Make a Good Mega Man Level: Chapter Pepsi
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Make a Good Mega Man Level: Chapter Pepsi (also known as MaGMML: Chapter Pepsi for short) is an unofficial spinoff in the Make a Good Mega Man Level series, made by Scatman's World. The game takes place between the events of both Make a Good Mega Man Level: Episode Zero and Make a Good Mega Man Level 2, and only features one level.
Story
Having dealt with SRARA and put a stop to their plans, Zero heads back to Mega City. However, his teleport back to the city does not go as planned, taking him to a city he doesn't immediately recognize. Discovering that he cannot complete the jump back to his intended destination, he opts to venture deeper into this city in hopes of finding someone who can fix his signal.
Zero ends up finding a warehouse. Though reluctant at first, sudden rainfall causes Zero to search inside. His investigation leads him to a laboratory, where he becomes hopeful about finding a scientist to fix his signal. This hope get dashed as an experiment in the lab breaks free of its glass tube, and proceeds to attack Zero. Upon its defeat, the experiment explodes, engulfing the whole lab in flames.
Recovering from the explosion, Zero takes note that the experiment appeared to take the form of a Pepsi logo. This is when he realizes where exactly he ended up: Pepsi City. This dread is quickly replaced with a sense of gladness, as that means he's not that far from Mega City. This upbeat though is replaced with dread again when he discovers that the door he entered the lab through is locked, requiring him to delve deeper into the lab if he wants any chance of leaving. Finding more questions then he does answers, Zero eventually comes face-to-face with none other than Pepsi Man.
It is through this meeting that Zero discovers just what is going on: After their first battle, Pepsi Man looked into what the Energy Element they were fighting over actually was. Realizing he had squandered great power, he made it his mission to find another Energy Element, a goal he would eventually achieve. Initially intending to use its power to boost Pepsi production levels, Pepsi Man came up with another idea: Crush the Element to dust & use it as an ingredient. The result is a new flavor of Pepsi, potent enough that one can contains more energy than the Element that went towards making it. As a supposed act of generosity (or perhaps a power move), Pepsi Man offers Zero the first can of this new flavor, to which Zero pushes it away. Realizing that Pepsi Man has gone mad with power, Zero puts a stop to his plans before they cause serious damage.
Just as Zero defeats him, Pepsi Man starts "glitching out" (as does the room they're in), and proceeds to absorb the Energy-Element-infused Pepsi, becoming more powerful than he was before. Zero tries fighting him, but just as he's about to deal the finishing blow, Pepsi Man overpowers Zero. Unable to move, Zero begins to wonder if this is it for him, until it dawns on him that perhaps the key to defeating Pepsi Man is to absorb the tainted Pepsi himself. Remembering that Pepsi can that he threw away, Zero exerts all his energy into finding that can. Drinking its contents, he is able to attain a more powerful form, and put a stop to Pepsi Man once & for all.
On Pepsi Man's defeat, everything appears to "freeze", and starts "glitching" severely, until eventually Zero gets ejected. Coming to his senses, Zero finds that not only is he wearing his hood, but he is also back in Mega City. Specifically, he is inside a tent, with a teleporter in front of him & Dr. Hyde, worried immensely about Zero's condition. Inspecting the teleporter, Zero realizes that his return to Pepsi City, and everything that transpired there, was all a simulation. He remembers that he actually did return to Mega City, and had decided to meet Hyde. There, he discovered that she had developed a new memory-based simulation. He tries it out for himself, only for the simulation to seemingly corrupt from him using it, causing it to simulate a twisted version of his encounter with Pepsi Man.
As Zero recovers, both he & Hyde wonder what could have caused the simulation to go rogue. This ponder is short-lived, as Zero remembers Mega Man. He bids Sophie adieu, as he leaves to find the Blue Bomber.
Gameplay
Gameplay is near identical to that of Episode Zero. Zero retains his increased mobility compared to Mega Man. This includes dashing, air-dashing, & stomping. In place of Special Weapons, Zero has three basic weapons; the Z-Buster, a slow shot that can be aimed slightly up or down with no energy cost, the Z-Saber, a close-quarters energy slash, and the Z-Burst, a wide burst of piercing shots. Zero also has access to Chips, which will not only alter his movement speeds but also enhance his weapons. Chips do not use ammunition, instead draining over time while in use. They can only be refilled by passing a checkpoint or by dying. Zero also has a unique "Drive" weapon, whose function changes greatly depending on the Chip he uses.
Chapter Pepsi has a few minor gameplay differences to Episode Zero. Zero can also double-jump, an unlockable move in EZ that is available from the start in this game. The game also fully restores weapon ammo, in addition to Chip ammo, whenever you die & respawn. Only E-Tanks appear in this game, and only a maximum of one can be held.
Weapons
Zero has the same Weapons & Chips that he does in Episode Zero, all available from the start.
| Weapon | ||
|---|---|---|
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Z-Buster | |
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Z-Saber | |
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Z-Burst | |
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Blank Drive | |
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Cutter Chip | |
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Flame Chip | |
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Icicle Chip | |
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Zap Chip | |
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Psycho Chip | |
Bosses
| Name | Weakness | |
|---|---|---|
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The Spill | Flame Chip (Blank Drive) |
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Pepsi Man | Flame Chip (Blank Drive) |
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Nightmare King Pepsi Man | Flame Chip (Z-Saber, Blank Drive) |
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Nightmare King Pepsi Man (as Zero Soul) | None |
Bonuses
A few extra options open up on the Title Screen upon beating the game once:
Boss Gallery
A menu where the player can re-fight all four bosses in this game. The game will keep track of their best times against each boss, as well as note if they were able to defeat a boss without taking damage, without using any weapons other than the Z-Buster, and/or without using any Chips. If all three are achieved at once (referred to in-game as a Perfect Run), the achievement text on the menu will be gold & sparkly.
Sound Test
This takes the player to a menu where they can listen to the music from this game, similar to the Jukebox in other MaGMML games. The player can also listen to all the sound effects included in the game (including those that are a part of the Megamix engine, and never actually play in Chapter Pepsi).
Notes
- The game was originally called Episode Pepsi, but was renamed to better reflect how short the game actually is.
- Unlike the official MaGMML games, Chapter Pepsi applies a palette shader across the whole screen in order to achieve a screen fade effect similar to those found on the NES games
- This is why the colours of various sprites (such as Zero himself) are not 100% identical to their EZ counterparts
- It is also the reason Zero's stomp trail is different, as the original trail would not have been compatible with the palette shader
