Mega Man Zero 3 - Buster Only 100 Point S Rank Run [Part 1]
32Welcome to my Buster only 100 point S rank run of Mega Man Zero 3. As the title suggests, I’ll be playing through the entire game using only Zero’s Buster Shot and its associated EX Skills. In my opinion, Z3 contains the most interesting and varied Buster EX Skills in the series. They’re rife with potential for creative applications, hence the inspiration for this run. A secondary motivator to complete this run is that doing so will fulfill the stipulations for unlocking Phantom’s minigame. Playing the game in this manner is highly evocative of the X series; fast-paced movement and precise shooting take center stage, with the usual melee combos taking a backseat. The result is a wholly unique MMZ experience. With that introduced, it’s onto the notes.
-For this run, I set aside my usual ethos of starting with a fresh file. The Zero series offers new game plus as an option; for my initial full-series run, I ignored it to showcase that the challenge being undertaken was doable without prerequisites. Of course, that came at a cost to creative potential, which ties directly into why this is an NG+ run. The justification for eschewing my standard methodology hinges primarily on one thing: Reflect Laser. The entertainment value of having access to this skill from the jump is simply too high to ignore. Waiting until the last third of the game to engage in a trick-shot bonanza is untenable for a buster-only run given the lack of other weapons to pick up the slack.
-Additionally, I fully engage with Z3’s Satellite Elf system. The two in question are Clokkle and Kwappa. When combined with the Normal Body and Quick Charge, Clokkle reduces charge time to 1 second, perfect for rapidly chaining Reflect Laser trick shots. Kwappa coalesces with the Lightweight Body and Frog Foot, bestowing Zero the ability to stick to walls; it’s rarely used but crucial in a few key moments. By equipping all 4 EX Skills and the two Cyber-Elves, I effectively possess an MMX-like weapon and armor-switching system, allowing me to tailor Zero to a given section.
-The intro stage immediately offers insight into an interesting question: how does Reflect Laser interact with slopes? The answer is that the angle of reflection is determined by the angle of the incline you shoot. By default, firing the laser off of flat walls will have it bounce downward first; the direction of this first bounce can be reversed by holding up before letting go of the charge. With slopes, players lose this avenue of control; the game calculates a precise direction based on the exact pixel of terrain the laser strikes, which can result in some peculiar vectors for the laser to travel. This is aptly demonstrated at the start where I cling off a wall and fire left toward the jumping Shrimpolin. The laser takes a very odd path toward the Grand Cannon, completely anomalous to its usual behavior. Slopes lend players novel opportunities to deploy Reflect Laser so leverage them whenever possible.
-The opening of the Factory is remarkably dense. Speeding past all the enemies and obstacles is a delicate procedure, many minute details need to be memorized for the segment to be aesthetically pleasing. Hellbat is a rather fickle fellow; landing 4 point-blank Blizzard Arrows isn't a trivial matter, chiefly because manipulating his pattern is obscenely specific; he has the not-so-welcome quality of being extremely sensitive to player spacing. It's exact enough that, at first, it feels like pure luck, but any recalcitrance on Hellbat's end comes down to improper positioning during his attack selection process.
-The start of Flizard's stage is nearly flat terrain flooded with Heavy Cannons; not exactly conducive to Reflect Laser trickery. Instead, I let V-Shot bare its fangs at the onset, its immense, screen-clearing firepower becomes plainly evident as it perforates swaths of Pantheons. An auxiliary benefit of V-Shot's electric affinity is that enemies who survive a direct shot have their contact damage hitboxes temporarily rescinded; evidenced by the jump I make off the last Heavy Cannon prior to the first major lava pit.
-The Highway Ruins are unspeakably aggravating; getting anything in this stage to behave is an exercise in madness, with the chief offenders being the rambunctious bits of mechanical sea life pervading the stage. Wannabe Elpizo is rather irritating; its claws double as armor and do a sensational job of blocking Reflect Laser while its undulating motions will occasionally juke a shot. The less said about my asinine handling of the Inarabitta fight, the better.
-The plants in Old Residential mesh beautifully with Reflect Laser; let them proliferate before destroying them with carefully planned bounces.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Derelict Spacecraft | Omega
01:38 - Weapons Repair Factory | Hellbat Schilt
04:22 - Aegis Volcano Base | Blazin' Flizard
07:24 - Oceanic Highway Ruins | Childre Inarabitta
11:25 - Old Residential Area | Deathtanz Mantisk
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