In the 2010’s boom of indie titles on Steam, the rise of roguelikes gave way to a million different copycats of the same idea. The popularity of The Binding of Isaac, Spelunky, and even Rogue Legacy paved the way for every Tom, Dick, and Harry to try their hand at capturing that same success. Mention roguelike to most players nowadays and you’ll likely be greeted with a sigh.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t still some kind of gold to be mined from that idea. That’s what action platformer 30XX hopes to achieve. Built off the success of 2017’s 20XX from developers Batterystaple Games and Fire Hose Games, this different spin on a well-worn genre draws inspiration from Capcom’s Mega Man series and adds an extra layer of replayability to a tried-and-true formula.
If you’ve ever played the classic Mega Man games or their SNES counterparts Mega Man X, you’ll have a good understanding of what 30XX is all about. This is a run-and-gun platformer that throws players into increasingly difficult obstacles before culminating in a boss fight with a robot master. You’ll then acquire a new power and proceed to the next level. Everything here is very much in the vein of old-school classics, just with the added elements of roguelike games.
That means there is permadeath, random level generation, and a slew of progressive upgrades you can acquire to make runs slightly easier. 30XX doesn’t go as far as Rogue Legacy, where players would become exponentially stronger as they invested into new abilities, but you’ll still have a slight advantage over a raw start once you’ve played for a bit.
The main goal here was to capture the intensity that roguelike games offer in a different genre. People like Mega Man and people have wanted an “endless” Mega Man game for years, so this indie title fits the bill. The main difference between 30XX and its predecessor is that, along with an extra layer of polish and more bosses, a new mode has been introduced to cater to old-school fans. In the “Mega Mode,” a lot of the roguelike elements get turned off so you can experience a more traditional action platformer.
Based on feedback received from 20XX, the developers implemented this option specifically to capture that Mega Man atmosphere. Some players groan when roguelike is uttered, so why not remove those limiters? With “Mega Mode” enabled, you’ll be able to die in the middle of levels, will be able to tackle the same level layouts until you complete them, and will even get upgrades that last beyond death. That might be antithetical to roguelikes, but it’s not replacing the original style.
As for players that want to opt for the developer’s intended playstyle, some concessions have been made to eliminate the more random elements of similar titles. Falling down pits or colliding with spikes won’t instakill you since that would be garbage in a roguelike. There are difficulty modifiers, called “Entropy” skills, which can turn on those factors, but they’ll be off by default.
Players will also be able to quit during a run and not lose progress. This also coincides with the ability to return to the main hub and power up your character, which results in the ability to successfully complete the game on your first run. That likely won’t happen, but skill plays more of a determining factor over simply pumping currency into upgrades.
Apart from those neat tidbits, the general feel of 30XX is very smooth. With development on 20XX taking nearly six years to complete, the dev team was able to easily transition to the sequel as the same lessons didn’t need to be relearned. With the previous engine and assets being repurposed, 30XX was able to take shape much faster than before.
That doesn’t mean ideas won’t continue to be refined during an early access period, but 30XX shouldn’t take as long to reach the finish line. The current release window is set for 2021 on PC. Console ports are in consideration, but those will be handled after the game is 100% finished. Right now, the game is in “Pre-Alpha,” but it feels remarkably nice for such an early build (and even includes fully functional co-op play).
With Capcom having successfully resurrected Mega Man after a long period of absence a few years back, I don’t see 30XX completely supplanting the series in most gamers’ eyes. Still, that doesn’t mean anyone with a passing interest in the Blue Bomber should pass this up. 30XX is primed to be a solid alternative to what Capcom creates and could even be a gateway into roguelikes for those that have otherwise written them off.
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