Mega Man 4 is a 1991 action platformer developed and published by Capcom. As the fourth game in the long-running Mega Man series, the game would go on to help inspire the design philosophy of the franchise for decades to come. For years, it was an NES exclusive before coming to the original PlayStation in 1999, as well as modern mobile devices in 2017.
Mega Man 4 was a massive success, critically and commercially. Reviews for the game were already stellar, and it went on to win several awards, including Best Overall Game at the Nintendo Power Awards ’92.
Mega Man 4 Premise
©Screenshot from Mega Man 4
The gameplay in Mega Man 4 doesn’t massively iterate upon previous releases in the franchise. There are a total of eight side-scrolling stages to complete, which you can complete in any order you’d like. Each level is filled with enemies, and Mega Man can run, jump, evade, slide, or shoot them to progress. Every level in the game ends with a Robot Master boss fight, including the likes of Ring Man, Dive Man, and Skull Man. After defeating these Robot Masters, you gain access to their weapon to use for the rest of the game, with Mega Man slowly increasing in power throughout the story.
This change makes your level choice interesting. You can choose which weapon you’re going to unlock next through your choice of level, which has the potential to make the rest of the game much easier.
On top of this, there are two new mechanics called the Wire Adaptor and Balloon Adaptor. These items can be used by Mega Man to reach new areas of the map, some of which are hidden away. This encourages exploration in levels that are quite limited in scale.
Overall, Mega Man 4 is a solid addition to the franchise, with some interesting additions that would return in future titles. It may not be the biggest jump, but it certainly does enough to justify its own existence.
Mega Man 4 Main Characters
©Screenshot from Mega Man 4
The story in Mega Man 4 isn’t particularly deep, but does bring back some familiar faces from the franchise. Dr. Cossack, the villain, is brand-new, following on from Dr. Wily from previous games. However, the story isn’t paramount to the experience. There are only a few characters you really need to know about – here they are:
- Mega Man: The protagonist of the game, Mega Man is brought into action by Dr. Light to stop an army of robots from taking over the world. For the first time, Mega Man has the New Mega Buster.
- Dr. Cossack: Dr. Cossack is the main villain of Mega Man 4. He’s the one who released the army of robots, following in the footsteps of Dr. Wily before him.
- Dr. Light: Dr. Light is the creator of Mega Man. When Dr. Cossack unleashes his robot army upon the world, he brings Mega Man into action.
Mega Man 4 Titles in the Series
©Screenshot from Mega Man 4
The Mega Man franchise is one of the longest-running in video game history. We’re approaching four decades since its inception, and even still it remains extremely popular to this day. Mainline releases may have slowed down when compared to its enormous peak, but don’t underestimate the name value of the Mega Man franchise.
Not only are we still getting new games, but Capcom continues to re-release older titles as collections with a fresh coat of paint. Because of this, it seems like we’ll never see the end of Mega Man, at least not anytime soon. The developer has done a brilliant job at ensuring the gameplay formula continues to be innovated upon, despite at its core still resembling those original few games in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
Mega Man’s Crazy History
- Mega Man (1987)
- Mega Man 2 (1988)
- Mega Man 3 (1990)
- Mega Man: Dr Wily’s Revenge (1991)
- Mega Man 4 (1991)
- Mega Man 5 (1992)
- Mega Man 6 (1993)
- Mega Man X (1993)
- Mega Man Soccer (1994)
- Mega Man: The Wily Wars (1994)
- Mega Man X2 (1994)
- Mega Man 7 (1995)
- Mega Man: The Power Battle (1995)
- Mega Man X3 (1995)
- Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters (1996)
- Mega Man 8 (1996)
- Mega Man: Battle & Chase (1997)
- Mega Man X4 (1997)
- Mega Man Legends (1997)
- Mega Man & Bass (1998)
- Mega Man X5 (2000)
- Mega Man Xtreme (2000)
- Mega Man Legends 2 (2000)
- Mega Man Xtreme 2 (2001)
- Mega Man X6 (2001)
- Mega Man Battle Network (2001)
- Mega Man Battle Network 2 (2001)
- Mega Man Zero (2002)
- Mega Man Battle Network 3 (2002)
- Mega Man X7 (2003)
- Mega Man Zero 2 (2003)
- Mega Man Network Transmission (2003)
- Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge (2003)
- Mega Man Battle Network 4 (2003)
- Mega Man Anniversary Collection (2004)
- Mega Man X: Command Mission (2004)
- Mega Man X8 (2004)
- Mega Man Zero 3 (2004)
- Mega Man Battle Network 5 (2004)
- Mega Man Maverick Hunter X (2005)
- Mega Man Zero 4 (2005)
- Mega Man Battle Network 6 (2005)
- Mega Man Powered Up (2006)
- Mega Man X Collection (2006)
- Mega Man ZX (2006)
- Mega Man Star Force (2006)
- Mega Man Star Force 2 (2007)
- Mega Man ZX Advent (2007)
- Mega Man 9 (2008)
- Mega Man Star Force 3 (2008)
- Mega Man 10 (2010)
- Mega Man Zero Collection (2010)
- Street Fighter x Mega Man (2012)
- Mega Man Legacy Collection (2015)
- Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 (2017)
- Mega Man 11 (2018)
- Mega Man X Legacy Collection (2018)
- Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 (2018)
- Mega Man X DIVE (2020)
- Mega Man Zero / ZX Legacy Collection (2020)
- Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection (2023)
Mega Man 4 Cheat Codes
©Screenshot from Mega Man 4
Most of the cheats in Mega Man 4 come from the game’s Password section. There are plenty to choose from here, available in the base game on NES and PlayStation. Alternatively, there are a bunch of Game Genie cheats for the game, which allows you to employ third-party cheats on any emulator that supports their use.
Mega Man 4 Password Cheat Codes
From the main menu of Mega Man 4, there is a Password section, where you must enter a combination of different letters and numbers in order to unlock different things. These are all part of the base game experience, and we’re going to show you a variety of codes that you can use within this menu.
| Cheat Code | Cheat Effect |
|---|---|
| A5, B1, C1, C3, D1, F3 | Automatically obtains all four items. |
| A1, A4, B5, E2, E3, E4 | Automatically defeats all bosses with no adaptors. |
| A1, A4, B5, E2, F1, F3 | Destroys all robot masters. |
| A3, A5, A6, C2, D1, E3 | Automatically defeats Bright Man. |
| A3, A5, B3, C2, D1, F3 | Automatically defeats Bright Man with both Adaptors. |
| A2, B4, B5, D2, E2, F3 | Automatically defeats Dive Man. |
| A2, A3, A5, B3, E1, F3 | Automatically defeats Dive Man with both Adaptors. |
| A2, A4, B5, E2, E4, F3 | Automatically defeats Drill Man. |
| A2, A5, B3, C3, D1, F3 | Automatically defeats Drill Man with both Adaptors. |
| A2, B4, B5, C1, D1, D3 | Automatically defeats Dust Man. |
| A2, A3, B3, C5, D1, F3 | Automatically defeats Dust Man with both Adaptors. |
| A2, A5, B2, B4, D1, D3 | Automatically defeats Pharaoh Man. |
| A2, A5, B3, B4, D1, F3 | Automatically defeats Pharoah Man with both Adaptors. |
| A2, B3, B4, B6, D1, D3 | Automatically defeats Ring Man. |
| A2, A3, B3, B6, D1, F3 | Automatically defeats Ring Man with both Adaptors. |
| A2, B4, B5, C4, D3, F2 | Automatically defeats Skull Man. |
| A2, A3, A5, B3, F2, F3 | Automatically defeats Skull Man with both Adaptors. |
| A2, A3, A5, A6, D1, D3 | Allows you to start the game with the Balloon Adaptor. |
| A2, A3, A5, A6, D1, D4 | Allows you to start the game with the Wire Adaptor. |
| A1, A4, B5, E2, F1, F3 | Allows you to start the game with all weapons and items. |
| A3, A5, B1, B3, D1, F3 | Automatically defeats Toad Man with both Adaptors. |
| A2, A3, A5, B2, D1, F3 | Automatically obtains the Wire and Balloon Adaptors. |
Mega Man 4 Custom Password Cheats
The Password system detailed above is actually quite an in-depth mechanic. The game allows you to actually create your own password, but it’s complex. Of the dots, the first four must be assigned to two bosses each, while the fifth must go to the Balloon and Wire Lifts. The final cheat must go to a checksum dot. If you can figure out how to enter these passwords, you can use these letters and numbers for the following effects:
| Password Code | Password Effect |
|---|---|
| E3 | Balloon Lift not obtained, Wire Lift not obtained. |
| D4 | Balloon Lift not obtained, Wire Lift obtained. |
| D3 | Balloon Lift obtained, Wire Lift not obtained. |
| F3 | Balloon Lift obtained, Wire Lift obtained. |
| A1 | Bright Man defeated, Toad Man defeated. |
| C2 | Bright Man defeated, Toad Man undefeated. |
| B1 | Bright Man undefeated, Toad Man defeated. |
| A2 | Bright Man undefeated, Toad Man undefeated. |
| F5 | Checksum 0. |
| A6 | Checksum 1. |
| F1 | Checksum 10. |
| B2 | Checksum 2. |
| B3 | Checksum 3. |
| C1 | Checksum 4. |
| C4 | Checksum 5. |
| C6 | Checksum 6. |
| D2 | Checksum 7. |
| E4 | Checksum 8. |
| E6 | Checksum 9. |
| E2 | Dive Man defeated, Skull Man defeated. |
| E1 | Dive Man defeated, Skull Man undefeated. |
| F2 | Dive Man undefeated, Skull Man defeated. |
| D1 | Dive Man undefeated, Skull Man undefeated. |
| A4 | Drill Man defeated, Pharaoh Man defeated. |
| C3 | Drill Man defeated, Pharaoh Man undefeated. |
| B4 | Drill Man undefeated, Pharaoh Man defeated. |
| A3 | Drill Man undefeated, Pharaoh Man undefeated. |
| B5 | Dust Man defeated, Ring Man defeated. |
| C5 | Dust Man defeated, Ring Man undefeated. |
| B6 | Dust Man undefeated, Ring Man defeated. |
| A5 | Dust Man undefeated, Ring Man undefeated. |
Mega Man 4 Game Genie Cheats
You can use the following cheats either by owning a Game Genie for the NES, or by using an emulator that supports Game Genie cheat codes natively. Most emulators support this, so it shouldn’t be an issue when using these Mega Man 4 cheat codes.
| Cheat Code | Cheat Effect |
|---|---|
| AAUKZIZA | Allows you to start the game with just one life. |
| IAUKZIZA | Allows you to start the game with six lives. |
| AAUKZIZE | Allows you to start the game with nine lives. |
| SZUGUAVG | Allows you to start the game with infinite lives. |
| GXNPZTVG | Gives you infinite energy pods on pickup. |
| AEOAIEPA | Gives you instant megablast. |
| YXEAIOZO | Makes you slide for much longer. |
| ZOEAIOZP | Makes you slide for a much shorter time. |
| GEOAGPZA | Makes your slides much faster. |
| AAKEYPIE | Gives Mega Man a mega jump. |
| GXENESOO | Gives you infinite weapon power. |
| GXVEIPSA | Makes you invincible from enemy attacks. |
| ZANKPTPA ZEVALLPA | Makes you run much faster. |
Mega Man 4 Cheat Code FAQ
©Screenshot from Mega Man 4
How Do I Use the Password Cheats in Mega Man 4?
You can access the Password cheats by selecting in the main menu. This will take you to a grid, where you must select the respective numbers and letters. It can be confusing to get to grips with, but once you’ve figured out how it works, inputting the cheats is a breeze.
Do These Cheats Work on the PlayStation Version of Mega Man 4?
Yes. The full list of passwords that we listed above should work as normal on both the PlayStation and NES versions of the game.
However, the Game Genie cheats won’t work. This is because Game Genie wasn’t created for PlayStation, so even the emulated versions won’t support it.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Screenshot from Mega Man 4.