20XX

Genre: Action-Platformer / Roguelike

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local, Online)

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Review:

20XX is an Action-Platformer with Roguelike elements that is very clearly giving a huge nod to the Mega Man series with every fiber of its being, despite that in terms of game structure it’s different in some significant ways.

The characters in this game look like Mega Man characters, the two playable characters move and look like alternate-world versions of X and Zero, there’s a pair of scientists that sorta’ come across as warped versions of Dr. Light and Dr. Wily, there are bosses with unique weapons, each with a weakness to another… heck, the game even opens with a riff on Mega Man 2’s pan up the skyscraper. So if you’re a Mega Man fan, you’ll find plenty of fanservice here.

Having said that, while the moment-to-moment gameplay is pretty spot on for the Mega Man games (specifically the Mega Man X series), this game plays very differently than any of those, thanks to the heavy influence of the Roguelike genre on the game.

Players have one life to play through the game, and as is standard with Roguelikes, dying means starting over (albeit with permanent upgrades you earned during the last life), levels are randomized, and instead of a level select, you proceed from one level to the next in a more linear fashion, picking one of three of the bosses to take on in the next mission. It’s a fresh approach that does a lot to make this more than just a Mega Man clone – this is definitely its own thing.

However, while the Roguelike genre does wonders to make this an original game, it also comes with problems too. The new, randomized level design often seems poorly thought-out, and that combined with the fact that multiple bosses share the same stages with others really cuts down on the distinct feeling you got from actual Mega Man games’ themed stages.

Still, if you’re a fan of Roguelikes and/or Mega Man games, 20XX makes for a pretty good marriage of the two. This game isn’t just fan service, and it definitely has some good stuff that’s worth playing even if you don’t follow Mega Man games.

tl;dr – 20XX is an Action-Platformer with strong Roguelike elements. It is obviously very strongly inspired by the Mega Man series and especially Mega Man X, although the Roguelike elements definitely make this distinct and different enough to stand on its own, albeit not without losing a few of the positive qualities of the Mega Man games while doing it.

Grade: B+

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