Mega Man Zero (video game)

Mega Man Zero is a 2002 hack and slash platform game developed by Inti Creates and published by Capcom for the Game Boy Advance. It is the first installment in the Mega Man Zero series, the fifth series in Capcom's Mega Man video game franchise. The game is set 100 years after the events of the Mega Man X series and follows Zero, a Reploid awakened from his sleep to aid a human scientist named Ciel and her resistance force in a fight against the utopia of Neo Arcadia. Mega Man Zero was produced as a commission product by Inti Creates for Capcom, who were given free rein on the project's direction and premise. During development, the developers aimed to make Zero among the most challenging games in the franchise, and to bridge the gap between the mechanical feel of the X series, and the human feel of the Legends series. The initial idea for the antagonist was to have the original X be the villain, however this was changed late into production to a copy robot due to fears of it not sitting well with players. Mega Man Zero received mostly positive reviews. Critics praised the game's storyline, graphics, and tweaks to the franchise's classic action formula, though many were put off by its high difficulty level. Mega Man Zero garnered strong sales upon its debut and went on to produce three direct sequels on the GBA, as well as two titles in a sequel series on the Nintendo DS. It was re-released on the Wii U's Virtual Console in Japan on October 22, 2014.