The Gregar icon has been added to the title screen, which means that it's time to tackle the postgame. Unfortunately, Battle Network 6's postgame isn't exactly the game's high point. It's somewhat anemic compared to some of the past games for reasons I'll explain when we get to the appropriate point. At least I think it's better than 4's, though that's not a high bar to surpass, now is it?
First of all, I'm going to do something that I've been putting off this entire game so far. Heading back to Lan's house to jack in (Mayl is there to hand out Roll 3 R), we want to go to the giant tree at the back of Green Area 2. Examining one of its sides reveals a giant hole leading somewhere, and hopping through it takes us to the third and final sector of Undernet Zero. The section of it is pretty small and short, and at the end of the path is a small platform containing a giant gravestone. There's an epitaph on it, and Megaman reads “Here rests the Cyberworld's God of Destruction.” My, isn't that an ominous message? The grave begins to glow as its occupant's rest is disturbed, and we come face-to-face with Bass.
Bass
◊
HP: 1800
Element: Normal
Attacks:
- Buster Rake – Bass shoots an extended, rapid-fire volley of shots that hit random panels on Megaman's area for 60 damage per hit.
- Hell's Rolling – Bass sends two wheels of energy down the field towards Megaman for 200 damage.
- Dark Sword – Bass swings a 2 x 3 sword for 200 Sword damage.
- Tank Cannon – Bass fires a bazooka blast down one row that blows up the back column if it doesn't hit anything for 150 damage.
- Fire Burner – Bass shoots a three-panel-long stream of flame that cracks panels for 150 Fire damage.
- Golem Hit – A stone fist strikes Megaman's column and cracks it for 180 Break damage.
For Bass's (almost) final iteration they somehow found a way to make him even more difficult. How may you ask? Buster Rake no longer induces Mercy Invincibility, so now it's even deadlier than ever. His other attacks though, have been toned down. Hell's Rolling is still the same, but Dark Sword is easier to deal with than Dark Arm Blade was and the chip attacks are nothing that hasn't been seen before. The real element of difficulty to this fight is that there isn't anything stopping the player from stumbling upon it. I could have encountered him here when I first reached Green Town, or even fought him with a Link Navi. I know a lot of players like to use this battle for self-imposed challenges, and fighting him earlier in the game would certainly be something. It's not for me though, I'm too much of a wimp.
Afterwards Bass tells Megaman to keep training so that he'll be able to keep him entertained. He vanishes, leaving behind the Bat Key item. This won't be the last time we've seen this cloaked Navi, mark my words.
Okay, now on to the remaining jobs, as a few more have popped up now that the game's been beaten.
Job 28: Self Research
This is the one I skipped over earlier. A Navi inside one of the school's blackboards wants us to complete a Program Advance for him. Sounds simple enough, right? Well the one he wants us to assemble is Poison Pharaoh, which is certainly not one of the basic ones.
Poison Pharaoh's combination in this game involves two Poison Seed chips and the old standby Anubis. Poison Seed is a simple matter to get. The Bug Frag merchant in Sky Area 1 has one, and then the second can be ordered from Aster Land. That leaves Anubis. For that we're going to have to visit the postgame area, which is why the positioning of this job is such a dick move. Remember that security door at the back of Undernet 2? Well now we can open it to reach the Graveyard.
In the Japanese version of the game the Graveyard had three areas, and a fourth called the Immortal Area. Since the Immortal Area contained the bulk of the Boktai side content in this game, it was removed from the US edition, along with two of the Graveyard areas for some reason and the items were all shuffled around. Aside from the obvious losses, the Graveyard's big thing was that it contained gravestones for every Navi that appeared in the series, including guys like Gravityman, Starman, and Turboman that only appeared in the side games. The area that remains only contains the graves for the Navis who appear in this game.
Anyway, it's a bit cramped, but this single area of the Graveyard will have to do. The Bat Key that we got from the Bass battle can be used to open a security door that's guarding an Attack MAX program (originally it unlocked the Immortal Area). There's also a merchant in here, the final one of the game:
- HP Memory – 10000z
- HP Memory – 16000z
- HP Memory – 23000z
- HP Memory – 30000z
- Mega Boomerang W – 10000z
- Static V – 14600z
- Blizzard Ball T – 18400z
- Delta Ray Edge Z – 30000z
Delta Ray Edge is naturally the second Giga chip of the game, with Protoman attacking an enemy up to three times. Cybeast Falzar has Cross Divide C, featuring Colonel attacking with a powerful X-shaped slash. Also on the topic of Giga chips, upon entering the area we get an email from Duo, just like we did in Nebula Area back in the previous game, with the Giga chip Big Hook H, which hits a 3 x 3 area with both of Duo's fists. Cybeast Falzar has Meteor Knuckle M, launching a rapid-fire volley of fists instead.
Just getting to the Graveyard isn't enough to get Anubis. It's inside of a PMD that's behind a geyser, so you gotta both have an Unlocker and be willing to drag either Elecman or Eraseman all the way out here to get it. There's not much else to do here for now, as a security door requiring all Standard chips blocks off the second half of the area. So just put together Poison Pharaoh and see the client again for a Science Memo item, which contains the code for the Beat program. Of course it would be useless!
Job 30: Where's My Navi
On to the last few jobs. This one's our first four-star job, the highest level. An old woman at school says that he Navi was deleted and she wants us to bring back remnants of its data. Our hint to find it is that she's had a dream of her Navi coming face-to-face with a horned skull. Now, the platform where the BBS in Undernet 2 is is actually shaped like one, so examining the center reveals the Navi Ruins item. Our reward is the Number Open program. This program is big enough that it takes up the entire Memory Map, but in exchange we get to pick from ten chips on the Custom Screen, so it's definitely worth it.
Job 31: One More Time
A boy in Central Town wants his parents to stop fighting, and he wants us to get some flowers, the same flowers that his father used to propose ten years ago, the idea being to remind them of their love. So it's to the flower shop that's in Green Town, and though the receptionist can't help us, she tells us to find the owner, who's currently making a delivery to ACDC.
While we're in Green Town, in the basement of the courthouse is an old man who's serving as the Quiz King:
- Q1: How many trees are growing in Central Town? (ten trees)
- Q2: The Cyber Academy logo has what letters on it? (C and A)
- Q3: What does the Net Merchant in Central Area 1 sell? (Sub Chip)
- Q4: Which one of these chips has the best attack power? (Aqua Sword)
- Q5: 1 + 3 x 4 + 2 – 3 = ? (12)
- Q6: What is the difference in the attack power of Hi-Cannon and Spreader 2? (40)
- Q7: How many students are in Class 6-A in ACDC School? (8)
- Q8: What is the name of the seal at the Seaside Aquarium? (Fanny)
- Q9: What is it called when two Navis fight? (Net Battle)
- Q10: How much HP does the Mini-Energy Sub Chip restore? (50)
- Q11: What chip is ID 58 in the Data Library? (Mini-Bomb)
- Q12: How high is Sky Town? (30000 feet)
- Q13: Add the attack power of a Sword and Mini-Bomb, then subtract the attack power of an Air Shot and Cannon. What do you get? (70)
- Q14: What's the name of the Navi who attacked the aquarium? (Diveman)
- Q15: Who am I? (Quiz King)
We're given the Quiz Data, which contains some kind of number riddle that I don't feel like figuring out.
Anyway, to ACDC, where the owner of the flower shop is examining the bushes flanking Yai's mansion. The flowers we need are tulips, she says, as they represent love in flower language.
Meanwhile, Chaud is standing near Lan's old house. What's he doing back in Den City after Lan told everyone to tend to Cyber City?! Well whatever, we can fight him here.
Protoman
HP: 1800
Element: Normal
Attacks:
- Fighter Sword – Protoman swings a three-panel-long sword for 100 Sword damage.
- Step Sword – Protoman appears in front of Megaman and attacks with a Wide Sword for 90 Sword damage.
- Cross Sword – Protoman swings a sword that hits a plus-shaped area for 150 Sword damage.
- Trance Move – A chime will sound and then Protoman will rapidly dash through a series of panels for 80 Sword damage per hit.
We haven't fought him in a while. Protoman's got a new battle sprite just like Megaman and Colonel have, and while half of his arsenal is familiar, the other half isn't. Protoman's very fast and aggressive, and it's very easy to get caught in a bad spot by Cross Sword. Trance Move replaces Delta Ray Edge and can be very difficult to dodge since he moves very, very quickly and the attack goes on for longer when he's in his stronger form. Interestingly enough, Protoman doesn't have an EX form – he'll jump straight to SP once beaten, and there he'll start to employ his shield and fake-out tactics. Without a decent folder he's very challenging.
Winning gives us Protoman B.
With that taken care of it's back to Green Town to buy those tulips. In Central Town the boy's parents are getting into another argument, but the efforts of their son somewhat pay off. They don't fully reconcile, but they admit that they should try to, for their son's sake. Our reward is Serial Data, containing the code for Charge MAX.
Job 32: Support Chip Please
A Navi inside a Copybot at Sky Town wants a few chips so that she can beat her rival. Only problem is, she wants the good stuff: Recovery 80 H, Geddon A, Bubble Wrap Q, Attack + 30 *, and Discord S. I already have the Recovery 80, Geddon, and Attack + 30. Discord and Bubble Wrap I can order from Tab since I have a copy in a different code (sparing me wasting Bug Frags on the Sky Area 1 merchant). This girl certainly isn't asking for much, is she? An HP Memory is the reward.
Job 33: Negotiate!
We have to defuse a hostage situation! A member of the Net Police in the Sky Town Force Room wants us to meet a Navi who's kidnapped another one and find out what his demands are. Right now the kidnapper's in Mr. Weather Computer 1, and in order for us to prove ourselves to him he wants us to give some Cash Data to his brother in Undernet 1. The brother's by the Cybeast statues, and gives us a pendant to show the kidnapper that we fulfilled our end of the bargain. Next the kidnapper has us give a message to a girl Navi in Green Area 2, telling her to forget about him. Her reply is that he should turn himself in and that she'll be waiting for him until then. This seems to have a profound effect on the Navi, and he admits that the hostage is in the third area of the Judge Tree. After checking to see that the hostage is okay, it's back to the Mr. Weather Computer, where the criminal attacks us in suicidal fury. We defeat him, and he finally surrenders. We're given Scribbled Data as a reward, which has the code for Spin Yellow.
Job 34: An Experiment!
The client is at the aquarium, and it's Mr. Famous again. He puts us through a twenty-round survival battle, with the reward being the Judgeman, Circusman, and Elementman chips in * code.
Job 35: Road to Soul Battler
A Navi on the Green Town homepage wants us to take out the mafia that's been hanging around Green Town's Net. Only, they're not on the Net itself, they are actually all inside the statue at Green Town that you can jack in to. Beating all of them nets us the Soul Emblem, which has the code for the Tango program.
With that, we've completed all of the jobs in the game! Our rank is increased to Master, and what's more we get a phone call from Chaud. Completing all of those jobs has apparently proven that our powers are “more than even an Official”, which I suppose is calling back to Battle Network 2. Our reward is that Chaud will let us fight Protoman's “true form.” He says that he'll be waiting in Cyber Academy, inside Lan's classroom.
So, in the Japanese version this fight with Protoman, Protoman FZ, was only available by completing a number of jobs that were unlocked through e-reader cards, but they were all included from the get-go in the localization. Protoman FZ has 2800 HP and is quite simply the toughest version of Protoman in the game. You don't get any chips from beating him, only zenny, but beating him does add the Protoman icon to the title screen. Protoman FZ can be freely rebattled, and Chaud is apparently made out of quantum particles for he'll be at both Cyber Academy and his usual ACDC spot for the remainder of the game.
After that I've got no choice but to hunker down and collect all two-hundred Standard chips. It wouldn't be too too bad if I didn't have to grind out forty more Bug Frags to buy Collect with (and I still haven't bought Bug Rise Sword...). And it turns out that I was wrong about Super Vulcan being available through the Number Trader, so I had to do all the Virus Battler rounds to get that one after all.
By the time you get to the last virus gauntlet you have to fight it really becomes clear how stacked the minigame is against the player. You're on a timer, priority is always given to the AI, since so many viruses attack by throwing themselves at enemies the game loves throwing stuff like Pulse Bulbs at the player, and you can only win by fully depleting the enemies' shared HP pool. If time runs out you lose, even if your HP was higher. What's more, the game has the gall to call that a draw.
Now that being said, the key to success (aside from a copious amount of luck) is understanding virus behavior to find an ideal counter. As it turns out I found the Star Fish virus to be invaluable when set up correctly. It's bubble attack works great at locking down enemy viruses, and the final gauntlet has a number of Fire viruses to sic it on. While some of the middle battles were pretty difficult (special shout out goes to the Dark Mech + Killer Eye combo and the Catack + Earth Dragon combo) the final one was pretty easy. Why? Because we're pitted against a Mettaur...and Blastman. Despite the 400 HP Blastman brings to the table, high for the Virus Battler, he's only programmed to use his easily-dodged, even by AI, Air Bomber attack. I beat that set with a Dark Mech and a Mettaur of my own.
With Super Vulcan finally in hand the Standard Complete icon is added to the title screen and we can get past the final security door in the Graveyard. Back there is another gravestone like the kind that Bass was in, but Megaman says that there's no name or epitaph on it. That's because, a voice says, the name that's going on it is his.
Bass SP
HP: 2700
Element: Normal
Attacks:
- Buster Rake – Bass shoots an extended, rapid-fire volley of shots that hit random panels on Megaman's area for 90 damage per hit.
- Hell's Rolling – Bass sends two wheels of energy down the field towards Megaman for 300 damage.
- Dark Sword – Bass swings a 2 x 3 sword for 300 Sword damage.
- Tank Cannon – Bass fires a bazooka blast down one row that blows up the back column if it doesn't hit anything for 250 damage.
- Fire Burner – Bass shoots a three-panel-long stream of flame that cracks panels for 250 Fire damage.
- Golem Hit – A stone fist strikes Megaman's column and cracks it for 270 Break damage.
Bass's damage output is starting to get really crazy now. Well, with the exception of Buster Rake, but it piles up really, really fast. I highly recommend using Life Aura for this fight, as you can just sit back and take advantage of Bass's brief immobility during the attack to nail him.
After the battle Bass recognizes the Cybeast power within Megaman and vows to make it his own before vanishing. We still haven't seen the last of him, and Lan says that one day they're going to settle things once and for all. That day's much closer than he thinks... Anyway, after the battle a chip drops down from above, and it turns out to be Bass F, our next Giga chip featuring the ever-lethal Buster Rake attack. Cybeast Falzar gets its counterpart, Bass Analyze F (I'm pretty sure that's what “Anly” is supposed to stand for, finally) which has Hell's Rolling instead.
Now that we've beaten Bass SP his Navi emblem is added to the title screen and if we jack out and then return to the Graveyard the graves for all six WWW Navis will be glowing. Examining them will allow us to fight their strongest form, RV (it's up to the reader to decide if RV stands for “Revival”, “Revenge”, or “Really Violent”). Like Protoman FZ, RV Navis only drop zenny. Defeating all of them allows one to fight Bass SP again if they want to, but we're after a different version of the dark Navi.
To the Underground (which incidentally is the location of the Bug Frag Trader), specially the platform at the back where we had those boss fights earlier. Before ascending the ramp, it is strongly, strongly recommended to go through one's folder one last time and make any necessary preparations, because you absolutely do not want to go into this upcoming fight with anything that so much as resembles an alphabet soup folder. The folder that I've been using for the postgame is B-coded, and between that and the plethora of *-coded chips available I've got access to a number of Program Advances: Life Sword, Double Hero, Twin Leaders, and Bodyguard, along with a few Machine Gun 3's for counters and Full Synchro. I'm gonna need 'em, for what is awaiting us is the ultimate challenge of the game.
At the top of the platform there is a flash and a copy of Megaman appears in Beast Out form. A voice says that this copy is made out of drifting data fragments, and Bass appears behind it. He claims to have obtained the power of a Cybeast himself, and that he'll destroy Cyberworld, something he's never shown any interest in before. But to stop him, first we're going to have to deal with our fake.
Gregar Megaman SP
HP: 1800
Element: Normal
Attacks:
- Gregar Buster – Megaman fires a rapid volley of buster shots that deal 5 damage apiece.
- Gregar Claw – Megaman slashes the target with Wide Sword and Long Sword-ranged slashes for a total of 240 damage.
- Stun Claw – Megaman slashes a two-panel-long range for 120 Sword damage and paralysis.
- Thunder – Megaman shoots a ball of electricity that tracks the target, paralyzing it and dealing 120 Elec damage.
- Gregar Breath – Megaman breathes fire on the panel in front of him and the following two columns for 300 Fire damage.
Megaman moves like greased lightning, and he's absolutely lethal if you let him get a combo off. I always do really badly in this battle, since I always wig out against opponents who are this fast. You really need excellent reaction times to avoid deletion.
Unfortunately you're not given an HP refill after the battle, for now comes...
Bass BX
HP: 3400
Element: Normal
Attacks:
- Buster Rake – Bass shoots an extended, rapid-fire volley of shots that hit random panels on Megaman's area for 130 damage per hit.
- Hell's Rolling – Bass sends two wheels of energy down the field towards Megaman for 450 damage.
- Dark Sword – Bass swings a 2 x 3 sword for 450 Sword damage.
- Tank Cannon – Bass fires a bazooka blast down one row that blows up the back column if it doesn't hit anything for 330 damage.
- Fire Burner – Bass shoots a three-panel-long stream of flame that cracks panels for 330 Fire damage.
- Golem Hit – A stone fist strikes Megaman's column and cracks it for 380 Break damage.
- Falzar Storm – Bass pulls out Falzar's head and fires a whirlwind that hits a T-shaped area for 550 Wind damage.
Here it is, Bass's strongest form. It's a tossup as to whether this or his XX form in Double Team is stronger but either way he might as well be called Bass BS. Buster Rake will cut you to pieces in seconds, so you pretty much have to plan your entire defense around it and you can't simply hide behind Life Aura this time even if you set up with Sanctuary given the power of his other attacks. His new move can also strip any barrier or aura you throw up. All you can do is avoid eating as much damage as possible and strike back with your strongest chips, combos, and Program Advances. As I said above, your folder needs to be as fluid as it can possibly be, otherwise you'll be dead by the second turn.
I do like the little touch of him quickly charging up his forearm before using Falzar Storm. A nice little throwback to the original three games. In the opposite version he whips out Gregar's head instead and uses Gregar Breath, referencing the Bass GS fight.
Unlike every other time we've fought him, Bass actually explodes when he's defeated. Lan and Megaman still think he's out there, though. Another chip drops down from the sky, and it's the final Giga chip of the game, Colonel Force Q. Basically Colonel summons a whole platoon of his soldiers to attack all foes on the field. Cybeast Falzar hands out Hub Batch J, which bestows a number of power ups to Megaman. This nets us the Giga Complete icon...or would if I had enough Bug Frags to buy Bug Rise Sword.
Aside from that all that's really left to do now is to complete the Mega chip and Program Advance library to get the corresponding icons. It's business as usual for the Mega chips, but there is something to note about the Program Advances. As this is the final Battle Network game, five of the Advances are deliberate callbacks to the earlier games in the series:
Representing Battle Network 1 is Double Hero (Wide Blade + Long Blade + Protoman SP). Megaman and Protoman team up to attack the enemy area with a volley of Charge Shots and slashes. I dunno if it's a glitch or not, but for some reason it's not affected by the x2 effect of Full Synchro and the anger emotion.
Representing Battle Network 2 is Darkness (Voodoo Doll + Voodoo Doll + Bass/Bass Analyze). First Megaman's Dark Soul makes a cameo and attacks with fire breathed from Gospel's head, then Bass appears and strikes with Dark Sword. This Advance is notably derived from Battle Network 2's Japanese-exclusive Dark Messiah Advance, only at one-fifth the power.
Representing Battle Network 3 is Master Cross (Fire Hit 3 + Aqua Needle 3 + Elec Pulse 3 + Risky Honey 3). Megaman splits up into several Cross copies that pummel enemies. This is a replica of the Master Style Advance from that game.
Representing Battle Network 4 is Sun and Moon (Meteors R + Attack + 30 + Uninstall). This Advance combines the effects of the Red Sun and Blue Moon Giga chips, pummeling an enemy three panels ahead with meteors and a laser beam that deactivates any installed programs.
Representing Battle Network 5 is Twin Leaders (Colonel SP + Anti-Navi + Protoman, Protoman SP + Anti-Navi + Colonel). Protoman and Colonel attack a target three panels ahead simultaneously. Notably you have to use one of the * coded Navi chips to activate the combo.
Once all the icons are collected, a beefed up Gregar SP can be fought for the “Thank You for Playing” screen, showing sprites off all the Crosses. And that's it, we've completely beaten the game!
Well at long last we've reached the end of the Megaman Battle Network series. I've heard some people say in recent years that Capcom should revive it, but I don't think so (especially if Operation Shooting Star is indicative of how much effort they'd put into it). It had a good run and was a successful experiment in bringing Megaman into the RPG genre and putting its own spin on the gameplay. And as it was the series that got me into the Megaman franchise they'll always have a special spot in my gaming library, regardless of the occasional bumps it got into.
Finally, I would like to thank anyone and everyone who read any of the liveblogs in this series. It was fun, that's all I can say.
Soundtrack
- Graveyard
- And we close things out with this little tune.
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