Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection Switch 2, Boost Mode, Switch 1, and Steam Deck Full Game Impressions

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The Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection introduces a Mega Man series I hadn’t experienced before to current gaming systems. Before its release, I played the collection on my PC handhelds and Switch to see what it was like for a new player, and to evaluate the overall package including the extra features and improvements. Having only started playing Mega Man with the 3DS collection, it’s been great exploring these games, and I especially enjoyed the Battle Network series. I was really interested to try the Mega Man Star Force games next, and this collection seemed like the perfect way to do it.

I can’t show you everything in this preview, but I can give you an overview of the collection and how it performs on handheld devices. I’ve been playing Mega Man games mostly on the Switch lately, with the Battle Network Collection also available on Steam Deck. I was particularly interested in seeing how the Nintendo DS games in the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection – which have 3D effects – would look on today’s screens.

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection offers a variety of options to customize your gameplay experience. You can adjust the difficulty with sliders, and use assist features like a speed boost and control how often you encounter enemies (from none to maximum). The game also lets you modify damage levels, automatically recover health after battles, access extra Battle Network content, guarantee escapes from standard fights, and even get help locating challenging bosses. All of these settings, along with screen layout options, are found in the game’s settings menu.



The game’s layout automatically adapts to the gameplay, placing the lower screen in the bottom-right corner. You can customize its position and size, and even play in vertical mode. However, it’s currently frustrating that the collection doesn’t support touchscreens. The settings menu allows you to adjust the graphics, letting you choose between original and high-resolution visuals for both the game and its icons/cards. I personally prefer the classic look without any filters, and it displayed nicely on my handheld devices.



I’ve been exploring the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, and I want to highlight all the extra features and bonus content it includes, as well as share my thoughts on how it plays on different platforms. I’ll save a detailed review of the games themselves for closer to the release date. The collection has a fantastic gallery mode with artwork from the games, promotional art, and illustrations from the Battle and Bonus Cards. It also includes a list of in-game achievements and a music player where you can create custom playlists using both the original soundtracks and newly arranged tracks.

Okay, so I’ve been playing the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, and while I’m really enjoying it, there are a few things I hope Capcom fixes. First, the speed boost assist feels kinda janky. You go faster, which is cool, but the camera doesn’t keep up, making it feel less smooth than it should. Second, the text font isn’t great – it’s the same as in the Battle Network collection. I’d love to see an option for a proper pixel font, but we might have to wait for some PC mods for that. Finally, there’s a little bit of shimmering or flickering when things move, and it’s more noticeable on the Switch. I got used to it after a while, but it would be awesome if they could smooth that out. It’s not a dealbreaker, but these little tweaks would make the experience even better.









Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection Switch 2 impressions

The Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, when played on the newer Switch model, still has the same graphical limitations as the original Switch release. While it looks good on the handheld screen, it doesn’t fully render in 1080p, even when docked. This isn’t a major problem, but it would have been great if Capcom had optimized the game to run at a full 1080p on the handheld screen and at an even higher resolution when docked. Fortunately, the game runs smoothly with fast menus and transitions. Hopefully, Capcom will release an updated version specifically for the newer Switch that takes full advantage of its capabilities, offering a native 1080p handheld mode and higher resolutions when played on a TV.



Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection Switch 1 impressions

While the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection takes longer to load on the standard Switch compared to the Switch OLED model, it looks fantastic on the OLED screen. I didn’t experience any slowdown or other performance problems during the initial parts of the games I tried.

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection Switch 2 handheld boost mode impressions 

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection Switch 2 handheld boost mode on vs off comparison

Just to clarify the comparison, I used the Switch 2’s screen zoom feature (thanks to GVG for pointing it out!) to highlight the difference between boost mode on and off. I took photos of the screen from the same spot each time to clearly show the improved resolution when boost mode is active in Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection.

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection Steam Deck and PC impressions

The Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection is confirmed to work well on the Steam Deck, but here are a few things to know. You’ll need an internet connection during the initial setup due to its security measures. If you have the Steam Deck OLED model, be sure to set the refresh rate to 60Hz for smooth scrolling; 90Hz can cause some choppiness. This isn’t an issue on the standard Steam Deck LCD. When playing docked, the game limits some display and graphics options, but you can fix this by adding the launch option “SteamDeck=0 %command%” (without the quotes). Otherwise, the game looks and runs great on the Steam Deck. It also works perfectly on the ROG Ally, and actually loads faster there than on the Steam Deck.



Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection load times compared across PC, Switch 2, Switch, and Steam Deck

Okay, so I wanted to see how quickly Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection loaded on different systems. I timed how long it took to get from the console’s home screen to the title screen, and then again from loading a saved game. I played on a Switch 2 with the game on its built-in storage, my Switch OLED with the game on an SD card, a Steam Deck using its internal storage, and the ROG Ally, also on its internal storage. I’m sharing the load times in seconds below.

Platform Dashboard to title Loading a save
Switch on Switch 2 21-22 3
Switch 36 4
ROG Ally 29 3-4
Steam Deck 36-37 4
PS5 15 1

Each version of the game takes a little longer to start up than I anticipated, even when quickly pressing confirm. However, the version on the newer Switch model (Switch 2) loads noticeably faster than on both PC handhelds and the original Switch. I also tested the PlayStation 5 version and found it to be the quickest overall when it comes to loading times.

The Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection seems like a worthy successor to the excellent Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection. While I might not play through every version in the collection due to similarities between them, I appreciate that Capcom is being thorough. If you’re looking for the best portable experience, I’d recommend playing on the Switch 2 or a PC handheld instead of the original Switch, if possible. Aside from some loading time issues, the games look fantastic on the Switch OLED screen. I’m excited to play more and try it out on other platforms as soon as I can.

The Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection will be available on March 27, 2026 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X, and PC via Steam.

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2026-03-25 15:27