20XX is a pretty cool game. It mashes together the sidescrolling gameplay of Rockman (particularly the X and Zero series) with a roguelike structure, and pulls it off well.
I haven’t covered many roguelike games on this blog before. It basically means a game that is structured like the classic computer game Rogue, where you start each play session from scratch every time, and try to beat it in one go while enhancing your character’s attributes. They often keep fresh through randomisation; in this case, levels are generated by combining premade chunks of platforming obstacles and filled with enemies relevant to the zone you’re in.
There’s a set of bosses that will play the same, but if you take them on later in your run they’ll be enhanced. The Rockman mechanic of capturing bosses’ weapons applies, but with only a few slots you must choose which will complement your playstyle. Along with choosing augmentations at various times in your run, there’s a decent level of customisation among the four playable characters (two are unlocked after a successful run that beats the final boss on the console version).
I like that the headline character Nina is a lady android, as the Rockman series is a bit of a sausagefest for playable characters a lot of the time. However, I did spend more time as Ace the sword guy or Hawk the whip lady; their melee focus supplemented by ranged extra weapons was my preference (Draco was a bit complicated for me). Dashing is very natural and your speed and jump height can be augmented, and certain items can even allow double-jumping or air-dashing for extra level-breaking movement.
So it feels good to play, and I liked gradually becoming more powerful, sometimes in silly ways, with the augmentations you find in a run. Although it’s designed to be played many times through, inevitably the problem of procedurally generated content will arise when you become familiar with the individual level blocks that are being put together, and it can begin to feel samey. But that’s ok; with this kind of game you just have to decide when you’re going to stop. And I did! But had a lot of fun before that. Oh, and I had one couch co-op session with my brother but he wasn’t into it, oh well!
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