In my last sprite post, I showed off a faux in-game screenshot for Mega Man Ultimate that I had created from scratch. It showcased the opening stretch of Strafe Man’s stage, mostly taking place high above ground level true to his aerial design. While I was pleased with the result I ended up with, I felt as though that it didn’t really have a ‘sky-themed robot master level’ feel to it all that much, which I realized once I had the first screen about 90% done.
Which is why I made another screen, this time detailing the latter half of the stage- a fast-paced Rush Jet segment through Strafe Man’s central station fifty thousand feet in the air!
Fans of Mega Man 8 will recognize this variety of stage segment from Tengu Man’s stage, where Mega Man (With the assistance of Rush and others) are placed into a Gradius-esque segment shooting down enemies all while traveling in a pre-determined destination (Almost like the jetski segment in Wave Man’s stage)... though I felt like Tengu Man’s Rush Jet segment dragged on a bit in terms of speed, so I wanted to create the opposite: a Rush Jet segment that relies heavily on fast-thinking and careful aim!
To not have the player cheat out the introductory segment of the stage by flying over it via Rush Jet, Rush Jet is instead acquired mid-stage. Kind of like how Mega Man 7 had various upgrades hidden in stage elements, but this one’s not hidden and instead given to the player directly before the segment it’s required for. At speeds akin to the snowboarding segment in Frost Man’s stage, Mega Man must fend off all kinds of airborne foes, weaving in and out of airlocks before eventually being lead straight to Strafe Man’s boss room. It’d make for a thrilling experience!
Some astute Mega Man fans may notice that the Rush Jet sprite I used in this screen is a tiny bit different than the canon sprite- that’s because I resprited Rush in his entirety, so he would look more in-place with the sprite of Mega Man’s that I’ve touched up! It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be, mainly because Rush’s body is compromised of spherical shapes (Much like Centaur Man’s... so of course I didn’t have any problems). Maybe with this knowledge I can eventually resprite Treble, too!
Next are two enemies found present in this stretch of the stage- a Helitop and a Trajecton IV. You might recognize the Helitop from this post, featuring its supersized cousins packing a much heavier arsenal. I knew after designing the Helitop Twins that I wanted the Helitop to be a regular enemy (Like how Mega Man 4 had that giant Metall fortress boss... a supersized variant of a regular enemy), so I gave it a nice light green color to differentiate it from its red and blue counterparts.
Then there is the Trajecton IV. Pay no mind to the bizarre name, it was an attempt at matching Mega Man’s interesting enemy naming style... a mixed one at that. Everyone knows the stock cannon enemies that are in most Mega Man games (Like this one) so I decided to sprite one to not have the screen look too empty. It’s big, it’s lean, and it’s packin’ heat! I felt like a majority of cannon-based enemies are lacking in the ‘Mega Man’ feel (Ironically) so I ended up giving it eyes, a design choice I certainly don’t regret!
I have rambled long enough to warrant this another ‘long post’ tag, so I may as well get the rest of my rambles out in the tags below. As usual, I really hope you enjoy this sprite showcase!