30XX Review: A Modern Mega Blast
30XX takes everything that you loved about Mega Man X and turns it into a very competent and modern roguelike. And even though it can be quite challenging for the average player, it’s definitely one that you shouldn’t miss if you’re a fan of the genre.
A Wiley Throwback
As a huge fan of Mega Man Maverick Hunter X for the PSP, I was right at home with the basic gameplay of 30XX. In the game, you take control of one of two protagonists: Ace or Nina. Basic movement is shared between the two, but each has a slightly different basic attack.
For Nina, you’ll use her N-Buster, which will be very familiar to fans of The Blue Bomber. For Ace (the Proto-Man archtype), your Unleash Blade will be your best friend as you slash your way through any enemy that gets in your way. The basic differences stop here as both character have very slick movement including a great dash and the ability to do a continuous set of wall jumps which help immensely with maneuvrability.
A Living Breathing Mechanical World
In order to progress in 30XX, you’ll need to move quickly and aim well to make your way through the game’s eight primary bosses and the levels that protect them. Each of these levels is a distinct, somewhat mechanical world. From the fiery forest of the Burning Temple to the mechanically medieval Clockzone, you’ll get a good amount of variety between levels. Each one of these worlds houses different basic enemies that move and attack in their own distinct way. Beyond that, levels are packed with unique mid-bosses and bosses. These bosses vary in size quite a bit (from screen fillers to characters about your size) and each present their own fun set of attacks and movement types. Speaking of challenges, levels also dole out Glory Zones that provide even more adversity to overcome (for prizes).
When you defeat one of the bosses, you’ll collect their distinct Power. There’s a fun layer of complexity added in with these Powers that goes further than what you expect in the subgenre. In addition to adding new techniques to your arsenal like a mortar, lightning bolt or wind attack - you can also fuse two of these techniques together to create a devastating Fusion. It uses more of your energy to fire them, but has the potential to clear the screen if you’re in trouble. With eight core Powers to collect and almost 30 Fusion attacks, there’s a ton of replayability here. On top of that, you can also collect Augments that provide passive bonuses (like a continuous dash or shields that surround and protect you) and Core Augments that can do things like alter the functionality of your basic attack. Some of these are obtained in the world or purchased from the shop in the game’s level select hub area.
A Difficulty Buster
I won’t mince my words here: 30XX can be a brutally difficult game. In the Standard playmode, you’ll only have a single life to make it through the game. Your permanent upgrades to health, energy and more will come with you between runs (called the Memory Index, fueled by Memoria), but that’s the main thing that carries over between runs. I am not ashamed to admit that after failing quite miserably at the Standard playmode, I was saved by the game’s Mega Mode, which removes the permadeath, meaning that you only have to beat a level and boss once to gain their power and continue towards the end of the game. Both modes feature procederually generated levels. Although basic “blocks” of the levels are handcrafted, the order in which they can appear will be random which will make the game’s brutal boss battles that much harder.
In the game’s Mega Mode, it took many upgrades (sometimes stacked with multiple versions of the same upgrade) for me to make it through the game’s final boss battles. Players with low tolerances for difficult titles may want to sit this one out.
A Complete Package
Beyond really fun gameplay, 30XX is great to look at and listen to. Each of the previously described levels comes with its own theme and colour palette with graphics that emulate the pixel art style of Mega Man X and Mega Man Zero very well. The soundtrack by Cityfires is full of bops that would stand next to many popular platformers on the PS1 and SNES. Examples like the Main Theme (30XX) and Hollows will have you tapping your foot as your traverse the environments as Nina or Ace.
Breakdown
Game: 30XX
Developer: Batterystaple Games
Availability: PC, Nintendo Switch
Reviewed on PC (Steam Deck)
Pros:
+ Buttery smooth movement
+ Great pixel art and music
+ Great gameplay evolution compared to other games in the sub-genre (like the Fusion system)
Cons:
- Even with the removal of permadeath, this game can still be quite difficult
Final Thoughts
30XX is brutally difficult even in the game’s more traditional Mega Mode. But between pixel perfect platforming, great art and music, and some great twists on the classic gameplay that you come to expect from the sub-genre, this one should be on your radar if you’ve ever enjoyed one of Mega Man X or Mega Man Zero’s adventures.
Reviewed by Jacob McCourt