Mega Man X (SNES) review "I used to wince every time someone called it 'Mega Man Ten.'"

1993. It was time for Mega Man to go in a fresh direction that didn't involve the same engine used for dozens of other Capcom games. The blue kid's audience had aged slightly, and he had to age with them. So Capcom took him out of the almost-prosperous time of 20XX and moved things into a bleaker future. There, the doctors Light and Wily are long dead here, the original Mega Man is nowhere to be seen and likely deactivated. However, one of Light's final creations survives into this radical time: X.

Mega Man X isn't really known for its narrative depth, but its change in setting and tone generate enough speculation to get fans speculating as to what happened in the hundred or so years since the last few games. On top of that, X sheds some of the cartoony sensibilities of its predecessors. The bright and campy world of the previous titles gives way to an embattled future where robots with sophisticated AI (called “Reploids”) either work alongside humans or fight to overthrow them. The latter group are called “Mavericks,” similar to the “Robot Masters” of yore. Though this spin-off sports a darker outlook, it isn't entirely grim. It still showcases its bright and brilliant bits that offset its heavier themes, including gorgeous scenery and your typical, Saturday-Morning villainy.

Though Dr. Light programmed X to be able to think for himself in the hopes he would choose a peaceful life, sometimes peace isn't an option. X joins a group of human-sympathizing Reploids called “Maverick Hunters” in the hopes of quelling rebellion. Of course, that means hunting down eight Mavericks and acquiring their weapons, all of which oddly deal added damage against one of the other Mavericks. Weird how that always works in the Mega Man universe...

This time, though, X doesn't go to war with robots whose names are [Attribute] Man, such as Air Man or Crystal Man. Instead, you battle bosses whose name scheme consist of [Attribute] [Animal]. The game could just as easily have hit you with Chill Man, Launch Man, and Sting Man, but opted for a slight change that allowed for a greater level of creativity. Thus, the aforementioned villains become Chill Penguin, Launch Octopus, and Sting Chameleon. On paper, this alteration seems a bit silly. However, as many entries of this series have shown, it's allowed developers and boss designers to really flex their imaginative muscle by not only cooking up different themed attributes, but also figuring out how to best combine them with various creatures, plants, and fungi.

And yeah, later games continued this concept, utilizing some rather strange, fun combinations like Split Mushroom, Optic Sunflower, and Spiral Pegasus.

Games in this franchise have always had great music, and this one is no exception. Here, you listen to a cut while burning through Storm Eagle's realm that, simply put, goes hard. It almost sounds corny with how over-the-top it is, yet its ridiculousness proves fitting. Spark Mandrill also hits you with a fast little track with an incredible drum beat and synthesizer-like notes. Of all the surprises, though, revamped BGMs from Mega Man 3 make appearances, associated with the secondary antagonist, Vile.

To the bone, X is a true-blue Mega Man entry. You select one of eight stages, survive its many gauntlets, and battle a Maverick at the level's conclusion to gain his weapon, which you use to defeat another Maverick. Yet, the first few seconds of the campaign alone tell you things have changed, and for the better. The series' pace has picked up, with smoother movement and faster blasting on offer. More than ever before, the brand embraces run 'n gun elements, creating a more action-packed adventure while not skimping on its platformer aspects, either.

Yeah, you still negotiate tricky moments with moving platforms and long jumps, all while fighting off enemies positioned in difficult locations to trip you up. However, X possesses a talent for wall climbing, which you accomplish by repeatedly leaping against a wall. As you can imagine, this leads to more situations where you'll need to complete a long jump, grasp onto the very edge of a ledge, and climb your way up so you don't land on spikes or into a bottomless pit.

There's one place this title excels in regards to its stage design: exploration. Previous entries featured the occasional hidden corner or chamber with a piece of the robotic bird Beat or a special armor. This one goes a step further by providing permanent hit point boosters, subtanks that don't disappear after usage (but must be refilled using health power-ups), and—best of all—body upgrades. With careful searching and experimentation, you might find a low-hanging part of a wall or an out-of-reach platform that takes you to a module left by Dr. Light. Entering it transforms your buster so that you can charge any weapon and not just your default one. Your legs also take on a new form that allows you to dash. Hell, if you collect the body and helmet updates, as well as all of the other goodies, you can even learn to perform a Hadouken from Street Fighter II.

Balance and variety remain X's strongest points. One stage sends you through a tunnel outfitted with the occasional rolling cart to ride, which can launch you a fair distance if you leap at just the right time. After that, it throws you into a hairy situation where a tunneler bores its way through the earth at you, threatening instant death if you touch its spiked roller. Other challenges force you to ascend series of moving platforms and precariously placed enemies, only to thrust you into towers filled with robots for you to blast. Other times, elaborate platforming takes a backseat while you tangle with all manner of adversaries, putting your thumb to the ultimate test as you dish out an array of shots, hoping your aim is true enough that you can eliminate the coming horde before they strip away your health.

The only real drag here comes towards the end. Where Dr. Wily's castle stages always carried that “short but very tough” feel to them, the main antagonist here doesn't succeed quite so well. A few of the final levels on offer come across as rather enraging, with moving platforms that are a little too tough to negotiate without getting cheaply nailed by flying enemies. That, and the way this one handles recapping the Mavericks is reminiscent of the original Mega Man. Instead of entering a room filled with teleporters that take you to the original eight bosses, you meet them intermittently throughout the villain's fortress. Somehow, doing that just doesn't hit the same, coming off as a lack of creativity rather than a customary revisit to the campaign's highlighted rogues gallery.

It all comes together harmoniously nonetheless. Tricky platforming meshes with fast action, melding with its very '90s score to create a Mega Man title with a distinct identity. Granted, later Mega Man X games served to erode that uniqueness, but that notion doesn't change the fact that this one kicked off a fresh start for Capcom's robot hero. If the devs hoped to breathe new life into a staling brand, they succeeded with flying colors.

Community review by JoeTheDestroyer (December 19, 2023) Rumor has it that Joe is not actually a man, but a machine that likes video games, horror movies, and long walks on the beach. His/Its first contribution to HonestGamers was a review of Breath of Fire III.