Mega Man 5 — Collect the Letters, Find Beat
Polished, generous, and hiding a bird in eight stages.
Mega Man 5 (1992) is the comfort-food entry: gorgeous backgrounds, smooth play, and a familiar rhythm. The story twist this time has Proto Man (your old ally) seemingly turn villain, though naturally all is not what it seems.
Its signature hook is the hunt for Beat, a robotic bird helper you unlock only by collecting a hidden letter spelling MEGAMANV across the eight Robot Master stages. Miss one and you go back hunting.
Critics argue the series was running on autopilot by now. Maybe, but it's autopilot at a very high cruising altitude. A clean, confident NES action game.