4/5 ★ – BlueSorcerer's review of Mega Man ZX.

Mega Man ZX is a mostly solid experience that starts off the series quite well. I really like the vibes that it has and the setting is rather unique. ZX is set two centuries after the Mega Man Zero series. In that time, humans and Reploids have sustained a coexistent life of peace. This reality is the result of Slither Inc. and its president, Serpent, who is widely respected for putting an end to the energy crisis from the Zero series that plagued the world for years. At the start of this game’s story, two transporters by the name of Vent, or Aile depending on who you pick to play as, and Giro are tasked with delivering a mysterious recon package to the headquarters of the local Guardians. In both playthroughs, I played as Vent so that is how I will choose to identify the main character. The story is pretty much identical regardless of who you pick, but I found the story to be really good and I liked it over some of the storytelling in the Zero games. As Vent and Giro prepare to transport the package, Vent reflects on the landscape before him and how the world became what it has. Serpent is admired for his efforts and all of the nearby townspeople respect him highly, but Vent harbors conflicting feelings on the subject. Despite the peace that is now apparent, it was not always like this and Vent himself has endured a difficult past. Because of the Maverick raids that persisted as a result of the energy crisis and the lack of security to counteract it, Vent lost his mother and he has a difficult time moving on from it. But as things have changed, Giro reassures Vent that everything will be fine now and he needs to move on so they can deliver their package. But suddenly, a group of Mavericks intercept the two and send Vent off a cliff into the forest below. The contents of the package end up unveiled and reveal a metal that reflects Mega Man X. In the same exchange, Vent encounters Prairie, a Guardian who came to investigate the area. As it turns out, she is also looking for the package because her sister left it behind years ago, which is revealed to be Ciel from the Zero series. It is later implied that Ciel ended up falling victim to the Maverick raids and lost her life, and in turn Prairie is doing all she can to walk in her sister's steps. As more Mavericks appear, the mysterious metal known as a Biometal reveals itself to Vent and merges with him, allowing Vent to essentially don the persona of X and utilize his arm cannon. Area A in the forest serves as the opening level of the game and is a great starting level for the player, allowing you to get accustomed to the game’s controls. Vent holds onto the Biometal going through the start of the game as he proceeds through Area B in the mountains which is another solid level. But it’s also here that Vent reunites with Giro, who is donning the Biometal of Zero. Yet there isn’t a lot of time to idle, as a Maverick outbreak soon breaks out suddenly in the city. This city is an Area D (man these terms are loose) and the location is heavily inspired by the opening stage from Mega Man X so that’s cool. And it’s here that Serpent—who was originally a respected figure—reveals himself as the one responsible for the Maverick raids while harnessing the power of the Model W Biometal, a program very much sharing the conscience of Dr. Weil from the Zero series. The encounter forces a manipulated Giro to battle Vent, which effectively kills Giro in the process, and the Model Z Biometal merges with Vent’s Model X Biometal to become Model ZX, the primary form of the game. The Model Z and Model X merge sequence is also one of a few FMV animations that are shown throughout the game and they look pretty good. On the DS they are very compressed, but the Legacy Collection updated their quality which was nice to see. There is only Japanese voice acting in these sequences but I don't pay much mind to them since the music tends to drown out the voices. On the subject of the music, it’s a really good listen. My top favorite tracks were Area A, Sky High, Area B, Trinity, Trap Factory, Area I, Area J, Area O, and Cannon Ball (wait a minute). But I also liked the following tracks: ● Prologue Theme ● Sadness Theme ● Maverick Siege ● Trans Server Theme ● Area C Theme ● Area D Theme ● Area F Theme ● Mid-Boss Theme ● Area H Theme ● Biometal Theme ● Guardian Attack ● Area L Theme ● Serpent's Ambition ● Area M & N Theme ● Slither Inc. Theme ● Model W Theme ● Vs. Serpent ● Epilogue Theme ● Credits Theme Serpent has now become convinced that he and his two subordinates, Prometheus and Pandora, are destined to rule the world and shape it in their own image. Of course this is the Model W Biometal that is convincing Serpent of such and he clearly only wants this destiny for himself. All of the other Biometals, however, directly oppose this, and now Vent must retrieve all of the missing Biometals, defeat the subordinates that hold them, and defeat Serpent once and for all. This is the setup of ZX, however like the first Zero game it is mission-based. Thankfully, it is handled a little more fairly here. The levels in ZX take place across multiple areas that encompass open-ended exploration akin to a Metroidvania style of gameplay. I like the feeling of traveling to different areas and interacting with everything in them as it feels like one giant world. It's so unique for a Mega Man game. The levels themselves are quite good too, but the in-game map does not do the greatest job of directing you. Missions for each area are manually selected like in the Zero games, but here you have to actually navigate to these locations to access them. Fortunately, fast travel between areas becomes a thing as you complete missions, but this practice still takes a good deal of time to work with. The levels themselves are mostly solid. Area A and Area B are solid levels, and I also liked the levels in Area C, D, E, H, and O. Other levels like those in Area F, J, L, M, and N are more on the decent side for me, but the levels for Area G, I, and K felt like they overstayed their welcome. Area G takes place in a burning city that involves a lot of rescuing and obstacles, Area I takes place in an imprisonment facility with a lot of sections that makes traversal somewhat confusing, and Area K in the lava site was especially annoying for how long it lasted and the instant-death waves of lava. The bosses are alright for the most part. I like those against Flammole, Giro, Hivolt, Hurricaune, Lurerre, and Prometheus and Pandora, but other bosses like Fistleo, Leganchor, Protectos, and Purprill were a little harder to keep track of. However the reward for overcoming these bosses is great. Instead of getting an elemental chip or anything along the lines of what you got in the Zero games, the defeat of each boss gives you the Biometals that take on the forms of many characters from the Zero games. There's Model HX which is a Biometal containing Harpuia's abilities plus a hover skill, Model FX which gives you Fefnir's abilities that can even be utilized vertically, Model LX which gives you Leviathan's abilities plus the ability to swim underwater, Model PX which gives you Phantom's abilities, and then there's Model OX which allows you to transform into... Omega? From Zero 3? Oh yeah, there was this feature in earlier releases of Mega Man ZX where you could combine Zero 3 or 4 with the game and face off against a couple of bosses from those respective games in Mega Man ZX. And defeating Omega will give you his Biometal which is pretty cool. Omega can eat absolute sh*t, but utilizing his form is honestly sick. Ultimately, I really like what the Biometals offer and they are very fun to use. On a different note, Area H stands out to me not just for its visual fidelity but for housing arguably my favorite part of the narrative. Area H takes place in an amusement park that is cool and lively, but it also happens to be the exact place that Vent's mother took him right before the raid that killed her. And naturally, Vent becomes hostile. He really struggles to collect himself because he could not do anything to stop her death, and it's to the point where he is almost ready for history to repeat itself and be too helpless to do anything again. I can see some people saying that this portrayal is off-beat since no matter what happens in other areas of your choosing, this sequence plays out the same which could undermine character development. But I personally don’t see this as a distraction. It's a naturally hard thing for Vent that holds him back but ultimately benefits his growth. And I like what Prairie does here. Unlike Ciel, Prairie was a Reploid designed to look like a human and she has technically been alive for centuries; this is something that gets to Vent. She's also been fighting her own struggles, and she lost her sister and all of the Resistance forces that they worked with. The quantity of their losses does differ, but the quality does not. This is deep stuff and I really get moved by it. I like how it conveys the doubts of some characters for not having enough worth to change the world for the better. The story has a beat to it that is really interesting and I Iike that. So after a scuffle with Prometheus and Pandora in a ruined city, the bout is taken to Serpent's headquarters. The final stage is an elevator shaft with the boss rush; nothing crazy but just alright. Serpent's first form is honestly a great boss. His attacks are predictable, and it honestly feels like a balanced battle. His second form is a little more of a challenge, but I honestly like it more than I used to. The elephant in the room regarding it is how many attacks he has. He has meteors, fireballs, orbs that blast off in four directions, crystals that shatter and fly across the screen, particles that reduce your jumping height, a gravitational field that pulls you both ways depending which side of the screen you are on, other orbs that lock you in place and steal your health, and giant hands that shoot projectiles in numerous directions at once. The boss is something you can learn to analyze in a matter of time and I got a better grasp of his movements, but with everything it throws at you it can still make fighting it a struggle. Despite the thematic struggle, Vent comes to terms with himself, succeeds in his efforts, and truly carves out a destiny to unfold. But will he fulfill it? We shall find out. That being said, I don't have too much else to say about this game. It's a pretty solid game with a unique plotline, good music, and system of abilities. But its difficulty and level design is admittedly flawed at points. Still, all around, it's worth a shot.