and the format’s actually different than the last two. Most notably, they ditched the Shield Boomerang and rod weapon in favor of the Z Knuckle, a weapon they expect you to use more than I wind up doing. There’s also a crafting system, because why not. It might sound like I’m harsh on this one, but I still like it. But it does feel weird after 2 and 3.
Part 1: Esperanto
One fateful day, the Resistance spots a caravan fleeing a group of Weil’s minions. Naturally, they aid the caravan immediately. But as it turns out, the people of this caravan are an unusual sight at this point, and where they’re traveling to is even stranger. But that place could bring hope to humanity, which means it needs to be protected from the ever-destructive influence of Neo Arcadia.
We’ve got eight Reploids trying to cause the apocalypse in their own, unique ways. Today, we’re going after the noble moth with the power of the sun. Her territory is bathed in sunlight, and standing directly in it puts you at risk of exploding. Frankly, that sounds like the weather last week, and if I could survive that I’m pretty sure Zero is more than capable of beating the heat.
Near Area Zero, there is a lab full of scrapped Cyber Elves that were cryogenically frozen. Naturally, one of the goals of Ragnarok is to wake those things up and then… I dunno, they’ll be a menace or something. This isn’t one of the more straightforward plans, but we know the dangers of misused Cyber Elves already, and as it stands we just stopped Elf Wars 2.
I’m not sure if it’s ironic that nanomachines in the guise of plants are threatening to ruin actual nature, but it sure isn’t good for the environment! Yes, this might look like a forest, but it’s just artificial plants that are absorbing nutrients from the earth. Given how long it took for this place to recover its soil in the first place, it’d be best if Zero took care of this before the nanomachines advance.
The sun continues being our greatest enemy as we choose our next target: the giant solar-powered laser cannon. Yeah, that seems like the next best choice. Naturally, there’s only one way to take care of it: enter through the barrel and look for the guy in charge on the other end. Look, Zero’s old. He doesn’t have time for detours.
We’re halfway done with taking down the Einherjar Warriors, but that just means it’s time for our midgame shakeup. The humans’ camp is under attack, and this time around Craft is in charge of the operation. Which, hey, the silver lining is that now we can figure out what his deal is and why he’s taking orders from Weil.
Alright, intermission over. Back to fighting the Einherjar! Four more remain, and the best one to take on next seems like the one who’s going to drench the land in acid rain. Pegasolta Eclair is in charge of this operation, and he’s about as full of himself as he could possibly be. Really I’m just surprised he’s not named after Narcissus.
