Mega Man ZX

"Running, jumping, and plenty of things to kill!"

New Age, Old Play

ZX is Capcom's first Megaman game on the Nintendo DS and it also marks the start of an entirely new story plot. With what the game has to offer, it seems that the series is off to a good start.

Megaman ZX is an entirely new story in the Megaman Universe but much of what goes on implies that the game is a follow-up to the Megaman Zero series. Characters repeatedly refer to key story plots from that series and your character's various forms are based upon four of its bosses. The gameplay, however, remains true to the series with its traditional side-scrolling action and boss battles that reward the player with new abilities.

The gameplay's key feature is the Biometals, which are metal fragments that merge with your character to give him/her new forms, each of which comes with different abilities. Each of the Biometal Models are based upon characters from Megaman Zero. For example, Model X and Model Z and their abilities are taken from X and Zero respectively. At any time, you may even switch back to your human form, which is needed at certain points in the game. Each Model also has its own innate abilities, such as item-tracking and enemy data tracking. This adds an element of variety to the game as each Model plays entirely different from one another, as opposed to a single character obtaining individual abilities from each boss.

Graphically, the game bears resemblance to Megaman Zero, featuring animated 2D sprites on a 2D background. The environments are certainly brighter and more detailed however, and there are various subtle graphic touches that give the game a smooth and clean feel such as exploding bosses and pouring rain. Anime cutscenes, though a bit pixelated at times, are a stunning addition to the game as well.

The game's audio is also well done. In comparison to Megaman Zero, the game's soundtrack has a much brighter mood and uses a variety of clean, crisp instrumental synthesizers. Various sound effects and voice clips are also played at a much higher audio quality. Much of the Japanese battle cries and one-liners are left intact and even the original voice acting in the cutscenes are left undubbed.

The game's controls are also good, though a bit clunky at times. The buttons are very responsive and are fully customizable and you may even chang the way you switch weapons so that a single button may either fire that weapon or completely switch to it. However, there are times where you'll find yourself wrapping your hands around the entire console as you try to dash through the air while holding a weapon charge.

The gameplay itself is remarkably solid and isn't terribly difficult as opposed to the insane difficulty and handicaps of Megaman Zero, though because the ZX Model, which becomes your primary form, shares the same abilities as Zero, fans of that series will often feel as though they're just playing a glorified Megaman Zero. Thankfully, the variety that the other Models bring to the table offset this.

One major problem that is unforgivable is the navigation, which is very frustrating to work with. The game allows you to freely explore the world as all of the levels are interconnected. The problem with this, however, is that there isn't much to do in each level unless you have a mission that brings you there. Otherwise, you'll just run into a dead end when you reach a locked boss door at the end of the level, which forces you to run back the other way. The map itself is also of no help as it only indicates which levels are connected to one another. You'll often find yourself getting lost as you attempt to find the right door to whatever level your mission takes you. A Metroid-style map indicating where you've been and what doors you've found would've been nice.

The DS's bottom screen is also extremely underutilized. Certain features such as Model L's item tracking are displayed on that screen but aside from abilities like that, the bottom screen isn't used more than half the time. Yet it's also difficult to think of things that could possibly go on that half of the DS. Perhaps an indicator that keeps track of energy tanks and each Model's weapon meters might've been useful but aside from that, there isn't much one could do for this game.

While the game's confusing level mapping may be frustrating at times, the game itself is solid. Excellent gameplay, clean graphics, crisp audio, a somewhat bright mood, a not-too-harsh difficulty, and a little variety brought on by the Biometals makes this game a lot of fun. If you're into side-scrolling action and/or a big Megaman fan, this would definitely be a worthy addition to your collection.

Graphics: 7/10
Audio: 8/10
Controls: 7/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

Best Feature: Various Models
Worst Feature: Terrible Level Mapping

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/22/06