Intro:
Over the weekend, whilst I went back home I remembered a game I used to play on the PSP. The game was titled Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X, which is a faithful 1:1 remake of the original Mega Man X (1994) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
I desperately wanted to be the original, as I remember absolutely loving the remake.
I already had a version of the game for the SNES, and I also found out that there was a “Legacy Collection” on Nintendo Switch, I have played both and there aren’t any differences between the versions, so everything I say will apply to both versions of this game! (And technically the PSP remake, but I’m talking exclusively about the 1994 version/the switch port!, also the date is from the English release of the game, not the original Japanese one!)
The SNES:
The fourth generation of consoles in the late 80’s saw the transition of 16-bit microprocessors, which allowed for better graphics and audio. Additionally, there was a wider selection of colour as well as the ability to have Multi-Layer scrolling backgrounds (removing the necessity of having pitch black backgrounds to mask the boss being a part of the background instead of the stage), the SNES marked the first major console leap in the history of videogames. This also market the “standard” of consumers having to buy a new console every couple of years (since technology was advancing that much), this also sprouted the “technological knowledge” consumers would gain, being forced to choose which would be better between the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and the SNES.
I believe that Capcom’s Mega Man X makes a wonderful usage of the wider availability of colour as well as the overall power to develop smaller stories for their players. Which I will go into deeper in my following points.
The Tutorial Level:
The introduction of the game shows you a small but important detail of the main character, the specifics on how he was created, his purpose (Which I’ll talk about later), and the specification of his model. Which just shows the amount of detail Capcom put into creating this world and their attempt to make it connect with the player from the get-go.
The second you boot up “New Game”, you’re greeted with X spawning into a destroyed city.
As you progress, you will learn the core mechanics of the game:
-Shoot
-Walk forward
-Jump.
These mechanics may be quite simple, but the first level makes sure you learn them all. For example, early on it teaches you that enemies take multiple shots to be defeated. These shots can be charged up to deal more damage and have a wider surface area, the game also ensures that you jump over the enemies/projectiles in order to not have your HP drained. There are also sections where there are multiple enemies trying to attack you, which really puts the player to the test! (especially those who don’t want to get attacked!)
There are also sections in which the game teaches the player the maximum jump that X can do, by placing platforms at a distance from each other which may look like X will fall. Additionally, there’s a section in which you fight a giant robot wasp. Once defeated, the wasp will impact on the floor making it and the player fall to a lower platform. This leaves the player wondering what to do next, since all they have are pillars and the wasp to work with. It’s at this point that the new mechanic is introduced to the player, X can do small wall jumps that allow him to project himself upwards, something that later levels will expand upon (allowing you to uncover secrets, different ways of fighting bosses and abilities!)
(Image of the wasp section!)
(Image of full length jump)
And lastly, the boss of the first level descends from a ship and is presented in a big mechanical suit, leaving his head exposed. The player will have to shoot projectiles towards the boss’ head to deal damage to him, though since the boss takes up so much space on the screen, he’s easily catching up to you and dealing damage to you. He will eventually chip your HP, making the player feel like you’ve lost and you’re witnessing what the boss does to you once defeated whilst delivering a victorious speech. He gets cut off by a blast that looks similar to the ones the player would use, followed by a red character. This red character is quickly shown to the player as an ally as X shouts “Zero!”, The boss, who’s revealed to be named Vile flees in the same ship he came from. Its then revealed that Zero is looking for a character named Sigma (the main villain!), and that he’ll wait for the player once they reach their full strength.
This introduction level is (in my opinion) a perfect way to introduce a game, especially with the technology presented with the SNES. Every mechanic introduction I pointed earlier wasn’t told to the player explicitly on screen (I am unsure if it was said on the manual as I don’t have one) which is a difference we see nowadays where games can have long extensive tutorials where its the basic controls we are used to in most games of the same console. I believe Capcom’s genius approach to how they presented the mechanics is honestly something worth noting, especially since they show in the first level how mechanically deep focused the gameplay and combat is!
They also made a wonderful usage of presenting their story in the opening minutes of the game, the SNES didn’t allow for an extensive 20+ hour story like we’re used to today, the technology of the time wouldn’t have allowed that, so I believe that the story moments and beats are cleverly placed to keep the players intrigued and engaged with it.
Sprite Work:
Despite the SNES being the most powerful console of its time, the colour pallet still suffered quite a lot. However, thanks to the technology offered by the SNES, developers were now able to mix different assets into their backgrounds, which allowed for immersivity for the player making the game feel like its own living, breathing world. You could definitely tell that the developers put much thought into what would be effective to transmit this feeling towards the player!
Thanks to the new technology, you were also able to create rooms that would create a feeling of fear towards the player. For example, here we can see a variety of techniques such as the usage of the various background layering that the SNES provided, as well as the technology that allowed for the bosses to be significantly bigger than the player at play. We see two versions of the same fight, both of which are quite intense in both boss pattern as well as the design of the boss. Being stranded alone in a room with the final boss whilst they tower over the character directly challenges the player to want to defeat this boss.
I believe Capcom also did wonderfully in the artistic department, Mega Man X has a distinct, recognizable art style which is consistent throughout, creating an immersive experience in which the player can resonate with further.
World Building:
Once the player exits the level, they’re presented with 8 different icons of the different bosses:
-Launch Octopus
-Chill Penguin
-Flame Mammoth
-Boomer Kuwanger
-Sting Chameleon
-Storm Eagle
-Armored Armadillo
-Spark Mandrill
The bosses are simple. Pick their stage, clear the level, fight the boss at the end of the level. Surely they don’t have a specific order, or intertwine right?
So if you fight chill penguin first, whilst clearing the level you’ll see a capsule, when the player gets closer to it, a person introducing themselves as Dr. Light explains how X has to find capsules that he’s left throughout the different stages, which will grant X different abilities, such as faster charging, reduced damage, boosting, and a head piece that stops X from taking damage from falling rocks. This links back to Zero telling X that he’s incomplete and can get stronger, as strong as him. Furthermore, if you defeat Chill Penguin the ice environment of his level will actually expand onto the nearby volcano, freezing it in the process. This volcano is Flame Mammoth’s level, which usually has a layer of lava on the floor, which will challenge the player’s platforming skills. Luckily, if you defeated chill penguin that layer of lava will now be a walkable layer of snow!
(Capsule at Chill Penguin stage)
(Comparison of before and after you defeat Chill Penguin’s stage and how it affects Flame Mammoth’s stage)
There’s other examples, if you defeat Storm Eagle on his ship and then go onto Spark Mandrill’s level, the electricity that will usually be an annoyance to the player will be out since the ship would have crashed onto Spark Mandrill’s layer (you can also see Storm Eagle’s ship at the beginning of the level once it has crashed!)
Additionally, if you defeat Launch Octopus, the water from his level will partially flood Sting Chameleon’s level!
The game also encourages you as a player to replay some of the stages a couple of times. For example, theres a destructible object in Chill Penguin’s layer that’s out of the way of the normal player route which requires the fire ability gained from defeating Flame Mammoth, once you destroy it you will gain a container that will expand X’s HP. There’s also a hidden secret in Armored Armadillo’s layer where you have to defeat an enemy before it reaches a certain area, if you do so the enemy won’t destroy a specific wall which is just tall enough for X to reach with a jump and get another HP container.
(Area from Chill Penguin that you destroy with Flame Mammoth’s ability)
(Armored Armadillo comparison of when you defeat and don’t defeat the boss)
There are also certain abilities that are “stronger” against the other bosses. For example, you can infinitely freeze Spark Mandrill if you use the ability gained from Chill Penguin. Sure they make the bosses “easy”, but it also ties back to the actual lore of the game. All major enemies that X fights were once in the same team/side as him, fighting off robots that went maverick. It wasn’t until Sigma, the lead commander of the Maverick hunters, decided to go maverick (because he’s big bad evil!) and start to overrule the world. What I’m getting at is, the major bosses followed Sigma because they were either loyal to him, he convinced them, or they didn’t know they were rebelling (Spark Mandrill), this gives the bosses a sense of “humanization” in the sense that they have their own weaknesses and strengths. Which is why I believe it was a good call to have gimmicks within the mechanics of the game that allow you to easily defeat the boss without X appearing to be too powerful, since if you want to defeat each boss without the abilities from other bosses you will struggle, so having that choice of “do I want to make it easy?” is an amazing choice by Capcom.
Narrative:
I’m keeping this section under world building since I already spoke about the story a bit there!
The story I mentioned earlier does sadly not get explained in Mega Man X’s game, but it is something I brought up anyway because it was relevant to the point I was making. However, the little story that is present in the game is not something to look over either. We get introduced to two characters at the beginning, Zero and Vile, Vile being introduced as an evil entity and Zero being shown as an “older brother” that X looks up to. It’s revealed right off the bat that X can get stronger, as strong or stronger than Zero, which encourages him to seek out information about Sigma. While he ventures, he will see capsules left by Dr Light, his creator, who’s left these capsules that will provide X with the abilities necessary to become stronger. Eventually, X will reach Sigma’s layer, in which he will find a familiar face. Zero would be laying on the floor. With the vital areas of his body destroyed, he says that he entrusts X with defeating Sigma (And if you haven’t unlocked the blaster, Zero will give you his, there isn’t a difference between the one he gives you and the one you can obtain by exploring!)
Once Sigma is defeated, his layer is destroyed. And as both X and the player watch the layer get destroyed on a far away cliff the following text appears:
“The war has ended for now and peace has been restored. But those who sacrificed themselves for the victory will never return.
Exhausted, X gazes at the destruction he helped cause and wonders why he chose to fight. Was there another way?
Standing on the cliff, the answers seem to escape him. He only knows that he’ll fight the mavericks again before he finds his answer.
How long will he keep on fighting? How long will his pain last? Maybe only the X-Buster on his hand knows for sure…”
This short, yet sweet narrative is an amazing example of an experience in which both the player as well as the character grow. X was forced to fight, and at the end he wonders “why?”, despite seemingly defeating the main villain, he’s taken many lives and seemingly seen his best friend die in front of him. This bittersweet ending is certainly not what the traditional “hero” story ends, as its always them saving the day and everyone being happy. However, X ponders if what he did was the right thing, building his character as a whole while making reference to Dr Light saying that “the world wasn’t ready for a robot with his free thinking capacity”
Conclusion:
As you may have guessed, I absolutely love this game, especially when I revisited it after all these years. I believe that despite the hardware limitations of the SNES, Mega Man X stands as one of the best games on the library of the console, even to this day I believe it holds up quite well. The platforming is different to your standard Mario title, so if you’re looking to make a platform game, Mega Man X should be considered as an industry standard for an “Outstanding platformer”, if you have access to a SNES, or a Switch, or even a PSP to play the remake, I would really recommend you pick up Mega Man X!
I think Capcom did an absolutely amazing job to utilize the availability of the console’s power to create a game that’s astonishing aesthetically, mechanically challenging as well as a game that will withstand the test of time because of how masterfully it was done!
