Mega Man Battle Network 5 Team Protoman is the fifth entry to the Battle Network series, where Lan Hikari returns with his friend Mega Man. A mysterious group is spreading Dark Navi chips, aiming to corrupt Navis worldwide. Lan and his friends must stop this by storming the Dark Chip Factory.
The game features an RPG-style over-world where Lan and Mega Man navigate and interact. In the real world, you control Lan, interacting with objects and people, while in cyberspace, you 'jack-in' to take control of Mega Man. Mega Man battles viruses, using a combination of action and turn-based battle.
The game also includes Liberation Missions, a traditional turn-based style play. You must liberate dark tiles on your way to confront the boss, playing like a complicated game of chess. Unique to this version is the ability to play as Protoman partway through the story. Additionally, you can link up with Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Colonel to trade and complete your battle chip collection.