30XX review: Stakes its claim to be the best 2023 roguelite

30XX, the sequel to Batterystaple’s hit 20XX is one of the best roguelites I’ve played to date. I adored the original game when I previewed it, much earlier in my career. It perfectly blends the “get better every time” mentality of a roguelite, with familiar, action-based gameplay. This latest iteration is still very much a love letter to the Megaman franchise, but it feels more like the Megaman X series than the NES days.

Though I do feel like 30XX is slower than its predecessor, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. There are still plenty of ways to jump high and run fast, but it feels more manageable than the previous game did. While not perfect, I still think this game is on the way to being the best roguelite of 2023.

30XX is a high-speed roguelite reminiscent of Megaman X5

For those who don’t know what the genre is, 30XX is a roguelite - the idea is that you get a little better every time you play. If you’ve played games like Dead Cells, you’ll be right on track for what this is like. You play as one of two characters: Nina (plays like Mega Man), and Ace (plays like Zero).

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You’ll play through a series of stages, sorted randomly, and each one has a powerful boss at the end. I hate to use the term “Soulslike”, but they are certainly challenging bosses.

They have predictable patterns and aren’t afraid to hit you with bullet-hell attacks. Nina and Ace play differently as well. If you want to use tremendous blasts of energy, go with Nina. If you like Zero’s sword attacks, pick Ace. You can go with either one, and they’re both great.

However, there are situations where I think one is certainly better than the other. I love that Nina auto-charges her blast, so you can swiftly get huge attacks off. As you play through each stage, you can upgrade your weapons, or get new ones.

For example, in 30XX, Nina also fires behind herself or shoots bullets that go up and down walls. You can also get gigantic bursts of damage from humongous blasts.

Ace is more melee focused. You can get new types of blades, from scythes to thin rapiers. You can, however, also go ranged, by throwing little razer blades like Mega Man 2’s Metal Man.

This gives you a ton of replayability, in that each stage will give you different powers each time. Things might feel easy with triple jumps or high jumps, or you might never see one of those useful upgrades for your body parts.

That’s one of the downsides to games like this though - the difficulty curve of 30XX can sometimes feel cruel and frustrating. That’s the nature of roguelites. However, each time you play, you can get a little stronger.

Upgrade as you die, die, and die again in 30XX

As you play through 30XX, you’ll collect a resource called “Memoria”. You can spend this in your main hub, to unlock permanent upgrades for your character. These include more HP, more Energy, more slots of upgrades while in a stage, and even a “do-over”. There’s an upgrade you can buy, that if you fill it up with HP in a stage, it will revive you once when you die.

You can spend Memoria to upgrade your stats to make the game easier. (Image via Batterystaple Games)

Think of it like one of Mega Man’s E-Tanks - only, it triggers on death. As someone who dies a lot in games like this, it was the first upgrade I went with. This is a great way for players to go through the game and gain power over time.

You don’t have to (perma)die in 30XX

I understand that permadeath is a turn off for lots of people who play video games. It makes sense, and I’m not here to judge you. It frustrates me sometimes, too. However, you can choose to play “Mega Mode” if the standard isn’t your cup of tea. You can pick how you want to play each time you load the game, too. If you're new to roguelites, this is a solid option to get started.

There's no wrong way to play 30XX. (Image via Batterystaple Games)

Ways to play-

Standard: You get one life; die and start over again.
Mega Mode: No permadeath. The game is still random, but you don’t lose progress.
Community: Play either an endless storm of community stages or pick the ones you want to play.

There are so many community stages, thanks to this game being in beta for quite a while. Some of them are naturally amazing. Some also feel infuriating, but that’s the nature of community-driven content. Think of it like Mario Maker but for roguelites. You can also make your own if that’s your cup of tea. But the best part of this game has to be co-op.

Why play 30XX alone? Co-op is the best option

Whether local or co-op, this is the best way to play 30XX. Most of my time on the game has been played in co-op, and that makes it so much more fun. Part of it is that you have someone that can revive you at certain points in a stage.

However, it’s just fun to work together and strategize in such a fast-paced, combat-heavy combat. You do have to share scrap to purchase items in a stage, but that’s the only downside.

Just communicate with your ally, and that’s not a problem either. I do wish you could play up to four players, but that’s just wishful thinking on my part. However, this can certainly make things far more chaotic. If you aren’t careful, you’ll start dodging your friends' projectiles, only to throw yourself into certain danger.

The visual and audio presentations are a trip back in time

The classic sprite visuals for 30XX are excellent. The stages, for the most part, are very clear about what you can and cannot interact with. Platforms fade away and appear again with clean animations. One of the few negatives is that occasionally when there’s a lot of clutter on the screen, it can feel difficult to know where you can and cannot stand.

The music and attack sound effects are also satisfying. It all has a very Mega Man X feel to it. With lots of things going on at once, it’s hard for me to parse what enemy/ally is making what attack, but that’s just due to being hard of hearing. The actual sound effects and backing tracks all sound terrific. Using Chiptunes was the right choice for this game.

In conclusion

30XX offers non-stop action, plenty of replayability, and is a worthy tribute to the classic Mega Man franchise. The platforming is excellent, and the various powers are all fun to use. There are so many ways you can solve a problem or get through a stage, depending on what your current loadout is.

From community stages to simply logging in and playing with your best friend, this title delivers solid, fun gameplay that doesn’t stop. Even if you beat all ten stages, there’s always more to do. You can keep growing stronger, master new gameplay styles, or simply challenge the hardest community challenges.