| Mega Man Battle Network | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre(s) | Real-time tactical role-playing |
| Developer(s) | Capcom Inti Creates Arika Tose |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance WonderSwan Color GameCube Arcade Mobile phones Nintendo DS Wii U PlayStation 4 Nintendo Switch PC |
| First release | Mega Man Battle Network March 21, 2001 |
| Latest release | Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection April 14, 2023 |
| Parent series | Mega Man |
Mega Man Battle Network[a] is a tactical role-playing video game series created by Masahiro Yasuma and developed and published by Capcom as a spin-off of the Mega Man series; it premiered in 2001 on the Game Boy Advance and takes place in an alternate continuity where computers and networking technology was the main focus on scientific advancement, rather than robotics. There are a total of six mainline games, alongside several spin-offs.
Created amidst the success of Nintendo's and Game Freak's Pokémon series, alongside the rise of collectable card games, Mega Man Battle Network has players control MegaMan.EXE, a NetNavi operated by Lan Hikari as they attempt to stop the schemes of a net-crime organization called WWW (called "World Three"), headed by the universe's interpretation of Dr. Wily. Players battle enemies on a 6x3 grid, selecting "Battle Chips" which allow for more powerful attacks.
The series has been met with positive reviews from critics, although later games, particularly 5 and 6, have been criticized for a perceived lack of innovation; the series was followed-up by a sequel series titled Mega Man Star Force, which is set 200 years after Battle Network and focuses on radio waves. A compilation of all six mainline entries, Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, was released in April 2023 for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC.
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