20XX

20XX is a roguelite action platformer that wears its Mega Man inspiration openly and without apology. You pick between Nina, a buster-wielding shooter, or Ace, a close-range sword fighter, then plunge into procedurally generated stages full of enemy patterns, hidden rooms, and loot that reshapes how your run feels from minute to minute. The core loop is clean: fight through a stage, grab a weapon or ability from a defeated boss, spend soul chips on upgrades between levels, and push until the run falls apart or you reach the end. It clicks fast, and that speed is the point. What works best here is how generous the build variety feels despite the relatively small item pool. A run where you stack dash upgrades and a ricocheting buster plays completely differently from one where you stumble into a shield bash ability and start body-checking everything in the room. The procedural generation is not always graceful, and some room combinations feel punishingly unfair rather than cleverly difficult, but the runs are short enough that a bad one rarely stings for long. The co-op mode, both local and online, adds genuine tension and a little chaos. A second player sharing health and yelling about which boss to prioritize is exactly the kind of couch experience the game was built around. The pixel art is crisp and readable, which matters enormously in a game this fast. You need to read enemy telegraphs at a glance, and 20XX keeps the visual language consistent enough that deaths rarely feel invisible. The soundtrack leans into that late-16-bit energy without tipping into pastiche, each stage theme carrying enough momentum to keep the pressure up without wearing out. It is not a particularly mysterious or atmospheric game, and I say that as someone who normally reaches for those qualities first. This one is about feel and flow, and the feel is tight. Where it shows its limits is in long-term depth. Players who sink dozens of hours into Hades or Dead Cells expecting that same density of meta-progression and unlockable story will find 20XX thinner. The unlock tree fills out over time, and Mega Coins open up new starting options, but the sense of a world that grows with you is modest. It is more arcade machine than evolving mystery. For some players that is exactly the appeal. For others it is why the game lands best in shorter sessions rather than marathon playthroughs. If you grew up with the Blue Bomber or you just want a roguelite that gets out of its own way and lets you run, 20XX delivers a focused, well-crafted experience from a small developer who clearly understood the assignment. The co-op alone is worth the price of entry for the right pair of players.

Kai · Scout Team

Indie & narrative

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