# Mega Man Zero 2
**Mega Man Zero 2** (known as RockMan Zero 2 in Japan) is a 2003 side-scrolling action platformer for the [Game Boy Advance](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-boy-advance), developed by Inti Creates and published by Capcom, and the second entry in the [Mega Man Zero](https://www.edgepedia.org/mega-man-zero) series starring the reploid Zero.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba) • [2](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gba/589660-mega-man-zero-2/reviews/81923) It was released in Japan on May 2, 2003, in North America on October 14, 2003, and in Europe on October 31, 2003.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Platform and release | Game Boy Advance; Japan May 2, 2003, North America October 14, 2003, Europe October 31, 2003[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba) |
| Developer / publisher | Inti Creates / Capcom[2](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gba/589660-mega-man-zero-2/reviews/81923) |
| Rank scale | Mission grades run S, A, B, C, D, E, F; S (Hero rank) requires 96 to 100 points, F is 45 and under[3](https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Mega_Man_Zero_2/Mission_Criteria) |
| EX Skills | Learned from bosses defeated while holding A or S rank[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba) |
| Cyber-Elves | 74 to collect; using one counts against the mission rating, and each elf disappears after use[4](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mega-man-zero-2-review/1900-6078235/) |
| Sales | Over 150,000 copies in Japan in 2003; roughly 430,000 worldwide per VGChartz[5](https://retronaissance.wordpress.com/2019/12/19/retrospective-megaman-zero/) |
| Critical scores | Metacritic 81; GameSpot rated it 8.6 (Great)[2](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gba/589660-mega-man-zero-2/reviews/81923) • [6](https://www.gamespot.com/games/mega-man-zero-2/reviews/) |
## Gameplay and structure
The game keeps the core loop of its predecessor: Zero runs through a level, completes a mission objective, and fights a boss at the end.[2](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gba/589660-mega-man-zero-2/reviews/81923) Unlike the first game's interconnected world, mission selection is now a line of boss headshots in the style of the classic [Mega Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/mega-man) and [Mega Man X](https://www.edgepedia.org/mega-man-x) games, and the game world is no longer explorable between areas.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba) Reviewers judged this a net gain: the level design became tighter, with obstacles and enemy placements laid out for fair challenge rather than maximum frustration.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba)
**Reduced grinding.** Several systems were tuned down from the first game. Weapons level up much more quickly and often max out from ordinary play, and Cyber-Elves require far less feeding, with the best elves costing a few hundred Energy Crystals instead of a few thousand.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba) The weapon-leveling mechanic itself returns, but every weapon except the Z-Saber has only two levels of growth, and the maxed skill for most weapons is a faster charge time.[5](https://retronaissance.wordpress.com/2019/12/19/retrospective-megaman-zero/)
The game also restored features the first entry had removed: lives return, infinite continues are available, and two of the four subtanks can be found lying in stages rather than obtained only through Cyber-Elves.[5](https://retronaissance.wordpress.com/2019/12/19/retrospective-megaman-zero/) • [2](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gba/589660-mega-man-zero-2/reviews/81923) The Triple Rod was revamped into the Chain Rod, which grabs items and blocks from a distance and lets Zero swing across ceilings.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba) A link cable mode lets two players race through a subset of stages, gathering items and Cyber-Elves along the way.[4](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mega-man-zero-2-review/1900-6078235/)
## Ranks, EX Skills, and Cyber-Elves
After each mission a Mission Report grades the player on objective completion, speed, enemies destroyed, damage taken, retries, and Cyber-Elf use, producing a rank from S (Hero) down to F.[3](https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Mega_Man_Zero_2/Mission_Criteria) The bands are S at 96 to 100, A at 86 to 95, B at 76 to 85, C at 66 to 75, D at 56 to 65, E at 46 to 55, and F at 45 and under.[3](https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Mega_Man_Zero_2/Mission_Criteria)
**EX Skills** are the reward for high ranks: defeating a boss while holding A or S rank teaches Zero that boss's special move, from a more powerful shot to a life regenerator to a sword combo.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba) • [2](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gba/589660-mega-man-zero-2/reviews/81923) An EX attack combined with the right elemental ability can destroy a boss in eight hits instead of 50.[4](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mega-man-zero-2-review/1900-6078235/) Because bosses do not reappear, a boss's EX attack cannot be earned after that boss is defeated at a lower rank.[4](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mega-man-zero-2-review/1900-6078235/)
The Cyber-Elf system creates the game's central tension. Elves are found by eliminating enemies or freeing them from crates, and activating one produces a beneficial effect, such as removing small enemies, increasing Zero's health meter, or boosting attack power; 74 exist, and each disappears once used.[4](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mega-man-zero-2-review/1900-6078235/) Every activation counts against the performance rating, with larger deductions for higher-level elves, and elves with permanent effects are penalized at the end of every subsequent mission, capping the achievable rank.[3](https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Mega_Man_Zero_2/Mission_Criteria) Using all of the Cyber-Elves unlocks the Ultimate Form.[7](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gba/589660-mega-man-zero-2/faqs/79306)
**Forms** are a separate unlock tied to play style: meeting certain goals with a fighting style grants a form that changes Zero's speed, the damage he takes, or grants special abilities, so a Z-Saber player and a Buster player unlock different forms.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba)
## Story
The story picks up one year after the first game, which ended with Zero and Ciel going their separate ways. Zero has spent that year single-handedly fighting Neo Arcadia's forces and finally collapses from exhaustion; an unlikely ally carries him to Ciel.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba) In his absence a newcomer named Elpizo leads the Resistance, which has grown stronger, better equipped, and established as a genuine threat, with missions shifting from survival to attacks on Neo Arcadia's supply routes and fortifications.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba) Completing stages can also alter other stages on repeat visits; clearing the Computer Room guarded by Poler Kamrous removes its icy surfaces and spikes, and clearing the Power Plant guarded by Phoenix Magnion removes Pantheon-type enemies from earlier stages.[5](https://retronaissance.wordpress.com/2019/12/19/retrospective-megaman-zero/)
## Presentation
The game looks and sounds much like its predecessor, with character portraits reworked to look smoother and more vibrant, and a soundtrack that exceeds the first game's standards.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba) GameSpot highlighted full-screen fog and steam effects similar to those in [Golden Sun](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-sun), bosses that frequently fill more than a quarter of the screen, and dramatic, fast-paced music unusual for a GBA title.[4](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mega-man-zero-2-review/1900-6078235/) Boss battles and major scenes occasionally include short snippets of Japanese voice acting.[8](https://operationrainfall.com/2014/05/28/retro-review-mega-man-zero-2/)
## Reception and sales
GameSpot's review by Frank Provo scored the game 8.6 (Great), calling it a game that belongs in the collection of any action-game aficionado despite difficulty that may discourage some players.[6](https://www.gamespot.com/games/mega-man-zero-2/reviews/) • [4](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mega-man-zero-2-review/1900-6078235/) Nintendo Life rated the [Wii U](https://www.edgepedia.org/wii-u) eShop re-release 9/10, calling it "a sequel done right" for ironing out its predecessor's wrinkles, reducing grinding, and adding forms and EX Skills.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba) The game holds a Metacritic score of 81.[2](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gba/589660-mega-man-zero-2/reviews/81923)
It sold over 150,000 copies in Japan in 2003 and was the seventh best-selling video game in Japan the week of its release; VGChartz estimates roughly 430,000 copies sold worldwide.[5](https://retronaissance.wordpress.com/2019/12/19/retrospective-megaman-zero/)
## Later releases
The game was re-released on the Wii U eShop in 2015, at £6.29 in Europe and $7.99 in North America.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba)
## References
1. [Mega Man Zero 2 Review (Wii U eShop / GBA), Nintendo Life](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/mega_man_zero_2_gba)
2. [Mega Man Zero 2 Review by Ice_Water, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gba/589660-mega-man-zero-2/reviews/81923)
3. [Mega Man Zero 2/Mission Criteria, StrategyWiki](https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Mega_Man_Zero_2/Mission_Criteria)
4. [Mega Man Zero 2 Review, GameSpot (Frank Provo, November 5, 2003)](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mega-man-zero-2-review/1900-6078235/)
5. [Retrospective: MegaMan Zero, Retronaissance](https://retronaissance.wordpress.com/2019/12/19/retrospective-megaman-zero/)
6. [Mega Man Zero 2 Reviews, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/games/mega-man-zero-2/reviews/)
7. [Mega Man Zero 2 Form Order Guide, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gba/589660-mega-man-zero-2/faqs/79306)
8. [Retro Review: Mega Man Zero 2, Operation Rainfall](https://operationrainfall.com/2014/05/28/retro-review-mega-man-zero-2/)
9. [Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection analysis, Meristation](https://as.com/meristation/2020/03/13/analisis/1584083623_335069.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Individual Nintendo-platform game titles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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