Link, based on The Legend of Zelda, uses a sword and boomerang to attack enemies. Collecting powerups increases the potency of the sword's attacks and the range of his boomerang. He is the only character with fundamental control changes from his original game, being given the ability to jump, which wasn't possible until Zelda 2.
Mega Man Possesses an arm cannon which he can use to fire forward to destroy enemies, with additional powerups to increase his firepower, and has the ability to slide under small spaces. Within version 1.1, Mega Man's jump height is reduced but now has the ability to call in Rush, his robotic dog, to assist in high jumps.
Samus Aran, from the Metroid games, also has a gun she can fire and which gains power with powerups. Samus is also able to transform into her "morph ball" form, rolling through narrow spaces and planting bombs. As of Version 1.1, the player starts off playing as Samus in her Zero-Suit, and upon the capture of a mushroom, gains her Power Suit. In Version 1.2, Samus can pick up missiles when enemies are defeated. Each missile sprite icon gives Samus 2 missiles.
Simon Belmont, the protagonist of the early Castlevania games, has a whip and can throw axes at foes, the attack strength and number of axes on screen increasing with additional powerups. He has the ability to double jump, which he doesn't have in the original games. His jump can also be changed in the options to a more controllable Easy mode.
Bill Rizer, one of the playable characters in Contra use a gun to fire on enemies, which increases in power and spread with further powerups. He can shoot in 8 directions, even when jumping.
Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden was added in the version 1.1 release. Ryu, as a ninja, is able to use a sword and throwing stars, and has the ability to climb and jump walls.
SOPHIA the 3rd, the tank vehicle from Blaster Master, was added in the version 1.2 release. SOPHIA's capabilities include hovering, clinging to walls and ceilings, and homing missiles, but is also the first character with a limited amount of ammunition and power, requiring the player to refill these capacities through collection from defeated foes.[1]
