Taking place following the events of Mega Man 8, many fans believed Mega Man & Bass (Rockman & Forte in Japan) to be the final game in the classic lineage until Mega Man 9 was released. It was originally released on the Super Famicon in Japan and then later, worldwide, on the Game Boy Advance.
Though much of the gameplay was similar to the prior games, the way the stages unfolded was entirely different. After completing an introductory stage, the player was presented with three Robot Masters. By defeating one of them, the player could then access a limited assortment of others.