Mega Man 11 Gearing up for an October Release

Mega Man 11 was first unveiled last December via an exciting announcement trailer and now—with the release of a new trailer and more information—we know even more about the forthcoming entry in the long-running platformer series. With it being the 30th anniversary of the Mega Man series, it is only fitting that Mega Man 11 would release this year and, alongside a release date of Oct. 2, even more has been shared about the brand-new title, from story bits to new gameplay mechanics.

Once again, the evil Dr. Wily is up to his nefarious ways by using a new Double Gear system to create even more formidable bosses in a ploy to take over the world. But Dr. Light and Mega Man are back to foil the evil doctor’s plans and destroy the villainous robots he has unleashed. This time, Mega Man also has the help of the aforementioned Double Gear system, and this system changes the gameplay just enough to keep things interesting.

In the new trailer for Mega Man 11, we see how the Double Gear system allows Mega Man to access cool new powers simultaneously, which will greatly aid him along his journey. The powers shown in the trailer, including the Speed Gear (the ability to slow time) and the Power Gear (the ability to overcharge Mega Man’s Mega Buster), seem to change up the core flow of gameplay in a way that adds new tactical layers to the already-deep platforming and yet, the core feel of what makes a Mega Man game remains intact. All of Mega Man’s old and new powers are more accessible than ever with the introduction of a new, user interface-friendly weapon wheel.

New gameplay mechanics and powers inevitably mean change and, for a series that hasn’t handled change super well, some fans may be worried. The veteran development team behind Mega Man 11, an in-house group at Capcom, want to assuage those fears by reiterating that the core mechanics of running, jumping, shooting and absorbing bosses’ powers remains wholly intact. It will feel both familiar and new.

Speaking of bosses, the Mega Man series is known for its interesting boss designs and the powers that they harbor, and in today’s trailer, two new bosses are shown: Block Man and Fuse Man. Block Man is described as egotistical and his power revolves around the building of blocks, whilst Fuse Man’s powers revolve around his harnessing of electricity for speed and combat purposes. The boss fights look as white-knuckled and rewarding as fans have come to expect from the series.

Mega Man 11 hops its way onto the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Windows PC come Oct. 3. Until then, check out the new trailer below.