Mega Man X Review

By Charles

February 20, 2026

After a break from making reviews, I'm going to be switching over to the Mega Man X series. As time has gone on, I've grown to prefer these games over the original Mega Man series. There is much more depth to these games, but they are still relatively short.

Mega Man X

SNES, 1993 ~$500 sealed ~$40 used

Virtual Console

Mega Man Legacy Collection

35

/40

Mega Man X Collection

App Store

PRESENTATION

CONTROLS

CONTENT

FUN FACTOR

Mega Man X does a great job upgrading Mega Man's NES graphics to the 16-bit SNES. There are more animations and particle effects, giving the game a more dynamic feel. The characters use a new, more futuristic art style which is possible with the wider range of colours. The music is absolutely fantastic and there isn't a bad music track in the whole game. The heavier tone compared to the NES music sets this series apart as an older, more advanced Mega Man. One issue is that the opening is fairly weak, providing very little exposition. I also don't understand why Sigma didn't get a mugshot like the other characters.

Mega Man X keeps the charge shot from the classic series but adds a new wall jump. The slide is replaced with a dash, which also allows for a farther wall jump. These two moves are great and allow for more fluid motion and level design. Going back to the NES titles is rough since Mega Man feels so stiff. In this game, you can quickly maneuver around levels both vertically and horizontally. Boss fights that contain walls are especially fun as you can wall jump from one side of the room to another. I didn't like dash as A, but you can change all the button mappings.

Mega Man X contains just 13 levels, including an opening stage. The main 8 Maverick stages contain collectibles that give X more abilities and health, adding more depth. This gives more incentive for the player to pick their level order carefully, as different secrets are only possible with weapons from other levels. This makes Mega Man X a really fun game to replay, especially because the difficulty level is perfect. Every level is difficult, but there are no roadblocks that make you reconsider a replay. The boss weaknesses sometimes are too powerful, but because of X's increased capabilities, restricting yourself to the charge shot is very fun.

Mega Man X is an extremely fun game that paved the way for an amazing new series. The smooth controls and awesome presentation keep you from getting bored. There are plenty of new ideas which all improve the Mega Man formula - the game simply feels more advanced. The enormous replay factor means that you will find yourself playing this game again and again. There is a Password system if you need it, but it is very hard to put this game down. Once you get the hang of the controls, you will want to keep exploring until X is ready to face off against Sigma. This game is fun all the way through.

10

6

9

10

WORTH THE MONEY?

I don't think a SNES game collection would be complete without Mega Man X, but buy it on a modern device if you just want to play it. The Legacy Collections are often on sale.

WORTH THE TIME?

This is one of the best Mega Man games ever, and one of the best platformers on the SNES. If you enjoy retro games, this is a must-play.