Forgotten Fortress: The Lab

Chapter 2: Forgotten Fortress: The Lab Make a Good Mega Man Level: Episode Zero

I guess they also forgot to pay the heating bill. Or stock up on antifreeze.

Overview Creator(s): BBLIR Artist(s): BBLIR Composer(s): Masaki Suzuki, Luna Umegaki, Tsutomu Kurihara Statistics Rank: Chapter 2 Collectables: 015: Mega Man Killers 022: Mr. X Enemies: Arigock G Choker Oh Dachone Oshitsu Osarettsu Sakrets Gimmicks: Chill Man Block Ice Drop Reflect Block

Theme Music Mega Man Zero 2 - Ice Brain (Remastered) Stage Order Previous: Robot Ink Printing Facility Next: Nocturnal Assault

Forgotten Fortress: The Lab is the fourth level on the path to the Icicle Chip in Chapter 2 of Make a Good Mega Man Level: Episode Zero. Based on BBLIR's similarly titled level in Make a Good Mega Man Level 2, it is an abandoned laboratory of unknown purpose filled with chemicals that have frozen the area over. Drawn here by his search for Energy Elements and SRARA, Zero is confronted by numerous still-active robots and icy hazards, in particular leaking chemicals that will temporarily freeze him solid.

Strategy

The level begins straightforwardly, with a path leading right while Oshitsu Osarettsus and Arigock Gs act as threats. The latter are introduced alongside icy terrain, while one is protected by Reflect Blocks on either side. After climbing up the first ladder, a Sakrets (also protected by Reflect Blocks) will attempt to snipe Zero from afar. One encounter with a Dachone later, and Zero will reach the first checkpoint; here, Ice Drops are introduced to the stage, and will freeze Zero if they touch him, damaging him at the same time. In the next room, a CD lies in plain sight; collecting it requires timing to avoid some Ice Drops on the ceiling, and two lethal spikes on the floor below. After a room with two Oshitsu Osarettsus, Zero must climb up several screens filled with Sakrets, Arigock Gs, and Ice Drops. At the top of the climb is another Dachone, guarding the way to the second checkpoint.

As the green of the laboratory gives way to a colder blue, Zero encounters Chill Man Blocks and a Choker Oh shortly before entering a short hallway with top and bottom paths; by staying on the top one, he can grab two large Bolts on the next screen over, as well as deal with a Choker Oh more easily. The third checkpoint room has Ice Drops gradually breaking a set of nine Chill Man Blocks; Zero can use six of them as cover while breaking through the bottom three if he's quick enough, otherwise careful timing is needed to avoid being hit. To the right is another short hallway, with a Dachone walking on ice blocks over a row of spikes. If Zero isn't careful in defeating it, he risks breaking the blocks and falling onto the spikes.

The next hallway is comprised almost entirely of Chill Man Blocks over spikes, with Ice Drops placed over every other block, slowly breaking them as they drip down onto them. As such, Zero must move quickly but carefully through the hallway, to avoid getting frozen mid-air by a drop. The lab's second CD is also found here, but it lies above a cracked ice block, making it tricky to grab without falling onto the spikes below and dying. After crossing the hallway, Zero is faced with Chill Man Blocks over a bottomless pit, with Sakrets and Choker Ohs making his life miserable from behind Reflect Blocks. As before, moving quickly but carefully is key to avoiding damage and staying out of the pit below. After a few more Choker Ohs (not hiding behind Reflect Blocks), Zero will come across the lab's Energy Element, frozen inside an ice block. All he has to do is break it and be on his way.

Z-Phone Dialogue

	Contact	Transcript
	Dr. Wily	Forgotten Fortress: The Lab? I've had my fix of mysterious labs for the rest of my lifetime, and yet people still keep creating them. Apparently there's some simulation based off this place because someone's just that interested in it. Really, though, there comes a point where there's too many mysteries to care about. That's life!
	Agent Krantz	Krantz: Forgotten Fortress: The Lab? That lab was shut down a while ago, according to the database. They had a leak in pipes holding a deadly sub-zero chemical, which prompted OSHA complaints. If it freezes you, you'll be briefly vulnerable to enemy attacks, so time your movements between them. Bizarrely, this reacts violently to water, so it can actually break ice blocks. Zero: What was the lab used for, though? Krantz: Nothing on file about that, it seems... Stern: Maybe it was to see how to turn down the heat in this office?
	Galaxy Man	(CD #1): This one should be right in front of your face! Just make sure that you know how to stop an airdash! Hold the opposite direction to stop it, and you should fall right on the CD! (CD #2): There should be one trapped all around a buncha ice blocks! Be careful when you're grabbing it! And don't dawdle, too, or all the blocks'll break from the ice droplet things!
	Knives	Mysterious lab... Ehhh... Not VIBRANT enough, you know? Doesn't fit with my aesthetic. All you'll get there is, like, hypothermia, or cold fusion. That's what it's called, yeah. That place is always emitting weird radio signals, but that's not relevant for a date! But yeah, find somewhere else that won't have an icicle bonking you on the head.

Notes

• Forgotten Fortress: The Lab marks the debut of Choker Oh in the MaGMML series. Despite the enemy making its engine debut for MaGMML2, it was never once used in that game or any subsequent MaGMML games until Episode Zero was released.