Play Rockman 7 - Shukumei no Taiketsu! (Japan) (Sample) Online

Game Overview

Rockman 7 (or Mega Man 7 if you grew up outside Japan) is one of those SNES gems that somehow flew under the radar. It's got that classic Blue Bomber action—running, jumping, blasting robots—but with way more detail in the sprites and backgrounds than the NES could handle. The first stage throws you right into it: crumbling city, giant robot bosses, and that familiar "oh crap" moment when you realize you picked the wrong weapon for the job.

What I love about this one is how it balances old-school difficulty with little quality-of-life tweaks. You can finally charge your buster shot, and the shop system lets you stock up on E-tanks if you're really struggling. The soundtrack's got some absolute bangers too—Burst Man's stage theme still gets stuck in my head. It's not perfect (some of those late-game platforming sections are brutal), but it's pure Mega Man with just enough new stuff to feel fresh.

If you missed this back in the day, it's worth digging up—just don't expect it to go easy on you.