Video Game / Mega Man's Christmas Carol

Mega Man's Christmas Carol is an annual series developed by ACESpark of Sprites Inc. There are three installments in the series so far. The plot of the games is that the villain had stolen presents, and it's up to Mega Man to get them back, taking on themed bosses derived from Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Further games included Proto Man and Bass as additional characters.

Robot Masters:

• From Mega Man's Christmas Carol and Mega Man's Christmas Carol Remix:
  • CDN-000: Ghost of Jacob Marley, gives you Ghost Shackle (renamed Marley's Shackle in the sequel and the remake)
  • CDN-001: Ghost of Christmas Past, gives you Candy Cane in the original game and Past Minion in the remake
  • CDN-002: Ghost of Christmas Present, gives you Present Surprise (called Neo Present Surprise when you get it in the remake)
  • CDN-003: Ghost of Christmas Future, gives you Twinkle Buster (called Neo Twinkle Buster when you get it in the sequel) in the original game and Future Scythe in the remake
• From Mega Man's Christmas Carol 2:
  • CDN-004: Tiny Tim and CDN-005: Bob Cratchit, give you Rubber Duff
  • CDN-006: Scrooge, gives you Hum Bug
  • CDN-007: Want, gives you Candy Cane
  • CDN-008: Ignorance, gives you (Neo) Twinkle Buster
• From Mega Man's Christmas Carol 3:
  • CDN-010: Mr. Fezziwig, gives you Dance Tornado
  • CDN-011: Fred, gives you Hat Boomerang
  • CDN-012: Belle, gives you Mistletoe Barrier
  • CDN-013: Mrs. Cratchit, gives you Mother's Pie

Additionally, a boss from Make a Good Mega Man Level Contest/Mega Man's Christmas Thingy, Wishing Star (CDN-009) and the final boss from 3, Saint (CDN-014) round out the robot master numbers.

You can find the games here.

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These games provide examples of...

• Aborted Arc: The second game ended with Dr. Wily escaping with the Christmas presents, and the protagonists giving chase. Other than a brief mention in the opening sequence, the third game completely ignores this cliffhanger, despite the explicit To Be Continued nature of it.
• An Ass-Kicking Christmas: It's an actiony Mega Man (Classic) game but with Christmas themeing; this is to be expected.
• Art Shift: The larger visuals in Christmas Carol 3's opening and endings don't conform to the Retraux pixel art style of the games, with the epilogue images in particular being more simplistic.
• Awesome, but Impractical: In Remix, Proto Man explicitly calls the Past Minion this. He then says that someone should add it here.
• Boss Game: No stages full of enemies to travel through, just go straight to the showdown.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall:
  • In Remix, Mega Man's quote for getting the Future Scythe is "I was expecting this. In the Flash version!"
  • Also in Remix, Proto Man's quote for the Past Minion is "Awesome, but Impractical. Someone put this on TvTropes."
  • In Christmas Carol 3, Protoman has gotten weary of the characters going nuts during these games and outright calls it shark-jumping territory at this point.
• Call-Forward: In the sequel, not only are Marley's Shackle and the Present Surprise from the previous game unlockable, but so are the Past Minion and Future Scythe from the remake, which wouldn't be released for another year.
• Capcom Sequel Stagnation: These games really don't contribute much even by Mega Man (Classic) standards, they're just intended to be fun holiday games.
• Chaos of the Bells: An electronic remix of "carol of the Bells", titled "Carol of the Spirits", plays during various boss fights against the Christmas-themed Robot Masters.
• Continuity Cavalcade: The background for Past's stage.
• Continuity Snarl: Wily Machine X and X3 are respectively fought in the sequel and third game, while X2 is one of the final bosses in Quint's Revenge, one of ACE's other projects. According to the soundtrack video for Christmas Carol 3, even he isn't sure what the continuity for these games are.
• Creator Cameo: ACE's fursona, Davwin, shows up in a post-credits message.
• Demoted to Extra: Wishing Star, who was previously fought as a boss in the Make a Good Mega Man Level Contest series (or rather, Mega Man's Christmas Thingy), only gets to show up in the credits and one of the endings for Christmas Carol 3.
• Denial of Diagonal Attack: Typical of Mega Man games. Bass is an aversion as before, and both Rubber Duff and Future Scythe can be aimed.
• Denser and Wackier: Compared to the official and other fan games (barring the Make a Good Mega Man Level Contest series), but 3 in particular goes completely off the rails.
• Difficulty Levels: Baby, Easy, Normal, Hard, and Wut.
• Discontinuity Nod: Played With in Mega Man's Christmas Carol 3, regarding two of the endings in Remix (specifically, Proto Man's standard ending and the "Wut" mode ending):
  Proto Man: Father! This is getting out of hand. Look, I know Auto stuffed you into a turkey, but this is just continuing to escalate!
  Dr. Light: That ending wasn't canon. You ripped my face off!
  Proto Man: What?! I'd think I'd know if THAT ending was canon.
  Dr. Light: The stitches say otherwise! Canon!
• Dual Boss: Dr. Light and Dr. Wily's final boss battle in the third game has you take on their capsule machines.
• Endless Winter: Saint sings about wanting to do this before you fight him, in his plan to make it Christmas everyday and bring about world peace.
• Excuse Plot: It's Christmas, but our presents are stolen! It's up to you to get them back! The last one does have a bit more meat, as its revealed why this keeps happening.
• Facepalm: Mega Man does one in the opening of the sequel. Bass in 3 upon realizing how long it's been since My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic went off the air.
• Final-Exam Boss: Saint, the final boss of the final game, pretty much exclusively uses attacks that bosses from 1 and 2 used.
• Flavor Text: The player characters have comments upon collecting new weapons:
  • Christmas Carol Remix:
    • Marley's Shackle:
      Mega Man: "I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW THIS WORKS."
      Proto Man: "YOINK."
      Bass: "WASN'T MARLEY USING A BALL AND CHAIN?"
    • Past Minion:
      Mega Man: "THIS IS JUST CREEPY.."
      Proto Man: "AWESOME BUT IMPRACTICAL. SOMEONE PUT THIS ON TVTROPES."
      Bass: "IT'S ALIVE!!!" "GUAHAHAHAHA."
    • Neo Present Surprise:
      Mega Man: "ISN'T THIS HIGHLY ILLEGAL?"
      Proto Man: "WELL THE BOSS FINALLY USED HIS SIGNATURE WEAPON. HOW ABOUT THAT?"
      Bass: "I HAVE SOMEONE WHOM I WISH TO POST THIS TO..."
    • Future Scythe:
      Mega Man: "I WAS EXPECTING THIS. IN THE FLASH VERSION!"
      Proto Man: "I BET THIS ISN'T AS DEADLY AS FUTURE'S VERSION..."
      Bass: "WOW. I CAN ALREADY DO THIS."
  • Christmas Carol 2:
    • Rubber Duff:
      Mega Man: "IT'S RUBBER? AW. THIS LOOKED DELICIOUS.."
      Proto Man: "OH GREAT. THIS DOESN'T LOOK UNWIELDY AT ALL...."
      Bass: "WHAT? WHAT SORT OF CRAZY WEAPON IS THIS?"
    • Hum Bug:
      Mega Man: "WHY COULDN'T I GET THIS IN THE FIRST GAME?!"
      Proto Man: "THE HEALTH RESTORER WOULD'VE BEEN NICER..."
      Bass: "DRAT, THERE'S NO FLYING ENEMIES IN THIS GAME."
    • Candy Cane:
      Mega Man: "WHAT.. THIS AGAIN? DR WILY, YOU SCOUNDREL."
      Proto Man: ".. PRETTY SURE THIS WAS IN THE FIRST GAME, WILY."
      Bass: "DIDN'T MEGAMAN GET THIS LAST YEAR? DR WILY, YOU CHEAPSKATE!"
    • Neo Twinkle Buster:
      Mega Man: "THIS LOOKS FAMILIAR... GOTTEN A LITTLE IMPROVEMENT!"
      Proto Man: RECYCLED CONTENT IS RECYCLED. IT'S LIKE THE AUTHOR IS LAZY OR SOMETHING..."
      Bass: "ANOTHER HAND ME DOWN WILY? I'M NOT BILL RIZER!"
  • Christmas Carol 3:
    • Dance Tornado:
      Mega Man: 'I spun enough during the boss fight, thank you.'
      Proto Man: 'I'm still dizzy from that boss fight; if I spin anymore I might throw up.'
      Bass: 'This looks a little flamboyant for my tastes.'
    • Hat Boomerang:
      Mega Man: 'I wonder if this could cut the head off a statue.'
      Proto Man: 'Random weapon for an odd job.'
      Bass: 'I already have rapid fire functionality. This seems redundant.'
    • Mistletoe Barrier:
      Mega Man: 'Buy one, get one free!'
      Proto Man: 'More protection, eh? Guess I need it, after all.'
      Bass: 'Ew, what is this colour scheme!?'
    • Mother's Pie:
      Mega Man: 'Why do we keep getting weapons that look so delicious?'
      Proto Man: 'Another arcing weapon? What's with this obsession with arcing weapons!?'
      Bass: 'Are we supposed to make our enemies die of a heart attack!? This looks totally useless offensively!'
• Flunky Boss: Past, in both versions of the first game, with the twist that all his mooks are past Robot Masters. Specifically, he will use Past Minion to summon weakened versions of Fire Man, Bubble Man and Gravity Man (Original only), Dyna Man and Sheep Man (Remix only), and Plant Man and Dangan Man (both versions) as mooks. Additionally in Remix, he will also call in Heat Man, Toad Man, Volt Man and Nitro Man to assist him separate from Past Minion, and each one of those has boss level health but limited attacks and will only appear once.
• Foreshadowing: In the intro for every game, both Light and Wily have noticeable red tint in their eyes, which is made more pronounce in the 3rd. Its revealed that they've been both brainwashed by Saint to cause havoc on Christmas.
• Given Name Reveal: The credits of 3 show the names of the entire series' lineup of Robot Masters before they were changed to be themed for the holidays.
• Hijacked by Ganon: Parodied in the third game; both Dr. Light and Dr. Wily wear ridiculously unconvincing Dr. Cossack disguises, which is especially glaring since there's only boss fights in the "Cossack" Citadel. That being said, it's ultimately subverted as neither of them are fought as the final boss of the series, Saint is.
• How the Character Stole Christmas: Dr. Light in the first game, Dr. Wily in the second, both in the third.
• Hub Level: The second game stands out from the others by having the stage select screen take the form of a playable teleportation room.
• If My Calculations Are Correct: The timer in Future's stage is his estimate in how long it'll take for him to kill you. He gets angry when he's proved wrong.
• Inconveniently-Placed Conveyor Belt:
  • In both Ignorance's stage and Dr. Wily's stage in the sequel.
  • A variant is Mr. Fezziwig's carousel, which carries the player all around the room.
• Intoxication Ensues: In the third game, Drs. Light and Wily's collaborative creation Saint is stated to be a result of some rather powerful liquors.
• Jack of All Stats: Mega Man when there's more than one character to play as.
• Jacob Marley Apparel: Utilized as an Epic Flail.
• Konami Code: Using it in both the sequel and the remake (after beating the game on Normal) unlocks all the weapons from their respective games from the beginning.
  • Beating the game on Hard will upgrade the code so it also enables Christmas Carol and Christmas Carol Remix's weapons in the second game, and Christmas Carol 2's in the remake of the first game.
• Last Episode Theme Reprise: The final boss of the third game uses a new intense remix of 'Carol of the Bells', the robot master theme from the very first game, helping seal the finality of the game.
• Last-Minute Hookup: This happens with many of the Robot Masters in 3's ending, with Present / Mr.Fezziwig, Past / Want, and Mr & Mrs. Cratchit. Averted with Fred and Belle, as a result of Fred not properly understanding Belle's advances towards him.
• One-Hit-Point Wonder: Playing on Wut mode renders the player as this. In the original game, you play on Normal with this limitation, in the remake & 3, you're forced to fight the bosses in their hard mode variations.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Both Dr. Light and Dr. Wily pretend to be Dr. Cossack in the third game. Which he sees on national television, by the way. And he is still arrested anyways by Fake Man despite the obviousness of their disguises.
• Power Copying: It's not a Mega Man game without any.
• Public Domain Soundtrack: Of Christmas songs, obviously.
• Rank Inflation: In Remix, the type of medal you get from beating the boss depends on how you are fighting him.
  • Plastic — Beat the boss under no conditions.
  • Bronze — Beat the boss using the default weapon.
  • Silver — Beat the boss without taking any damage.
  • Gold — Beat the boss using the default weapon without taking any damage.
  • Dragon — Beat the boss in at least Hard mode using the default weapon without taking any damage (not that the latter matters in Wut mode...).
• Rule of Funny: The excuse behind the endings. Match Megaman canon? No. Funny? Definitely.
  • Every cut-scene in the third game runs on this, from whether or not Bass is a brony (he is), and direct references to which ending in Remix is the canon one, or even calling for a cannon.
• Sanity Slippage: Mega Man has a small one in 3 thanks to what happened the first two times, having become paranoid and unable to enjoy Christmas. Lampshaded by the narrator.
  Narrator: I think Mega Man... Is losing his Mega Marbles!
• Say My Name: Wily screams Bass's name when he finds out that Bass emptied the entire account to purchase Roll's My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic collection.
• Scoring Points: After each stage in the sequel and the remake, you get a score tally based on the amount of time taken, health remaining, deaths, emergency refills, reliance on the default weapon, the character used, and the current difficulty level.
• Self-Deprecation: After Bass is outed as a Brony during the third game, Wily quips that at least he isn't into 'those weird animal people things...' Dr. Light's response is telling.
• Sequel Snark: When playing as Mega Man in the third game, Mega Man tells the narrator to shut up at one point, leading the narrator to respond, "Well I never, see if I come back for Christmas Carol 4! HMPH!"
• Shout-Out:
  • In Remix, the background of Marley's stage has a grave for Robert Marley.
  • Also in Remix, the bosses of the first castle stage are modeled after the Miser Brothers.
  • The third game has cameos in the various endings involving Peter and Chris Griffin, Dr. Robotnik, the Mane Six, and dialogue referencing the likes of Odd Job.
  • Even the trailer for the third game gets in on the action, referencing the 2018 film, The Christmas Chronicles as part of a Overly Long Gag.
  • The highest completion rank in Remix and 3 is "Dragon", earned for defeating the boss with only the default buster and taking no damage, in reference to Roahm Mythril, who is well known in the Mega Man fan community for such "Perfect" Runs of every game in the Mega Man Classic series.
• Shown Their Work: In the first game and its remake, Past uses Volt Man and Dyna Man, two Robot Masters from the first DOS Mega Man title, plus Dangan Man from Rockman & Forte: Challenger from the Future.
• Special Thanks: After the ending credits of the third game, ACE directly thanks the users who helped create the game, and people who helped him through a particularly dark year.
• Spring Jump: Present Surprise can be used this way. In both the sequel and Remix, Mega Man has his trusty Rush Coil.
• Stylistic Suck: The songs that Saint 'sings' at the end of the third game are styled after the kind you'd find in Novelty Christmas cards.
• Tempting Fate: In the second game:
  Mega Man: Not this year. This year everything goes off without a hitch. (Lights start flickering.) You have to be kidding me...
• Time-Limit Boss: Future in the remake. Running out of time does not cause you to lose, but rather triggers Future's turning red.
• Two-Part Trilogy: The first game has a self-contained plot, while the second game ends with a Villain: Exit, Stage Left and a To Be Continued. Ultimately subverted, as the story of the third and final game has nothing to do with the cliffhanger from the previous game (although Mega Man does refer to it in the opening sequence).
• The Man Behind the Man: Neither Dr. Wily or Dr. Light are the main antagonists of the trilogy as both of them were being unwillingly controlled by Saint as confirmed in Bass' playthrough.
• Video Game Remake: Remix
• Villain Song: As your playable character arrives in Saint's boss room, they find him singing a traditional Christmas carol — except he's changed the lyrics to reflect his intent of bringing about an eternal winter.
• What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Shown in Christmas Carol 3's ending. After being defeated, Saint is left a brutal gory pile of parts, oil and synthetic organs. Thankfully, being a robot, he can be rebuilt.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Why does Saint want to plunge the world into an unending winter? He thinks it will end global conflict — a good intention, but freezing everyone is taking it a bit too far.
• We Can Rebuild Him: Saint is left a pile of bolts after the final fight, but his remains are taken back and what he turns into depends on the character.
  • Mega Man's has Dr. Light turn him into a harmless storyteller Santa.
  • Proto Man's has both Dr. Light and Dr. Wily restore him as a performer, joining Proto Man's Hammond Organ musical play as a double act.
  • In Bass's, Wily, who just lost all his money thanks to Bass blowing it on Roll's My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic collection, decides to have Saint be a promoter for Hypno-Wily, which Saint then uses to have the business board agree to it.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue:
  • Each of the three endings in the third game shows what happened to the CDN numbers. While Saint's fate depends on who you use to defeat him, the images for each ending show the following:
    • Scrooge is shown being taught to respect Christmas by Future, who informs him that if he doesn't change, they'll make a live action Disney remake out of his story.
    • Mr. Fezziwig is shown dancing to Bangarang with Present.
    • The Cratchits are shown sitting down to Christmas dinner (with Reggae cooked into a turkey by Mrs. Cratchit). Tiny Tim complains about the smell, and Bob Cratchit tells him to shut up.
    • Past and Want attend Proto Man's play on a date, with Want refusing to share her refreshments with Past.
    • Wishing Star, Ignorance, and Marley play a game of soccer — with Ignorance's head as the ball.
    • Belle tries to have Fred kiss her under the mistletoe — but Fred just uses the flora to decorate his outfit.
• Would Rather Suffer: After Proto Man demands to, in exchange for stopping Saint from freezing the world, have Dr. Light and Dr. Wily attend his one man, 6 hour, Hammond Organ musical play about the five stages of grief, Wily quips that freezing to death sounds much more appealing.
• Yet Another Christmas Carol: Not the plot, but all the Robot Masters are themed after the story.