Developer: | Inti Creates |
Publisher: | Capcom |
Director: | Ryota Ito Yuujirou Hayakawa |
Producer: | Takuya Aizu Takeshi Horinouchi Keiji Inafune |
Designer: | Kinshi Ikegami Masahiro Mizukoshi Satoru Nishizawa |
Programmer: | Akihiro Shishido |
Artist: | Makoto Yabe |
Composer: | Ippo Yamada Masaki Suzuki Ryo Kawakami Kōji Hayama Luna Umegaki Akari Kaida |
Genre: | Action, platform, Metroidvania |
Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
Series: | Mega Man ZX |
Platforms: | Nintendo DS |
is a 2007 action-platform game developed by Inti Creates and published by Capcom for the Nintendo DS. The game was first released in Japan on July 12, 2007; in North America on October 23, 2007; in Europe on February 29, 2008; and in Australia on March 5, 2008.
Part of the Mega Man franchise, the game is a sequel to Mega Man ZX. ZX Advent follows two new protagonists, Grey and Ashe, as they battle with various enemy "Mega Men", the infamous Model W, and their own destinies.[1] The gameplay sees a multitude of expansions, including twice as many playable forms. The North American localization also includes a full English voice cast.[2]
The game was re-released as part of the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection, on February 25, 2020, and February 27, 2020, in Japan, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows.
The story focuses on the chosen wielder of a Biometal, known in Japan as Live Metal (ライブメタル Raibumetaru), advanced technology that is capable of Mega-Merging with its wielder and absorbing DNA from defeated enemies. The story varies slightly depending on the character the player chooses to play: if Grey is chosen by the player, the story begins with Grey waking up in an Abandoned Laboratory; if Ashe is chosen, the story begins with Ashe who is the member of Hunters. The remainder of the story follows the same storyline.
Advent features a very large cast of characters both new to the series and returning from the first ZX, including the two main protagonists, eight Mega Men, the Sage Trinity, and eight Pseudoroids. A majority of the cast is playable by copying their forms with A-Trans, and thus, these characters are outlined in detail below in the corresponding sections.
Humans/Reploids chosen as the Biometals' "Biomatch" are regarded as Mega Men (regardless of the person's gender). Several enemy Mega Men appear throughout the course of Advent who possess the Biometals used from the first ZX.[3] By defeating them in battle, Grey/Ashe is able to copy their forms via A-Trans, but they never actually attain the Biometals.
The eight Pseudoroids can also become playable upon destroying them in battle.[4] Although the Biometal forms all use similar abilities (such as dashing and wall climbing), the Pseudoroid forms vary greatly in basic movement and abilities. There are two Pseudoroids to represent each element (fire, ice, and electricity) and two with no element, akin to the first ZX title.
Many of the elements from Mega Man ZX return, including the 2D world and several missions and collection side-quests, as well as much of the gameplay. The players begin the game in their normal forms and can revert to them at any time.[5] [6] Like other games in the ZX series, the game tries to inject metroidvania concepts into the level design, with more exploration elements than the main Mega Man series.[7]
Advent features several difficulty settings. Beginner simplifies the gameplay by weakening enemy's defenses and attacks and disabling instant-defeat obstacles among other things. By completing the game on Normal, Expert mode can be unlocked, and upon completing it, an extended ending can be viewed. Expert Mode also limits the gameplay for the player in being able to collect only one Sub-Tank, and removing all the Life-Up and Bio-Metal Upgrades.
The dual screen received some upgrades where it now has a secondary screen of allowing the player to switch between forms instantly without having to use the transformation button to help select the form the player wishes to use. Also the weapon energy system has been modified where now all forms share the weapon energy meter, but with the new benefit that aside from weapon energy capsules, the meter can now slowly refill itself over time. Like with the Life Meter it starts off small, but collecting the Bio-Metal Upgrades can expand the maximum weapon energy meter.
The Database from the first ZX returns. Eighty-five secret disks are scattered throughout the game with descriptions and images of the characters and enemies in the game. Several special disks are also featured, including an image of the infamous North American box art for the original NES game. Along with the secret disks, there are several equippable chip items that can enhance the players abilities, such as preventing the effects of wind and ice on the player's footing. A hidden room in the game will also give the player special items for each month of the year.
Furthermore, 24 medals can be collected depending on how the eight Pseudoroids are defeated in battle. Gold, silver, and bronze medals can be received for each Pseudoroid depending on the difficulty of the task involved. Tasks sometimes include what attack or form the enemy is defeated with, what part of their body is attacked, or the amount of time they're defeated in.
The game features a few unlockable mini-games. Quiz Advent requires the player to identify twenty characters with three visual obstructions. A mini-game from the first title, Gem Buster is now only playable between two players over an ad hoc network. Two boss mini-games called Survival Road and Boss Battle can be unlocked. Finally, Mega Man a (the "a" standing for "ancient" or "antique") is an imitation of the original 8-bit Mega Man games on the Nintendo Entertainment System using ZX characters and music. The Model a character can also be used in the main game as a result of New Game Plus, but only if the player obtained the 24 aforementioned medals in the previous game, but unlike the other forms, it can only be accessed with the transformation button, instead of the dual-screen transformation ability.
In Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection, much like the original Mega Man ZX, the original dual-screen features have also been changed to a support screen, where its position is based on the setting the player chooses.[8] In addition the new Casual Scenario Mode replaces Beginner Mode, which is activated from the main menu of the collection when selecting this game which serves the same purpose.
Rockman ZX Advent Soundtrack -ZXA Tunes- is the second remastered soundtrack album to be released for the Mega Man ZX series released on August 30, 2007, by Inti Creates. Unlike the first soundtrack, ZX Tunes, which was first released in limited numbers, ZXA Tunes was released nationwide immediately in Japan. Capcom's online store also provided a limited edition bonus for pre-ordering the soundtrack: a ZX Advent mousepad featuring ZXA heroine Ashe "crashing" in ZX hero Vent's pad.[9]
Rockman ZX Soundsketch "ZX Gigamix" is the third album to be created for the Mega Man ZX series, released on April 30, 2008, by Inti Creates. Among the album are Soundsketches and ZX portraits; these are drama tracks that provide insight to events in the Mega Man ZX series. Composer Ippo Yamada explains a Soundsketch as "when you listen carefully in a room that seems silent, you can hear all sorts of sounds like the hum of appliances, the tick of a clock and the environment outside the window."[10]
Critical reaction to the game has been mostly positive. IGN stated, "It's a fairly long and deep experience, though it's by no means a perfect game. However, the good certainly outweighs the bad, and we can't help but recommend this game as a result." GameSpot cited the main problem as the game's difficulty being a bit too high for the casual gamer. Game Informer magazine gave the game an overall score of 7 out of 10 praising the easier game navigation and the ability to transform into boss characters after defeating them and they felt that Mega Man ZX Advent was entertaining because of how the game sticks to the basics like the classic Mega Man games.[11]
Mega Man ZX Advent was the tenth-best-selling game in Japan during its release week at 21,379 units sold.[12] 63,977 units of the game were sold in the region by the end of 2007.[13]