Remember that giant pit that Serenade was speaking out of? That’s the entrance to the postgame area. Now that we have the gold star on the title screen when Megaman examines the rim of the pit the flames surrounding it will turn green and Megaman will be broken down into data and sent into it, whereupon at the bottom he’ll be reassembled. The postgame area for this game is simply called the Secret Area, and it’s definitely the nicest-looking network that we’ve seen so far. There’s water everywhere, the paths are neatly titled and bright, white monoliths can be seen poking out of the water in the background, and the music is quite calming. This is probably the closest the series can get to a Bonus Level of Heaven. But don’t let the look make you let your guard down, the place is swarming with high-level viruses, and just like with the WWW Area Megaman can’t jack out. The teleporter in the first area is the only way in or out.
The main section of Secret Area 1 is a giant plaza from which the network of pathways spread. Towards the western corner of the platform (relative to where Megaman first materializes) hide the final set of viruses for the Virus Breeder, the Scuttle family. Well, not the whole family admittedly, it’s missing the Scuttzer and Scuttlest variants, but these three are still enough for the chip. The other two are picked up in a deeper part of the area.
Spreading out to explore the other pathways we quickly encounter the two gimmicks of the Secret Area – monoliths and Numbers. Both of these serve as obstacles blocking pathways and items. Monoliths can be shattered with the hammer that we picked up from Undernet 7, but doing so will throw us into a ten-round survival battle against the viruses that were sealed inside.
Numbers are similar in concept to the Protectos from the WWW Area, but the process for deleting them is a little more involved. Numbers aren’t viruses, strictly speaking, but rather security systems that take the appearance of crystal spires. Each one has a number on them from 1 to 3, and that indicates the order that they need to be deleted in. So first delete all of the Numbers marked with a 1, and then the ones with a 2, and so on. Hitting the wrong one results in an attacked called Error & Delete in which Megaman will be automatically struck by a bolt of lightning for 1000 Elec damage. Oh, and like Protectos a Number (or Numbers if more than one has the same number) has to be deleted in a single hit since it regenerates HP faster than Megaman can dish out damage. Real Puzzle Bosses, these things. Thankfully there aren’t all that many of them.
So poking around in here we can find a few Numbers with prizes behind them. There’s one with 50000z behind it, while another guards a Geddon 3 U. Elsewhere are two doors, one of which leads to the second area. The first door can only be opened if all four quizzes have been cleared and behind it is a Step Cross R. The second door can only be opened if there are at least 140 chips recorded in the Standard library.
Once through this door the place darkens and Megaman says that he feels something strange. An unfamiliar Navi appears before him and introduces himself as the assassin Darkman. He has a goal of getting ten-thousand kills, and he intends for Megaman to be #9634.
Darkman
◊
HP: 1400
Element: Normal
Attacks:
- Dark Shadow – A shadow axe will appear either in front of or behind Megaman and attempt to chop him for 100 damage.
- Black Wing – Three holes will appear above each of Megaman’s columns and send a stream of bats flying down each of them for 50 damage per hit.
- Fire Tower – Darkman sends a stream of fire down the field towards Megaman for 100 Fire damage.
- Ice Wave – Darkman sends a snowflake oscillating down the field for 100 Aqua damage.
- Killer Beam – Darkman shoots an electric beam down one row should he align with Megaman that paralyzes and deals 100 Elec damage.
Darkman, master of multiple elements (except Wood, apparently). Throughout the battle he’ll change colors, switching between his usual purple, blue, and yellow, indicating which one of his elemental attacks that he’s about to use. It’s merely a cosmetic change though, he does not actually switch to the element in question. He can pull out Dark Shadow and Black Wing at any time, though. There are two things to note about Black Wing. The first is that it only effects those three columns, so if Megaman has used Area Grab or Panel Grab and is in the stolen territory the bats won’t hit him at all. The second is that the portals that the bats come out of act like dark holes, allowing Megaman to freely use chips that would normally require them during the duration of the attack. Another important thing about Darkman is that he does not recoil when hit by attacks.
After the battle Darkman mutters as he explodes that Megaman will regret not letting himself get deleted once he encounters Serenade. Once he’s gone Megaman and Lan say that Darkman was stronger than a ranked Navi, and that they’ll have to be more careful going forward. Darkman Alpha can now be found at a dead end in the southeast part of the area. His chip has him use Black Wing (the same limitations apply) and then he’ll leave behind a dark hole. Darkman Beta is then found in Undernet 6, but he’ll only appear if Megaman has a bug.
Secret 2 has floating pathways, and we’re given a hint by a Ghost Navi at the start of the area that the overhanging pathways block lower ones from view. Up on the upper level, guarded by a Number, is a merchant with the following:
- HP Memory – 20000z
- HP Memory – 30000z
- HP Memory – 40000z
- Air Storm 3 I – 9000z
- Big Wave J – 11000z
- North Wind C – 12000z
- Guts Impact I – 12000z
Elsewhere is a door that only opens if you’ve completed all of the jobs, and behind it is a program for HP + 500.
The door leading to the next area can only be opened if you have at least one Giga chip, a requirement that I’ve been fulfilling for a good long while now. Once again the screen darkens and a samurai Navi appears, Japanman. Well, it’s supposed to be Yamatoman, like the Robot Master, but I guess the localization team was going for the Viewers Are Morons angle. He’s Serenade’s right-hand man.
Japanman
◊
HP: 1600
Element: Normal
Attacks:
- Spinning Reflect – Japanman twirls his spear, reflecting an attack in the form of a small air slash back at Megaman for 150 damage.
- Straight Spear – Japanman thrusts his spear three panels forward for 150 damage.
- Thousand Spear – Japanman rapidly jabs his spear in a three-panel-wide range two columns ahead for 100 damage per hit.
- Backup – Small soldiers continually move forward in waves, claiming Megaman’s panels and thrusting a tiny spear a panel ahead of them for 100 damage per hit.
Japanman can be tough. That spear of his is nasty at all ranges (though if you’re quick Thousand Spear leaves him with a big blind spot that he can be punished with) but it gets truly lethal combined with Backup. Backup is a move that really sneaks up on you. The little soldiers he summons have all the durability of tin foil but they work quickly and a player who isn’t being vigilant enough will soon find themselves confined to a single column or close to it. One has to work quickly and carefully with Japanman because he is a Navi who will punish sloppiness severely.
After the battle Japanman Alpha can be found on a dead end on the upper-level platforms. His chip has him attack first with Thousand Spear and then follow up with Straight Spear. Japanman Beta can then be found inside the armor displayed at the Ura Inn lobby.
Secret 3 is the final area. Right at the start is a door to the right that opens if Megaman has all of the virus battle chips. Beyond it is a set of Press pathways that needs not only to where the last two benign Scuttles are (thereby adding them to the roulette) but also to a platform that houses the Bug Frag Trader. The Bug Frag Trader is just like the Chip Traders, only that it takes ten Bug Frags instead of chips, and its payouts seem to be much better. There’s an ominous growling noise every time it’s used, though…
Right near the Bug Frag Trader is a BMD containing Sanctuary C, and an invisible pathway leading to a white monolith. Breaking this one unleashes a tough twenty-round survival battle, but the reward behind it is the Hub Batch program. Similar to what Hub Style was like in Battle Network 2, the Hub Batch program rolls the effects of numerous other programs into one, specifically these:
- Super Armor
- Break Buster
- Break Charge
- Custom + 1
- Mega Folder + 1
- Shield
- Undershirt
- Air Shoes
- Float Shoes
- Shadow Shoes
It still carries the ½ max HP penalty, though I’ve read that Bug Stop can counteract it. I haven’t tested it myself to verify that. The program’s surprisingly small too, relatively speaking, only taking up a 3 x 3 area on the Memory Map.
There are a few more monoliths and Numbers to get through back on the main path. One of the two Number sets, Number-G, guard a BMD containing Hole *. The only way I’ve ever been able to take that set out (they have 650 HP) is via a very specific combo involving Copy Damage, Grass Stage, the Heat Spread Program Advance, and Fire + 30.
There’s a giant staircase at the end of the area, at the top of which is one final door that won’t open unless we have all two-hundred Standard chips. And so things are brought to a halt so that I can go out and get the last twenty-five or so chips that I need.
Virus Listing
- Shadow
- These living shadows have two methods of attack. The first is to turn into a dagger and attack Megaman from the panel above or below him. The second is to turn into an axe and attack from the panel in front or behind him. They're also immune to any attack that isn't sword-based.
Soundtrack
- Shine in the Dark
- Almost makes one forget that the viruses here can tear you limb from limb if you let them.
