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Rockman Kenk

Levels: Good

Graphics: Good

Music: Eh (few MM2 tunes)

Enemies: No Change

Bosses: Good (room/weakness changes)

Weapons: No Change

Castle: Okay

Difficulty: MEDIUM

Comments: Rockman Kenk isn't a "reimagining" of Rockman Kai as much as it's a rudimentary "remaster". While the author claims that 30% of the hack has been altered, in practice it feels far closer to 10%, with screen layouts and enemy composition vastly resembling the original. Where Kenk does step up its game is in two departments: visuals and boss rooms. Levels have sleeker, more moody color palettes and nearly every robot master has a unique arena, turning Bomb Man in particular into a fantastic duel. But for the most part, my thoughts on Kenk largely resemble that of Kai; expect a lot of vertical movement from room to room. Of the two I think Kenk is the superior hack due to its improvements, but all it really does is turn the hack from a C+ into a B-.

It doesn't do anything crazy, but this hack has some pretty interesting level design (sprawling levels, well-executed vertical sections, etc...). The challenge is fair throughout, and anyone experienced with the base game should be able to get through everything OK. Though the AI isn't really altered for bosses, the boss rooms themselves are designed in a way that mixes up the strategies a little bit (it also makes Fireman much more "fair" to fight without his weakness). The last stages had some unique design that forces you clear out blocks via Elecman's weapon, but the actual Wily bosses are unchanged. Also, the final boss gauntlet is actually significantly easier than the base game, which makes it a little anti-climatic to finish the game.

Overall, solid hack for any fans of the original!

This was a pretty decent hack - not bad by any means - but I struggle to find much to say about it. The levels have new designs and palettes that are decent; not frustrating. Some of the new weapon palettes are gorgeous, particularly Fire Storm and Thunder Beam. Music has been moved around a bit, and the Wily tunes from Mega Man 2 are here in place of the originals. The only reason that I don't recommend it is because it doesn't stand out, but if you're looking for something that you haven't played before, you can do a whole lot worse.

I had a good time with this one, and I did not actually see any graphical glitches or gameplay bugs that are usually present in other romhacks of MM1, and also this modification offers a good balance of puzzles, and enemy placements to keep you entertained. In one way one could say this is what hard mode would look like if it were official. Also the boss weaknesses were interesting this time around (there are a few boss weakness changes that might catch a few players by surprise), and you could actually use the boss room to your advantage sometimes.

The overall experience was definitely a positive, I would recommend this romhack.

This hack changes the colour palette, levels and weakness. The level design is good and polish and use different enemies in different stages. Is a fun level hack.