Following yesterday’s reveal of Make Rockman, a programming kit aimed at children in Japan that allows them to create Mega Buster-style game controllers and develop Mega Man levels, toy enterprise Artec has revealed an extended trailer for the new product.
The previous video gave us a fairly decent glimpse at how the controller looks when complete, but the latest trailer, weighing in at over four times the length or the previous, features a montage of how it is built. The footage also runs through the eight stages of the educational software that comes free with the product, teaching users to develop basic Mega Man levels.
More details on Make Rockman have also emerged from 4Gamer (courtesy of Siliconera’s translations).
The controller is based on ArtecRobo 2.0, a previous robot programming kit from Artec which features customizable parts and attachable blocks, and will feature an accelerometer, magnetic compass, and gyrosensor technology. It can connect either to PCs via a USB cable, or wirelessly to tablets using Bluetooth.
The software is based on a programming language called Scratch 3.0, which utilizes an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface and code that can even be converted to Python.
A paint tool that lets users directly change Mega Man’s colors for his special weapons.
Users can download Mega Man assets for free from a specific website, with a total of 280 images, 15 BGMs, and 25 sound effects to play around with. Two minigames are included; one features the original Robot Master, Proto Man, while the other is a two-player game starring series villain Dr. Wily. The controller can also be rebuilt in the style of Proto Man’s Proto Shield or Dr. Wily’s joystick to play each minigame.
Make Rockman is now available to pre-order from Makuake until October 20th, 2020, with a limited number of pre-order slots available and kits expected to arrive by the end of November 2020. The kit will see a wider public release at a later date, priced at 22,550 yen.
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Written by Reece Heather
A lifelong Nintendo fan and a longtime editor at Zelda Universe, Reece will forever be grateful that he somehow dodged the Naughty List of Christmas 1998, when Santa delivered the life-changing gift of a Nintendo 64 with Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, and Mario Kart 64. When he's not playing games, Reece is usually reading Punisher comics, delving helplessly into the weirdest depths of anime and manga, or spending time with his cocker spaniel Gracie -- the goodest girl ever!
