I missed 20XX when it came out, which was clearly a mistake because it looks brilliant. But it was also a pleasant accident, because now 30XX is here the whole thing is so fresh and wonderful. Just loading into it this morning made me happy.
This series takes Mega Man X, with its dashing, jumping, blasting platform play, and spins it into a roguelite. Bosses still give you an extra power, but the levels and all that jazz are procedurally scrambled.
30XXDeveloper: Batterystaple GamesAvailability: Out now on PC in Early Access
The controls are beautiful – movement has a lovely sense of weight, and there’s a bit of Capcom mastery in stuff like the dash-jump that can get you across long gaps. Throw in level gadgets like blocks that move in a certain direction before exploding and platforms that only exist for a few seconds after you hit the switch and there’s plenty to think about.
Actually, that last point has been very interesting. I am early on in 30XX and there is lots I haven’t seen yet – I haven’t played co-op or toyed much with the level editor, which in the current Early Access build seems sort of awkward and opens in a separate window. I haven’t tinkered with fusion moves or really gotten to grips with the way the structure works. But!