30XX is a stylish roguelike take on Mega Man X and Zero

20XX sequel coming to PC and consoles in 2021

Oh my goodness, yes! The creators of 20XX, a roguelike rendition of Mega Man X, are back with a follow-up called – you probably guessed it – 30XX. The sequel uses a far more fitting art style thanks to pixel artist Glauber Kotaki (Rogue Legacy, Chasm, Duelyst), who’s helping the team at Batterystaple Games.

30XX once again supports local and online co-op, and the two protagonists have personalized move sets. Nina combines abilities gained from bosses, and Ace is all about blade-based combos.

As for the roguelike hook, there’s a metagame currency, Memoria. It’s used for “boosting character abilities, giving keen insight into the challenges to come, or altering how stages generate other helping hands.” You’ll also be able to pump up the risk (and reward) with optional Entropy Conditions.

“The response to 20XX has been incredible, but we still see many ways we can continue to improve and expand upon the wonderful game our community helped us build [through Steam Early Access],” said Batterystaple founder Chris King. “With 30XX, our mission is to realize the limitless potential the genre offers, and we can’t wait to bring our fans into the fold to help shape the process.”

I loved the fluid feel of 20XX (there’s a reason it’s so well-received), but I never got used to the off-brand art direction – it was weirdly distracting. I can already tell that won’t be a problem for 30XX.