Mega Man 2 is getting a proper 16-bit SNES port

Homebrew developer Infidelity has announced a new 16-bit Super Nintendo port of Mega Man 2 built entirely from scratch. The project aims to upgrade the classic 1988 platformer with native SNES graphics, parallax scrolling, and a custom soundtrack.

I have been following Infidelity's work for a while, and he actually ported Mega Man 2 to the SNES back in 2023. That version kept the original 8-bit graphics intact. It was mostly a technical exercise to fix the notorious sprite flicker and add MSU-1 CD audio support. This new project is something completely different. He is aiming to make it look and sound like a native Super Nintendo game.

Skipping the Mega Drive assets

Infidelity confirmed this will not be a copy of the 16-bit Wily Wars port from the Sega Mega Drive. Instead, the project uses entirely custom graphics drawn by an artist, along with some assets pulled from Mega Man 7 and Mega Man X. The engine will support multiple background layers and horizontal parallax scrolling.

Sega players got their own 16-bit version of Mega Man 2 back in 1994 with the release of Mega Man: The Wily Wars. That compilation remade the first three NES games for the Mega Drive. It looks great, but the physics and input timing feel slightly different from the original NES releases. By porting the original NES assembly code directly to the SNES, Infidelity's version should retain the exact physics and jump timing of the 1988 original.

He is also writing a true SPC700 soundtrack to utilize the SNES audio chip properly. An MSU-1 option will still be available for those who prefer arranged CD-quality music. You will even have the option to toggle between the new 16-bit visuals and the original 8-bit graphics on the fly.

To make all of this work, the underlying code had to be completely rewritten. Infidelity spent the past week re-porting the base game from scratch just to map out every video memory request. Because the 16-bit version uses dedicated color RAM tables, he had to rebuild the foundation to avoid a programming nightmare.

Metroid, Zelda, and DuckTales

Infidelity has spent the last few years reverse-engineering NES games to run natively on Super Nintendo hardware. His previous releases include Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, DuckTales, and the original Mega Man. These ports usually map actions to the SNES controller's extra face buttons and eliminate the hardware limitations of the original console. For this new Mega Man 2 project, he plans to include quality-of-life features using the L, R, X, and A buttons.

His Metroid port was particularly impressive. It added a map screen, save files, and the ability to switch weapons with the shoulder buttons. If he brings that same level of polish to Mega Man 2, we are in for a treat.

I always find these kinds of projects fascinating. The original NES release is arguably the most popular game in the franchise. It introduced the password system and E-Tanks, while the eight Robot Master structure that defined the rest of the series was established in the first Mega Man game. But it suffers from heavy slowdown when too many enemies are on screen. Moving the game logic to the faster SNES CPU solves that problem entirely.

The project is currently in early development. If you want to follow the progress, Infidelity posts updates on his Patreon and Twitter accounts. I know I will be keeping an eye on this one.