So far, 2013 has brought us some really awesome Mega Man fan-games. This year has seen the official release of both Mega Man: Revolution and Mega Man Unlimited, as well as a few other lesser-known titles like Super Mega Man 3. Yet, one game has slipped under the radar and it really deserves much more attention than it has gotten!

One of the people I subscribe to on YouTube had a video up on their site showing the introduction stage of a new game called Mega Man: Rock Force – a game I didn’t even know existed. That led me to doing a Google search for the game and then coming across its homepage. At first, I wasn’t sure if the game was finished or not, but sure enough, a release version was posted on the site! However, even though what was posted is the “complete game,” the game’s primary designer says that more things will be added in future updates as he sees fit.

The game is set sometime after Dr. Wily’s latest defeat, when the scientist has disappeared and the world seems to be on the path to peace. Mega Man, wary that everlasting peace is ever possible to establish, recruits eight Robot Masters (some created by Dr. Light and others by other people) and trains them to serve on an elite peacekeeping team called the “Rock Force.” Dr. Light created a new Robot Master called Justice Man to help Mega Man train and lead this new team. However, when investigating an attack six months prior to the main game, Justice Man is damaged by a rogue robot known as Shock Man. While his body is not that badly damaged, his “mental matrix” seems damaged and unable to be repaired by Dr. Light. Robot Masters around the world enter a state of rebellion, refusing to work for their human creators and masters, and when Justice Man and his team are dispatched to take care of the problem, all communication is lost. Thus, Mega Man is called into action, going after these rogue Robot Masters and trying to figure out what happened to the Rock Force.

Ultimately, this game is very, very good. The graphics really stay true to the 8-bit feel of the series, but they capture a new depth that really adds to the experience. Each stage has a unique gimmick all its own, and these gimmicks really complement the Robot Masters. The creator made excellent use of custom music to provide the game with a very unique soundtrack, and I really like the new Robot Masters that he came up with. The game is also very long, featuring introduction and intermediate stages as well as additional Robot Masters beyond the initial eight.

In many ways, I would argue that this game is superior to Mega Man Unlimited and ranks right up there with Mega Man: Revolution.

The game is currently free to download and enjoy, so head on over to its homepage and get your copy today!