Square Machine

Square Machine

Artwork by Spin Attaxx

Information In-Game Information HP: 28 Attack Damage: 4 (contact, body) 4 (contact, light) 4 (projectile) 4 (spikes) Weakness(es): Spark Shock Affiliations: Dr. Cossack (formerly) Box Cartel Type: Laser Occupation: Defense System Robot (formerly) Criminal Main Stage: Tier 9 Location(s): Pandora's Parlor Misc. Information Script: スクエアーマシン Romaji: Sukueā Mashin Designer(s): ParmaJon, CSketch, ACESpark Programmer(s): PhazonMotherBrain Artist(s): ACESpark Gender: Genderless Eye Color: Red Series Information Official Game Appearances: Mega Man 4 MaGMML Game Appearances: MaG48HMML (Boss, NPC)

"I am currently 514.81 seconds into a most riveting sudoku puzzle. The 84th puzzle since 6 AM this morning. Your 155 decibel volume of speaking is currently disrupting my concentration by a measure of approximately 31%."

―Square Machine, Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level

Square Machine is a boss from Mega Man 4. It is a large shutter machine created by Dr. Cossack to defend vital areas from intruders. In Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level, it appears as a member of the Box Cartel, having been rejected by Cossack following the events of Mega Man 4. In this game, it has a slightly redesigned form and a cold, logical personality strongly fixated on algorithms and calculations. It also has size-shifting abilities, being able to split into even smaller sections and compress itself into a smaller form.

Square Machine is the fourth of the Box Cartel's men to challenge Mega Man, and the last one to be faced before the Cartel Hideout is unlocked. It is initially faced in Tier 9, but is refought towards the end of Pandora's Parlor as the last Cartel member before Don Atetemino.

Battle

Throughout the battle, Square Machine's weak point is the red light that appears inside its walls; consequently, damaging it often requires being inside them before they are sealed. It uses four attacks semi-randomly, though it will not repeat any until it has used all the others first.

• As in Mega Man 4, its three pieces wrap around the screen 1-3 times trying to clip into Mega Man, before slowing down and connecting together, at which point the light shoots three targeted shots at Mega Man. Two moving service lifts are needed to reach the light. Unlike in Mega Man 4, the speed the pieces move at is fixed rather than moving progressively slower. Square Machine will always start the battle with this attack.
• Square Machine splits into multiple small damaging segments to entrap Mega Man, leaving only a single small space. This space is telegraphed beforehand by a pair of arrows, and Square Machine's light will always appear close by once it fully forms.
• Square Machine appears from one side of the screen, and slams each of its segments into the opposite end of the screen. Its interior floor is lined with spikes, forcing Mega Man to stay on top of the outer wall. When only the top section is left, the rest of the body drops offscreen, and a few moments later the top section tries to fall onto Mega Man. Though it cannot crush him, it will still damage him if not dodged.
• Square Machine traps Mega Man inside itself and spawns a set of turrets on the outside, which fire chains of laser shots in a straight line through Square Machine's walls. Each turret attacks in pairs four times, and their positions are random. A set of four blocks are present inside Square Machine to help reach the light.

Damage Table

1/1/3	1	1	3	1	1/1/1	1	1	1	1
Other Notes

Trivia

• An early design for Square Machine had Mega Man 4's Wily Castle displayed on its interior background instead of circuitry panels. ACESpark's initial concept sketch also included large eyebrows and a moustache modeled after those of Dr. Wily, but these elements were dropped.
• Unlike the other Box Cartel gangsters, Square Machine doesn't appear in an even-numbered tier. In fact, assuming the player starts from last place and works their way up, Square Machine not only doesn't appear in the player's current tier, but forces them to skip to a tier they're not even close to reaching normally!
  • As such, it can be inferred that Square Machine is secretly the cruellest and most evil of the Box Cartel.
• Square Machine's turret attack is based on the Generaid Core midboss found in Storm Owl's stage in Mega Man X4.
• Coincidentally, Square Machine's backstory of being rejected by Dr. Cossack as a weapon mirrors that of Skull Man's in Mega Man Megamix (which CSketch hadn't read during MaG48HMML's development).