[TGS 2026] Hands-On with “Mega Man Dual Override”! The Latest Entry in the Mega Man Series—A Natural Evolution!

" Mega Man: Dual Override," which was unveiled with great fanfare at The Game Awards 2025 in December 2025,
is scheduled for release in 2027—the 40th anniversary of the series—and will be featured as a playable title at the Tokyo Game Show 2026 (TGS2026)!
Here’s our review after trying it out!

First things first—there’s one thing I absolutely have to tell you!!

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Simply put, it was a blast!
The classic elements of Mega Man that have remained unchanged over the years coexisted perfectly with the new ones.
If you enjoyed past Mega Man games—especially the previous installment, “Mega Man 11”—you have every reason to be excited about this one.

Let’s get into the specifics of what I liked!

The Mega Man series’ traditions remain intact—in the best possible way!

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This game essentially serves as “Mega Man 12.”
The gameplay that has been beloved since the very first installment remains completely unchanged in this title.

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The series’ signature system, where players can decide the order in which to clear stages, is still very much alive in this title.
However, in this demo, the stage was fixed to the Twinkle Girl stage.

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In terms of action, the basics remain the same: fighting with jumps, the Lock Buster, and special weapons obtained from defeated bosses.

In addition to these, this game also features Charge Shots and Sliding.
While these elements may or may not be available depending on the title, this aspect is the same as in the previous game, *Mega Man 11*.

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Basic gameplay mechanics, such as adjusting jump height by how hard you press the jump button, are consistent with past titles.
The controls are responsive and allow for snappy movement, so I never felt any inconvenience while playing.

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The series has a reputation for being challenging, and that sharpness hasn’t waned.
You progress by hopping from platform to platform, dodging attacks, and defeating enemies.
It sounds simple when put into words, but if you let your guard down, you’ll hear that “tiun-tiun” sound.
In fact, I made countless mistakes in just a 20-minute trial session...

These elements—the very things that make “Mega Man” what it is—are still firmly in place.

All the new features and changes make for a smooth experience!

While this game largely follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, the changes to elements that were somewhat unpopular in past titles—as well as the new features—are all a pleasure to experience.
Even during my brief hands-on session, I felt a great sense of satisfaction.

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First off, I honestly thought it was great that each boss stage has been split into three sections.
In previous games, there were stages where the journey to the boss felt long.
This issue has been effectively resolved.

Also, recent entries in the series have sometimes been criticized for lacking content.
I was very impressed by this idea, which seems designed to address that issue.

Each section can be cleared in about 5 minutes if you progress smoothly.
This also makes it easier to pause and resume the game.

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Another new feature in this installment is the Custom Chip System.
This system allows you to alter or enhance Mega Man’s performance by selecting a chip set before heading into battle.
During this hands-on demo, I was able to choose from the following three types.

• Survival Focus: Barriers and E-Tanks are available
• Firepower Focus: Charge Shots build up automatically, enabling Double Charge Shots
• No Chip Support: Mega Man himself isn’t enhanced, but you can summon the support mech, Rush

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In this regard, the gameplay feels completely different.
In particular, the feature where Charge Shots charge automatically when you select the “Firepower Focus” option is extremely convenient.
In previous games, I used to change the key configuration to make it easier to charge Charge Shots, but that doesn’t seem necessary here.
It’s unclear whether additional chips will be added in the final version, but having a wide variety of chips means you can experience the same stage differently each time you play—it leaves a positive impression that you’ll want to play it over and over again.

In addition to the custom chip system, there are other new actions.
One of them is the special weapon “Power Shot.”
This is a new feature not mentioned on the official website, so I was a bit surprised.

In this game, you can now fire different types of shots with the special weapons you obtain by defeating each boss.
For series veterans, it might be easier to imagine if I said it’s like the Charge Shot special weapon from the *Mega Man X* series, but now it’s a one-button command.

For example, with a special weapon where Mega Man dashes forward, the distance traveled is completely different between the normal version and the Power Shot.
Since I was only able to try out one special weapon during this hands-on session, I’ll have to check the full game to see how the others work!

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And now, the biggest new feature—the Override System, which even gives this game its title.
It’s a system that lets Mega Man remove his limiter and unleash power beyond his limits, and it felt incredibly satisfying to use.

When activated, attack power increases dramatically for a set period, and the Buster fires in a so-called “three-shot burst,” significantly boosting offensive capabilities.
You gain the power to destroy mid-bosses in the blink of an eye.
Since Mega Man’s controls don’t change significantly—it’s purely an increase in attack power—it feels incredibly exhilarating.

It really feels great to watch the enemy’s health melt away in the blink of an eye!
I found myself wishing this form could last forever.

However, as the name “Limiter Release” suggests, Mega Man becomes weakened for a while once the timer runs out.
You can’t use Charge Shots, and you can’t rapid-fire the Buster either, so you’ll want to think carefully about when to use it.

Points of Concern

High Difficulty

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This might just be because I wasn’t skilled enough, though…
Overall, I found the difficulty to be extremely high.
With so many games these days that let you easily play through to the ending, this level of challenge is actually quite rare.

I’ve beaten several games in the series, including *Mega Man X*, so I let my guard down, thinking I’d be fine—but I never imagined my demo time would end without even getting to meet Twinkle Girl herself…
It’s incredibly frustrating.

However, it’s not so unreasonable as to be unfair; it’s the kind of difficulty where you know the strategy but your controls just can’t keep up, so I think it’s within the realm of what you can overcome with enough practice—and you’ll get that satisfying feeling of finally breaking through.

There might not be any straightforward difficulty adjustments.

In previous titles, you could select difficulty settings—such as reducing the damage you take—but I couldn’t find this option, at least during the demo.
It’s possible that the Custom Chip System effectively serves as the difficulty adjustment, or that it simply wasn’t implemented in the demo yet, but wouldn’t it have been nice to see clear wording like “Recommended for Beginners!”?

The Override System Triggers Automatically When You’re in a Pinch

While the Override system is incredibly powerful when activated, it triggers automatically when your health gets low.
I assume this is a safety measure to prevent your health from dropping to zero without using Override, but since the system has its drawbacks, I imagine some players might find the automatic activation bothersome.
I can imagine a scenario where an advanced player is doing a time attack-style run, charging forward knowing they’ll take damage, only for it to trigger on its own… so I thought it would be nice if there were an option to turn it on or off.
I haven’t been able to verify this in detail, so I apologize if this behavior only occurs when using specific custom chips.

Overall Impressions from the Demo!

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Overall, my impression is that this is “a natural evolution of the Mega Man series.”
Since my playtime was limited, I wasn’t able to check everything, but I felt that the classic Mega Man feel and the new elements were blended together really well.
As I mentioned at the beginning, I don’t think anyone—whether they’re a veteran of the Mega Man series or a first-timer—will have trouble with the controls or find the game’s objectives confusing, so if you’re interested, I hope you’ll keep an eye out for future updates.

That wraps up my hands-on preview report for “Mega Man: Dual Override”!

▼With the cooperation of Taisho Uchiyama
X: https://x.com/Uchiyama_Taisho
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Uchiyama_Taisho