Mega Man X

Uma aula de level design do começo ao fim. Apresenta todos os detalhes das mecânicas e do comportamento de inimigos ao jogador sem qualquer esforço e o deixa se virar.

Tem muita coisa pra destacar, mas a movimentação ágil e a profundidade das fases deste jogo - um plataforma linear, lembremos - espantam de tão bem feitos.

Mega Man X was sort of a rebirth of the series. After Mega Man 6, the series was beginning to feel stale and repetitive with each sequel feeling like a clone of Mega Man 3, which was the last innovative game in the original franchise. So X came along after 6 and sort of rebooted the franchise, but not really because the numbered games still came out until 8 in 96, then continued on future generations, but X sort of branched the series off. X was the first Mega Man game on the SNES so it already is a big improvement in terms of graphics. And X feels a lot smoother, the controls feel smoother, the platforming is less rough and Mega Man can wall jump, dash, and charge his blaster. X is basically an upgraded version of the previous games on NES, but it doesn't come without flaws.

The main levels themselves are decent and short enough and each level ends with a tough boss. The bosses all have weaknesses that can be exploited if you do the levels in the right order. There are hidden bonuses that improve the game like one that gives you stronger armor and ones that give you health packs to heal and health upgrades. The problem is, some of these upgrades are hidden super well and if you don't find them, they basically make the endgame living hell. Once you have these upgrades, the game becomes a lot more manageable and the final boss doesn't feel like a cheap asshole. Speaking of which, this game is full of cheap moments, moments where you'll be jumping and an enemy will hit you mid jump and knock you in a pit which will instantly kill you. Sure they aren't as common in this game as previous ones, but they are still here. And there is an annoying sky level as well. The final stage in this is pretty annoying because its essentially a boss rush with annoying platforming segments put between that are more annoying than fun. The final boss in this game hits like a truck unless you have the armor upgrade, and he just feels cheap at times. And the bosses in this game are kind of hit or miss with some being well designed, and others just being annoying and cheap, but then again, that applies to pretty much every Mega Man game. Also one thing I didn't like is that if you get to the final level and get to the final boss and save, the game doesn't let you keep this progress and if you turn the console off and go back you have to do the entire final level over from the start, which is just pointless.

Overall, X is a much needed reboot of the franchise and took the series in a better direction but unfortunately, X got worse and worse as it went on similar to the previous games after 2. X2 was worse than this and X3 was worse than 2 and so on. Still for what its worth X is a decent enough Mega Man game and almost comes close to being as good as 2, but this game is still no Super Mario World or Donkey Kong Country.

The first game Capcom made to bring the Mega Man formula into the 16-bit age of gaming, Mega Man X does a pretty admirable job of keeping the original spirit of the classic NES titles alive. The new flagship mechanic of the X series is the ability to find permanent visual/mechanical upgrades for your suit throughout the stages, hidden away in secret nooks. Along with Heart Tanks which increase max HP, and Sub-Tanks, which allow you to refill your health with "overflow" health caught by enemy drops, the damage and movement potential of X by the endgame is huge. This huge spike in power makes this a good spot for newcomers - it's easier than most if not all of the mainline games preceding it.

The boss count is upped to 8 from 6, the sprites are large with great animation and fluidity, and the game is much faster paced thanks to the new dash mechanic that you obtain with the boots upgrade. The levels also implement more verticality without being cumbersome thanks to X's ability to wall-jump. The bosses themselves all look like something straight out of Power Rangers, too - huge diabolical animals with an elemental theme/gimmick. They're all pretty fair fights (except Launch Octopus, that dickhead), but just like the original series, it's hard to lose when you stumble upon the weapon they're weak to.

The levels are really well-designed and revolve around a handful of themed concepts and enemies. There are mini bosses, elevator sets, chase sequences, minecart(?) rides, and even (inconsequential) sections where you pilot a mech for a portion of the stage. Expanding on the idea of the rock-paper-scissors boss weakness strategy of the classic Mega Man series is a new concept where entire stages can be altered by completing another before it. Defeating Storm Eagle causes his ship to crash into Spark Mandrill's factory, causing blackouts and making the electric flooring less dangerous. Defeating Chill Penguin makes the lava in Flame Mammoth's cave cool, allowing you to walk on it. While this is an engaging concept that lets you guess how certain stages will interact, it does make the "optimal path" even easier to determine. I personally found the two previous examples completely by accident, never seeing the original versions of those stages on my first playthrough.

My only real complaints are minor. The first is that the game is just far too short. This was the first Mega Man title I played all the way through, and even with my struggles, I completed the entire thing in under 4 hours. Experienced players who know the stages and the optimal routes could no doubt beat this game in around an hour and a half. It's hard to feel entirely fulfilled when the game passes by that quickly, even if some stages are revisited for secrets. I also found the soundtrack to be pretty inconsistent, with as many memorable tunes are there are grating ones. The SNES sound chip had weird limitations, but the synth tone on some of these tracks is just whiny.

Overall, it's a really fun game with a very short length, and it feels a bit like a Saturday morning cartoon in tone, art direction, and narrative. Mega Man X is a super consistent, straightforward action platformer with just enough depth to keep you engaged for long stretches. Recommended.

I remember I got this game in 6th grade, by trading a couple granola bars with some Chinese kid for it.

Was it worth skipping lunch that day for a game that was, at the time, 15 years old?

Absolutely.