Mega Man was a household name in the NES and SNES eras. While his original six romps helped to make a name for him, it was the transition to the SNES platform and the Mega Man X series that elevated the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:platforming series to new heights. Be it the 🌱upgraded visuals, new controls like dashing and wall sliding, or the big shift in musical stylings, this seri🦩es earned its place in the upper echelons of the platforming genre.
Each game has a lot to offer, but that initial outing brought with i♕t eight incredibly designed stages. Whether you’re a long-time fan or a newcomer, these eight stages will likely invite some intrigue.
8 Lau൩nch Octopus - A Spike-Filled Nightmare
-Cropped.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1.5)
While most stages in Mega Man X have some sort of structural through-line to keep players invested, Launch Octopus has a series of mini-bosses instead. These 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:boss battles on their own wouldn’t be so 💮problematic if not for the placement of spikes in each encounter. You could reach the end of the fight and still be suck🍷ed into an instant kill by the fish-like submarine’s vacuum.
Like every level in this game, the Launch Octopus stage offers a wonderful soundtrack and visual splendor well in line with its a♋quatic theme.
7 🥂 Spark Mandrill - A Sight To Behold
Spark Mandrill’s stage is one of the areas where beating a specific boss prior to entry will change the layout of the map. In this case, the main gimmick of the stage is its flickering lightsꦑ. This is a neat visual trick, but it also lines up well with the way sparks will travel the ground area to damage you.
The final stretch of the stage has enemies that launch toward you in a straight line. It creates a sense of opposing momentum to counter the increaseღd speed of Mega Man’s dash and invites a bit more in way of strategic thinking for a fast-paced game.
6 Stin🅠g Chameleon - Hiding In Plain Sight ꦦ
While every level in Mega Man X offers some sort of unlockable component, Sting Chameleon’s stage places them in really unique areas. There🧔’s a very difficult mini-boss that you can defeat early on to unlock one of Mega Man X’s upgrade capsules. Later in the stage❀, quick-witted players can seek out a heart tank through the use of some clever platforming.
Defeating Launch Octopus before coming to this stage floods some of the bottom area, which allows for a more forgiving platform. All of this culminates in a verཧy satisfying boss fight, perhaps one of the most challenging ones in the game.
5 ও Flame Mammoth - The Oft Frosted Flame Factory
While the natural flow of the game would dictate that you play a nerfed version of this stage, the original Flame Mammoth level is very well-designed. Defeating Chill Penguin first, unfortunately, turns off a lot of the lava-based haz🍃ards in the stage, and since Chill Penguin’s stage unlocks X’s dash,🐎 it’s often the first stage played.
There are secrets abound, putting each of X’s a🍸bilities to good use. The boss fight against Flame Mammoth also takes place on a conveyor belt, meaning there’s even more fun to be had with this game’s incredible movement.
4 🌼 Boomer Kuwanger - A Callback Of A Climb
One of the things that future Mega Man X games improve on is treating each level like it’s part of a larger mission. The first game attempted this, and while it doesn’t always make sense in some 𝓀stages, when it does, it’s very exciting. Boomer Kuwanger’s stage in Mega Man✤ X features the scaling of a massive tower that he’s outfitted into a military base.
X faces off against anti-air weapons, guns, mavericks, and more🌳 in this climb to the top. This leve🍌l has a verticality that makes it reminiscent of the original Mega Man games, rather than the side-scrolling action that the X series is more commonly known for.
3 Armored Armadillo - A Street Fighter Fan's Dream Come True!
One of Mega Man X’s differentiating factors from its classic counterpart is its emphasis on s🌟peed. No single level is as emblematic of this change as Armored 𝓰Armadillo. This stage leverages Mega Man’s dash, as well as the superior power of the SNES to great effect.
This stage features chases from giant bulldozers, spiked pads for riding, and the game’s greatest secret of all waiting to be discovered. In addition to being very replayable, this stage is great for filling up sub-tanks be🎐fore the big fights wꦚith Sigma.
2 🅠 Chill Penguin - This Frosty Labyrinth Should Be Your First Stop!
Mega Man X is often praised for its stro🌜ng conveyance. It does an excellent job of teaching players how to play the game through its level design. This is clear in the game’s opening Central Highway area, but is also true in the Chill Penguin stage. This is the only stage in the entire game where an upgrade capsule is on the main path, rather than serving as a secret for later.
This level also introduces the ride armor, even showcasing enemies that adapt depending on whether or not you equip the armor. Also, a lot of the stage is on slants, which helps to showcase the increasing and decreasing momentum introduced with the dash. Also, the music in this level is some of the best in the ga🔯me. What a ride!
1 Storm Eagle - X's Aerial Feats Take Down A Fleet
Ascending a tower is cool. Fighting through a molten factory is fun. Ba⭕ttling through an airship fleet as a lone reploid is legendary. Storm Eagle’s stage offers all sorts of unique mechanics, such as fighting against strong winds, blasting explosives, and jumping from on🎐e area of a ship to the next.
As Mega Man X systematically dismantles the ship, he encounters an epic duel with Storm Eagle that is vastly different from any other 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:boss fight in the game. This is one of Mega Man X’s finest moments and a memo𓄧rable stop along this series’ storied journey.