They just couldn’t leave well enough alone. Mega Man X5 was supposed to be the natural end of the series and directly lead in to Mega Man Zero. But Capcom is going to be Capcom, which means they went back to the well to milk the X series one last time on the PlayStation. Mega Man X6 was released less than a year after its predecessor and honestly didn’t need to exist. It is not an outright bad game but is incredibly disappointing and full of flaws that would not exist in a focused product. You can easily skip this one and lose nothing in the process.
Mega Man X6 picks up three weeks after the events of X5. The destruction of the Eurasia colony has ravaged the planet’s surface, leaving it near inhospitable. In the midst of this chaos a new virus emerges. Dubbed the Zero Nightmare it threatens to derail the reconstruction of society. X takes up Zero’s saver to not only find the source of the virus but also clear his friend’s name.
The main question I’m left with whenever I think of Mega Man X6 is why? Obviously to make money but other than that it didn’t need to exist. Mega Man X6 brings nothing new to the table and survives by merely being competent at mimicking the series action. The rapid development schedule shows in its sloppy level design and other failings that ruin the experience. I had some fun with it but had to tolerate a lot of jank; you don’t have to.
Initially only X is playable. You have a choice between X or his Falcon armor which has been heavily nerfed. After defeating nightmare Zero early on he becomes playable as well. Like its predecessor you don’t collect individual pieces that immediately boost your abilities but instead whole armor sets. These new armors (Shadow, Blade, Ultimate) grant grossly overpowered new abilities and are nearly essential to reach the end. Finding all of them is a bit of a pain in the ass for reasons I’ll get to.
The parts system from Mega Man X5 returns with a few changes. All parts are collected by rescuing captive reploids in each level. The difference this time around is that each is named, with some carrying specific upgrades. The Zero Nightmare has created nightmare enemies that prey on these reploids. If you aren’t fast enough they will convert them into mavericks that need to be destroyed. If they were carrying a part you wanted, tough luck.
The annoying time limit is gone but in its place is the Nightmare system. Defeating a Maverick will cause a random three to be infected by the Nightmare. This causes various effects during each level, some more annoying than others. Sometimes the layout of the level will change, other times indestructible boxes will impede your path. Then there are the truly bad effects such as blanketing the stage in darkness with a moving spotlight serving as your guide.
In any other respect I would welcome this random element as it adds some fun to the proceedings. Here however it only serves to highlight the game’s biggest flaw; the atrocious level design. Prior games have always been tightly designed, with carefully placed traps and even creative design elements. Mega Man X6 throws that all out the window and feels haphazard in comparison. There are an unprecedented amount of instant death spikes, pits and other elements for no reason. Enemy placement is incredibly suspect and many times it is impossible to avoid taking damage. The few stages that feature cool gimmicks such as the Laser Institute or the Weapons Facility are either short or frustrating as their mechanics are ambiguous.
Mega Man games live or die by their bosses and sadly Mega Man X6 does not have the most inspired bunch. The game’s contracted development means the character designer admittedly kept them simple for time’s sake. Much like the level design these encounters vary. Some like Ground Scaravich and Blizzard Wolfang are so simple they didn’t even try. A boss like Infinite Mijinion (that name!) are a nightmare if you aren’t prepared. Here’s a pretty dumb feature: it is entirely possible to go straight to Dr. Gate’s castle and bypass nearly all of the mavericks if you can defeat High Max early on. It’s a tall order but doable. But it is completely negated by the fact that you need the weapons and upgrades to even navigate the stages there. It makes this inclusion pointless, much like this game.
For as negative as I’ve been I will say that this has one of the absolute best soundtracks in the series. Capcom also wisely decided to subtitle all of the cutscenes. Or maybe they simply didn’t want to bother with an English dub. After their “work” on Mega Man 8 and Mega Man X4 I don’t think anyone complained.
In Closing
Disappointing best describes Mega Man X6. The game exists out of pure greed and adds nothing to the series. I would say it tarnishes the good name of Mega Man X but boy does it get worse from here. Buy the soundtrack and avoid the game, you’ll thank me later.
