Mega Man ZX (DS) review "Why is it that I haven’t noticed that not a single one of the Mega Man characters can angle their shots until now?"

Everything the same but different. INTI Creates had the ignoble task of developing a game enticing enough for players to forget that they had been betrayed by the abandoned and incomplete story of Mega Man Zero in four instalments, of which this is a historical progenitor. Sure, we can look at Zero’s total physical destruction as a termination of sorts, but these are digital souls. As established in the X series, resurrection is never far away when it’s outlawed rather than being technically (easily?) achievable. This makes the doors of Reploid mortality the swinging kind.

On the ground floor of this game we’ve got a new protagonist. Well, two, but they don’t differ at all except in gender presentation and vocal characteristics, vis-a-vis. Translation: They both teenie lil’ twinks, bless their brave lil’ heart(s). We’ve also got a new take on the old formula and a boppin’, and hard rockin’ new soundtrack that brings a fresh interpretation of the ideas and themes we know so well.

Now that we’re on a new platform, with expanded capabilities of an advanced version of GBA hardware, the developers can flex their coding routines and show off the technical tricks and specifications of the Nintendo DS. It’s 3D might not be so pretty, but its ability to push pixels and sprites is formidable, and we’re in for a proper buffet here.

Prepare to tuck in for the longest introduction in the entire franchise. Following in the tradition of the GBA titles, we are presented with cutscenes, animations, stage-play antics and some world exploration. To achieve the core player abilities promised by the title, it will take somewhere between 30-60 minutes, depending on how lost you get. No joke.

Right out of the gate (that’s a pun) we choose our hero, a boy or girl who could be twins. This is surface preference and will not impact the story or gameplay at all. Having done that you’re thrown ankle deep into their backstory in a curt but effective scene that feeds us the basics of the setting. Once that’s out of the way we fall into a canyon. Good to know fall distance isn’t a problem for humans in the far-flung future (another pun).

Meet Biometal X, or Model X, who promises you the power to deliver on the mouthy promise of the protagonist. The good part is that you obtain X’s abilities and a suit of armour in his style in a neat looking animated scene. The animation quality leaves something to be desired, but the sprite work is sumptuous throughout this game. You get a dash move, his signature double charging buster and...that’s it. For the first time player that’s plenty, and a wise move on the part of the developers to not overwhelm you with too steep a learning curve.

Now the world is yours to explore, and good luck with it. At least nature has managed to get along and the world is green, lush and visually pleasing. The pause menu, meanwhile, is a whole affair with all the trimmings: First, your character’s status, displaying weapons, “Biometals” referred to simply as “Models”, extra health containers and lives, and so forth. Secondly you’ll have the item screen, which can change the behaviour of your character. Thirdly the next screen you’ll be able to remap your buttons and change weapon switching modes, which isn’t possible until later.

Finally we have the map. Oh that map! INTI Creates has invested a lot of effort in a large, interconnect world that can be traversed and backtracked until you long for a trans server to get you somewhere useful. Confusingly, there are data rooms for data storage and retrieval, and trans servers for fast travel and save file access. In the Zero series the trans server served both functions. So I guess you can be doubly confused, so look forward to that.

What a webwork of code they must have had to implement in order to manage mission event triggers! (Incidental pun.) Walking in on the wrong side of a scene will leave it untriggered, leading to more confusion about where the mission begins. The map screen valiantly tries to show you all the connections, but in the end you’re going to be wandering about until you stumble into the right area from the correct direction. It’s quite easy to lose yourself trying to get from A to B or where ever you might be directed.

You’re given two missions at the outset in an attempt to alleviate the confusion, but it doesn’t help. I never got the hang of navigation and so I relied the fast travel system so I could get to the nearest location to avoid frustration. That’s not good. It might be realistic, but we’re playing this game for action and emotional drama, not tourism. Speaking of drama, it’s time for your best friend to die!

Don’t tell me you didn’t see that coming. It's been a while since we've had an ally die in the series, but by this stage of the game we’ve seen teasers for the armour that our lead will be sporting for its duration, and Model X alone is not it, so the spoiling has been done. It’s really too bad, and plays out like a trope with almost zero (puns...) emotional consequence. In an animated sequence of dubious quality, performance and planning, we receive Biometal Z, who merges with Biometal X to become Model ZX. Neat-o.

I’m not expecting to be crying into my tea, here, but a little gravitas would be a warm welcome. Nonetheless, outfitted with the combined might of Models Z and X, you thrash your enemy who vows to continue their plan to control the world. You can’t possibly stop them! After that, you’re presented with the challenge of recovering the powers of the other Biometals, claimed and controlled by the other Mega Men, of whom you are one.

As with Mega Man Zero, mission structures vary except that bosses always occur at the end of every run, and your rewards look quite different than before. For instance, you’ll collect useful items along the way. The Biometals you reclaim have had their power broken up into two parts. The first part grants you the Biometal and a limited version of their abilities, while the second expands those abilities fully and their health and weapon bars, besides.

This has got to be the most inventive and enjoyable part of the entire franchise. While not all of the Models have logical abilities, they’re fun to use and play with. Why is it that I haven’t noticed that not a single one of the Mega Man characters can angle their shots until now? How many of their enemies can fly? Artificial limitations that make other characters useful. Sigh.

The fundamental problem with Mega Man ZX is that its well planned and executed mechanical and lore nuance contrast weak story execution and fumbled world navigation, among other issues. For instance after obtaining the first Biometal, you can transform between X and Human at any time, which can lead to being attacked by Reploid guards anywhere you go, even in town. (But Reploids serve as guards? Anyway...) Yeah, there’s just one town, though it’s got a few secrets to explore. Meanwhile, NPCs don't trust Reploids so that will change dialogue if you're using any of the Biometals during conversations.

All in all, INTI Creates has intentionally diverged from well tread mechanics and attempted to present unique ideas and mechanics for played out franchise tropes, and I’d say they’re largely successful. Having the patience to navigate the overly complex world is a worthwhile to experience the well designed adventure on hand. The ability to slap the DS shut at any time means you don’t have to worry about the length of your progress or gaming session length. This may by the hidden gem of the Zero series, so check it out if you haven’t already.

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Community review by hastypixels (September 15, 2025) Retro, and moreso all the time.