20XX (video game)

20XX is an indie roguelike action platform video game developed by American indie studio Batterystaple Games.[1] The early access version was released for Microsoft Windows on Steam on October 12, 2016.[2] A sequel, 30XX, is planned for release in 2021.[3]

20XX
Developer(s)Batterystaple Games
Fire Hose Games
Publisher(s)Batterystaple Games
Director(s)Chris King
Artist(s)Zach Urtes
Composer(s)Brandon Ellis
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
Release
  • October 12, 2016
Genre(s)Action, platform, roguelike
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer, co-op multiplayer

Gameplay

Inspired by Mega Man X, players must shoot or slash enemies and complete difficult platforming challenges to finish a stage. The twist is that these stages are generated randomly based on level segments, or "chunks", and also allow for both local and online co-op.[1] Rather than giving you several lives, the game has permadeath, but is a "roguelite" in that you can use Soul Chips earned during the level to unlock new types of passive upgrades to buy, and gain upgrades for the next attempt of that particular run.[4]

During levels players can use bolts gained as currency to buy passive upgrades, or to gain back health or energy in vending machines. They can also find upgrades in treasure chests and other places.[4] Upon beating a boss the player can choose to take their power as a reward, granting them a new special ability, or take a reward of bolts or a random passive upgrade instead.[4]

Plot

The game follows Nina, an armored girl armed with a power blaster, and Ace, an armored boy who has an energy sword, in the aftermath of a robotic uprising.[1] Traveling from their base on the Ark, a space station orbiting the Earth, they have been hired to clear dangerous locations that are infested with robots that have run amok.

Development

20XX began to be developed after a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter in the spring of 2014, when the game was called Echoes of Eridu.[1] Following a successful Kickstarter, the game joined the Fire Hose Games accelerator program and appeared in the Indie Megabooth at Penny Arcade Expo 2015.[5]

The game was the developer Chris King's first commercial game, and its development was prompted by the belief that it was his last chance to do such a risky thing as game development without a family to support, as he was in his late 20s.[4] The idea behind the game was due to his belief that Capcom had ceased to make enough Mega Man titles, and that he and other fans desired more of the same type of gameplay.[4]

The developer's main focus was on the game feel and getting it to play in a similar manner to Mega Man. The most difficult aspect in developing the game was debugging its netcode that allowed for online play.[4]

Chris believes that Steam's Early Access program was essential to the development of the game, and "couldn't imagine" releasing it without it.[4]

Soundtrack

The game's soundtrack was composed by Brandon "Cityfires" Ellis and includes chiptune and synthesizer elements to make it resemble that of a Super NES game.[6]

Reception
Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
MetacriticNS: 77/100[7]
PS4: 77/100[8]
XONE: 79/100[9]

20XX has been well-received by both fans and the gaming press. Adam Smith of Rock, Paper, Shotgun commented that the game "looks fantastic."[10]

gollark: ...
gollark: > “This stuff is funny!” giggles your niece, squishing her fingers in the goop. “It’s all warm, gluey, and bouncy! Someone should be turning out this stuff for kids to play with, or as sticky putty to stick posters to walls, or whatever. You’ve got, like, an infinite supply of it, so that’s good economics, right?”
gollark: > “No! ElGr cells are a scientific miracle!” cries biologist Jack Ponta, jiggling a beaker full of purplish goop as he waves his arms in exasperation. “These cells have been a breakthrough; not only in testing cures for cancer, but also in understanding how cancer develops and functions! All these years later, these cells keep chugging along, outliving all the others! Who knows, with these cells, we might even one day unlock a path to immortality! Are you going to let bureaucracy get in the way of SCIENCE?”
gollark: > “We thought my poor grandmother’s remains had been buried in accordance with her wishes,” growls Elizabeth’s direct descendant, Catherine Gratwick. “Can’t you let her rest in peace? This is her body that you’re messing with. You can’t just irradiate and poison her; you must ask me first! How would you like it if your family’s remains were exhumed and mutilated? You must never use cells from deceased people without the explicit pre-mortem consent of the patient or their relatives. As for granny - I insist that all remaining samples of her be buried, and that you financially compensate her family for the pain and grief you have caused!”
gollark: > Two generations ago, scientists took a biopsy of a tumor from a cancer patient named Elizabeth Gratwick, who died soon after. Without her knowledge or consent, these cells were preserved in the laboratory and proved to be exceptionally stable in replication. As stable cancer cell lines are highly useful for medical research, “ElGr cells” have been sent to and used by scientists all over the world. However, objections are now being raised by Elizabeth’s descendants.

See also

References
  1. Samit Sarkar (March 25, 2015). "20XX is a co-op, roguelike take on Mega Man". Polygon. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  2. "20XX on Steam". Steam. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  3. Wong, Alistair (2020-02-15). "Mega Man X-esque Roguelike 30XX is a Full Sequel to Fan Favorite 20XX". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
  4. "Interview - Indie-Ana Co-Op and the 20XX Interview". Retrieved 2016-08-27.
  5. "20XX - Indie MEGABOOTH". Retrieved 2016-08-27.
  6. "20XX". SoundCloud. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
  7. "20XX for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  8. "20XX for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  9. "20XX for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  10. Smith, Adam (2015-09-18). "20XX Is A Mega Man Roguelite, In Early Access Now". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
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