Mega Man X4

About Mega Man X4

Mega Man X4 (1997) is the first 32-bit Mega Man X, a PlayStation and Saturn platformer that let players take X's buster or Zero's sword through the whole game in a war against the Repliforce.

Mega Man X4 in Depth

The eight main stages can be cleared in any order, past spikes, falling debris and enemy robots, with hover bikes called Ride Chasers and Ride Armor mechs in some. Heart Tanks raise maximum health and two Sub Tanks store energy for later. For the first time Zero is fully playable alongside X, chosen at the start and fixed for the playthrough. Both run the same stages but play very differently. X fires his chargeable X-Buster from range, gains a limited-ammo weapon from each boss and finds hidden capsules with armour upgrades. Zero fights up close with his Z-Saber and learns ammo-free techniques such as the Hienkyaku air dash and Kuuenbu double jump, but cannot be upgraded.

In the 22nd century, a floating city, Sky Lagoon, is brought down by a Maverick, killing countless humans and Reploids. Suspicion falls on the Repliforce, a Reploid army under General and his second-in-command Colonel, and when Colonel refuses to disarm, it declares independence for Reploids. The story differs by character: X's rookie partner Double turns out to be a spy, Zero is forced to fight Colonel's sister Iris, whom he loves, and Sigma is revealed to have staged the whole conflict.

Making Mega Man X4

The Mega Man X3 team had no sequel planned until Capcom wanted the series on new hardware. Inafune stepped back from artwork to produce and help write the story, in which the writers gave the Repliforce "moral leeway" instead of making them plainly evil, and left out human characters entirely. Xebec produced the animated cutscenes, and Toshihiko Horiyama composed the score. Planned as a Saturn exclusive for June 1997, it was delayed and made multi-platform.

Both versions were released in Japan on 1 August 1997, and in North America after Capcom persuaded Sony to allow the PlayStation version; Europe got only the PlayStation version that October. Critics praised the choice between X and Zero, the controls and the bosses, though some felt the 2D formula was worn out, with Next Generation suggesting players buy X3 used instead. EGM ranked it 78th in its 1997 list of the best games of all time. The PlayStation version sold 197,385 copies in Japan in 1997 and at least 350,000 in North America.