I should probably start by saying that I'm not a very big fan of classic Mega Man. I appreciate their philosophies in game design and level design, but they could never captivate me the way that their spiritual descendants have: Shovel Knight for example does everything that I enjoyed about Mega Man better, while getting rid of everything that I disliked about it.
Mega Man X on the other hand vindicates the classic games' design, never veering too far away, while making just a few tweaks that make the experience so unimaginably better.
I guessed the weakness order the entire time, for example - I think I only managed to get about three Mavericks with their weaknesses in the end, but between the far better telegraphed attacks and X's improved mobility, I never had a serious problem just using the default gun against any of them.
The weakness order makes a fair amount of sense when you consider the how the weapons work mechanically too, which I don't think was a real consideration for most of the classic Mega Man games I've played.
Speaking of mobility: the dash and wall jump add so much dimension to X's movement and positioning game that Mega Man wishes he had. The fact that X keeps momentum when jumping out of a dash makes it so much more of a proactive movement tool than the slide's only real purpose in reacting and dodging things.
The wall jump lets X's levels have far more verticality as well, which makes the exploration found in the game so much more natural, and makes it more likely that you can salvage yourself out of a pit, either from knockback or a clumsy dash jump.
These properties probably help in letting Mega Man X's levels feel so much more believable, that the environments genuinely could belong in a cartoony futuristic robot world. Think about the often-praised highway stage, for example, and consider that its slopes couldn't have been done in the NES Mega Man games, nor how it never has a single screen transition like in those until the Vile encounter.
In doing so, X's levels end up feeling more like places where Mega Man's feel more like constructed singleton challenges, and I much prefer the former.
I was unconvinced that finding upgrades within levels was going to be a good idea, but I think this game really does handle it well. I loved how the helmet upgrade that lets you break blocks above you also prevents you from taking damage from rocks that fall above you in certain sections - it's that kind of environmental and inventory consideration that I really love, as is the fact that you can use a fully charged ice shot to make a moving platform, and that certain parts of the game reward you for doing so.
The weapons also have a lot of practical use within the stages instead of being boss weakness fodder - which is something I really appreciate.
Finally, the subtank system is just straight-up an improvement over the classic games, where I often end up hoarding E-Tanks until the final boss because they feel too valuable. Being able to charge the tanks makes them a more viable strategic tool, and I loved how much they helped me in my run.
It's not perfect, though. If absolutely nothing else, the final boss is absolutely miserable, and without using the hadouken in the first two phases and using all my subtanks on the third, I genuinely could not have won.
Considering that I don't think the hadouken is really interesting aside from being a cute easter egg, I think the difficulty spike was uncalled for, especially considering that they take so little damage from their weaknesses.
There's a lot to love about this game, and I really enjoyed my time with the game (streaming it to my friends made for a lot of fun moments, too).
Maybe it's hard to say I love it? But I like it very, very much, though, and I think it's definitely up there as one of the best 2D platformers ever made, even if it's got a lot of competition there, like Shovel Knight and the Marios.
Mega Man X on the other hand vindicates the classic games' design, never veering too far away, while making just a few tweaks that make the experience so unimaginably better.
I guessed the weakness order the entire time, for example - I think I only managed to get about three Mavericks with their weaknesses in the end, but between the far better telegraphed attacks and X's improved mobility, I never had a serious problem just using the default gun against any of them.
The weakness order makes a fair amount of sense when you consider the how the weapons work mechanically too, which I don't think was a real consideration for most of the classic Mega Man games I've played.
Speaking of mobility: the dash and wall jump add so much dimension to X's movement and positioning game that Mega Man wishes he had. The fact that X keeps momentum when jumping out of a dash makes it so much more of a proactive movement tool than the slide's only real purpose in reacting and dodging things.
The wall jump lets X's levels have far more verticality as well, which makes the exploration found in the game so much more natural, and makes it more likely that you can salvage yourself out of a pit, either from knockback or a clumsy dash jump.
These properties probably help in letting Mega Man X's levels feel so much more believable, that the environments genuinely could belong in a cartoony futuristic robot world. Think about the often-praised highway stage, for example, and consider that its slopes couldn't have been done in the NES Mega Man games, nor how it never has a single screen transition like in those until the Vile encounter.
In doing so, X's levels end up feeling more like places where Mega Man's feel more like constructed singleton challenges, and I much prefer the former.
I was unconvinced that finding upgrades within levels was going to be a good idea, but I think this game really does handle it well. I loved how the helmet upgrade that lets you break blocks above you also prevents you from taking damage from rocks that fall above you in certain sections - it's that kind of environmental and inventory consideration that I really love, as is the fact that you can use a fully charged ice shot to make a moving platform, and that certain parts of the game reward you for doing so.
The weapons also have a lot of practical use within the stages instead of being boss weakness fodder - which is something I really appreciate.
Finally, the subtank system is just straight-up an improvement over the classic games, where I often end up hoarding E-Tanks until the final boss because they feel too valuable. Being able to charge the tanks makes them a more viable strategic tool, and I loved how much they helped me in my run.
It's not perfect, though. If absolutely nothing else, the final boss is absolutely miserable, and without using the hadouken in the first two phases and using all my subtanks on the third, I genuinely could not have won.
Considering that I don't think the hadouken is really interesting aside from being a cute easter egg, I think the difficulty spike was uncalled for, especially considering that they take so little damage from their weaknesses.
There's a lot to love about this game, and I really enjoyed my time with the game (streaming it to my friends made for a lot of fun moments, too).
Maybe it's hard to say I love it? But I like it very, very much, though, and I think it's definitely up there as one of the best 2D platformers ever made, even if it's got a lot of competition there, like Shovel Knight and the Marios.