Easily my favorite Mega Man X game and maybe my favorite game ever, Mega Man X4 oozes entertaining gameplay and replay value.
For the first time in the franchise, you can pick a different character at the beginning of a mainline platformer game (I'm specifying because Power Battle also had character selection, but that was a spin-off and wasn't a platformer). Mega Man X and Zero have widely different playstyles: X represents classic Mega Man gameplay with running and shooting, while Zero is a short-range fighter focused on sword combos and extra skills (which replace the special weapons X gets from the bosses). Playing through the game as each of them makes for a completely different experience, which of course doubles this game's replay value.
Level design is on point. Each stage has its own identity and gimmicks that fit their theme. Some can be challenging on your first playthrough, depending on your skill level, but once you learn to make your way through the game they can become easy (in fact one of the criticisms I see sometimes of this game is that it can be too easy - I find that understandable, but it doesn't take away my enjoyment of the game). The late game stages, however, are noticeably very short, and I can't tell if this was a conscious decision to focus more on the drama regarding the last boss fights or a result of rushed production.
Another thing that enhances this game's replay value for me is X's armors. In every Mega Man X game there are capsules hidden in the main stages that give you parts of an armor that gives X additional powers. Among Mega Man players it's a popular challenge to beat the X series games with settings such as no armor, full armor, 100% completion, no heart upgrades, only a select few armor pieces etc. X4 changes that up with the Ultimate Armor, which you can activate by inputting a code in the character select screen at the beginning of the game (the game tells you the code if you wait some time after the credits). It's basically an "easy mode" for playing as X, as it gives you a very powerful armor at any collectible armor capsule (you get the whole armor at once instead of one part per capsule), but it's nevertheless a gameplay change that can spice up a playthrough. And on a more minor side note, this installment also has two arm pieces instead of the usual one - you can choose between a capsule that gives you a big powerful charged shot or one that gives you four shots that you can store up and fire at any time.
Due to the collectible upgrades and the requirements for reaching them, Mega Man X games often involve a lot of backtracking for 100% completion, because sometimes you need specific boss weapons or armor parts to reach an item and those can lead to loops (i.e. you need boss A's weapon to reach an item in boss B's stage, but there's an item in boss A's stage that you need something from boss B's stage to reach too). This has been heavily minimized in X4, and backtracking can be almost completely averted if you choose a more strategic order to beat the stages (you'll have to revisit either Web Spider or Magma Dragoon's stages at one point to get 100%, but that's the only necessary backtracking if you order your stages well). This addresses a notable complaint from Mega Man X3, which had a heavy abundance of collectible upgrades and you HAD to revisit stages even in the most optimal order.
The story isn't anything special, it's a decent background to the main action although it does make you think most of the characters are stupid (there is an explanation for one of them but it's only seen in game manuals and never mentioned in-game). The real main villain is the same as every mainline Mega Man X game, and the cutscenes don't really make any effort to hide it, so it's not a big surprise twist when he's revealed in the end. Zero's side of the story has a bit more weight to it, which is interesting. Parts of the story are shown through anime cutscenes, which is pretty cool, and nice to watch - however, the English dub for said cutscenes is notoriously bad, which hurts the presentation a lot. It's noticeably better in Japanese even though I don't speak the language.
Music in Mega Man games is always a highlight and this game is no exception, featuring many catchy tunes in CD-quality (while this wasn't a first for the series considering X3 was remastered with a re-arranged soundtrack on PS1, it is better executed here). Some themes, however, lean more towards the repetitive, but thankfully this does not apply for the majority nor are said repetitive tunes used for particularly long sequences. Sound effect design is on-point, although I've mentioned the atrocious English dub earlier - Mega Man X himself is infamously voiced by a woman doing a high-pitched kid voice.
All in all, Mega Man X is a magnificent platformer adventure that gives you many gameplay options and is accessible to players of any level of skill. Certainly recommended for anyone who likes the genre.
For the first time in the franchise, you can pick a different character at the beginning of a mainline platformer game (I'm specifying because Power Battle also had character selection, but that was a spin-off and wasn't a platformer). Mega Man X and Zero have widely different playstyles: X represents classic Mega Man gameplay with running and shooting, while Zero is a short-range fighter focused on sword combos and extra skills (which replace the special weapons X gets from the bosses). Playing through the game as each of them makes for a completely different experience, which of course doubles this game's replay value.
Level design is on point. Each stage has its own identity and gimmicks that fit their theme. Some can be challenging on your first playthrough, depending on your skill level, but once you learn to make your way through the game they can become easy (in fact one of the criticisms I see sometimes of this game is that it can be too easy - I find that understandable, but it doesn't take away my enjoyment of the game). The late game stages, however, are noticeably very short, and I can't tell if this was a conscious decision to focus more on the drama regarding the last boss fights or a result of rushed production.
Another thing that enhances this game's replay value for me is X's armors. In every Mega Man X game there are capsules hidden in the main stages that give you parts of an armor that gives X additional powers. Among Mega Man players it's a popular challenge to beat the X series games with settings such as no armor, full armor, 100% completion, no heart upgrades, only a select few armor pieces etc. X4 changes that up with the Ultimate Armor, which you can activate by inputting a code in the character select screen at the beginning of the game (the game tells you the code if you wait some time after the credits). It's basically an "easy mode" for playing as X, as it gives you a very powerful armor at any collectible armor capsule (you get the whole armor at once instead of one part per capsule), but it's nevertheless a gameplay change that can spice up a playthrough. And on a more minor side note, this installment also has two arm pieces instead of the usual one - you can choose between a capsule that gives you a big powerful charged shot or one that gives you four shots that you can store up and fire at any time.
Due to the collectible upgrades and the requirements for reaching them, Mega Man X games often involve a lot of backtracking for 100% completion, because sometimes you need specific boss weapons or armor parts to reach an item and those can lead to loops (i.e. you need boss A's weapon to reach an item in boss B's stage, but there's an item in boss A's stage that you need something from boss B's stage to reach too). This has been heavily minimized in X4, and backtracking can be almost completely averted if you choose a more strategic order to beat the stages (you'll have to revisit either Web Spider or Magma Dragoon's stages at one point to get 100%, but that's the only necessary backtracking if you order your stages well). This addresses a notable complaint from Mega Man X3, which had a heavy abundance of collectible upgrades and you HAD to revisit stages even in the most optimal order.
The story isn't anything special, it's a decent background to the main action although it does make you think most of the characters are stupid (there is an explanation for one of them but it's only seen in game manuals and never mentioned in-game). The real main villain is the same as every mainline Mega Man X game, and the cutscenes don't really make any effort to hide it, so it's not a big surprise twist when he's revealed in the end. Zero's side of the story has a bit more weight to it, which is interesting. Parts of the story are shown through anime cutscenes, which is pretty cool, and nice to watch - however, the English dub for said cutscenes is notoriously bad, which hurts the presentation a lot. It's noticeably better in Japanese even though I don't speak the language.
Music in Mega Man games is always a highlight and this game is no exception, featuring many catchy tunes in CD-quality (while this wasn't a first for the series considering X3 was remastered with a re-arranged soundtrack on PS1, it is better executed here). Some themes, however, lean more towards the repetitive, but thankfully this does not apply for the majority nor are said repetitive tunes used for particularly long sequences. Sound effect design is on-point, although I've mentioned the atrocious English dub earlier - Mega Man X himself is infamously voiced by a woman doing a high-pitched kid voice.
All in all, Mega Man X is a magnificent platformer adventure that gives you many gameplay options and is accessible to players of any level of skill. Certainly recommended for anyone who likes the genre.