''30XX'' is a

rogue-lite Roguelike (or rogue-like) is a style of role-playing game traditionally characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedural generation, procedurally generated level (video gaming), levels, Turns, rounds and time-keeping systems in games, turn- ...

platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

from independent developer Batterystaple Games and the sequel to '' 20XX''. It was released on

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

via

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

early access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release Software release life cycle, developm ...

on February 17, 2021, and in full on August 9, 2023. A

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

release was planned on the same day, but was delayed to September 1. Like its predecessor, ''30XX'' was inspired by the ''

Mega Man ''Mega Man'' (known as in Japan) is a video game franchise developed and published by Capcom, featuring the Mega Man (character), protagonist of the same name. The Mega Man (1987 video game), original game was released for the Nintendo Enter ...

'' series, but uses

procedurally generated In computing, procedural generation is a method of creating data algorithmically as opposed to manually, typically through a combination of human-generated content and algorithms coupled with computer-generated randomness and processing power. I ...

levels. The game possesses both a permadeath

roguelike Roguelike (or rogue-like) is a style of role-playing game traditionally characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, grid-based movement, and permanent death of the player character. Most ro ...

mode and, unlike the original, a new "Mega Mode" where the levels of the entire game are generated in advance and do not change upon death, giving players an experience more similar to the ''Mega Man'' games. The game follows the android main characters of ''20XX'', Nina and Ace, who awaken after a

millennium A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...

to discover the world has changed irreversibly after the advent of the Synthetic Mind. The early access release of the game was positively received by critics, who called it an improvement over its predecessor.

Development

Following complaints about the art style of ''20XX'', the art style was revamped for the sequel to be more similar to games such as ''

Mega Man ZX ''Mega Man ZX'' is a 2006 action-platform game developed by Inti Creates and published by Capcom for the Nintendo DS. It was released on July 6, 2006 in Japan, September 12, 2006 in North America, June 20, 2007 in Australia, and June 22, 2007 i ...

''. The sprites were created by the artist of '' Rogue Legacy'', Glauber Kotaki.

Reception

TJ Denzer of ''

Shacknews ''Shacknews'' is an American video game journalism website founded in 1996. It that publishes news articles, reviews, and cheat codes. History ''Shacknews'' was founded in 1996 by Steve Gibson. The website, originally named 'Quakeholio', was ...

'' called the game "sure to please any platforming fan whether you dig roguelikes or not". Mike Minotti of ''

VentureBeat ''VentureBeat'' is an American technology website headquartered in San Francisco, California. ''VentureBeat'' is a tech news source that publishes news, analysis, long-form features, interviews, and videos. The ''VentureBeat'' company was fou ...

'' said that the game had a "nice visual boost" from its predecessor.

Notes

References

2023 video games Action games Early access video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Kickstarter-funded video games Windows games Nintendo Switch games Roguelike video games Platformers Indie games Science fiction video games Video games about robots Video games set in the 31st century Video games about artificial intelligence Video games featuring female protagonists Video games using procedural generation Video game sequels Video games developed in the United States {{Videogame-stub