 While it keeps the mission-based structure of Mega Man Zero, ZX offers a coherent world of interconnected levels. This is sure to draw comparisons to Metroid and later Castlevanias, but the way each mission is played out in its own level and boss fight preserves the Mega Man feel. Importers will be relieved to know that the missions are mostly very straightforward and won't require any comprehension of Japanese, since breifings clearly tell you which letter-coded area to go to. Still, the existence of a city and a base, and NPCs to interact with, coupled with the LiveMetal transformations give the game some slight shades of Wonderboy III.
Some nice production values really help build this game back up the high standards the series set back on the PlayStation. MMZ illustrator Toru Nakayama returns with some very lovely character art, as always. The graphics are a purely 2D mix of pixel art and hand-drawn elements, much as they were in Zero, but thanks to the DS's palette, this blend is executed much more seamlessly here. Nearly all story dialogue is completely voiced, with some high quality acting (at least in this import version- US Mega Man fans have not been so lucky in the past). There's even a sprinkling of anime cut scenes littered throughout the story. It's great to see that Capcom didn't skimp on this, just because it's a handheld title.
As much as anything, the Zero series has been known for its ball-busting difficulty. Capcom has eased up on this considerably for ZX, which might be good or bad depending on how you like your challenge. Unlike recent Castlevanias, however, the difficulty hasn't been completely neutered here. While hunting down a few sub-tanks can make most boss fights a cinch, there was at least one particularly challenging stretch that managed to get me so frustrated I literally bit the top corner of my DS in rage. True story.
It's slightly frustrating to see how good Capcom is at revitalizing its series, because if it put half as much effort into the many sequels as it did into inventing new series, these revivals wouldn't even be necessary. But such is life, and it's hard to argue with a formula that works. As it stands, ZX could be the best game the series has seen since X4, and another amongst an increasing library of triple-A revivals of classic series for Nintendo's handheld.
This game was made available for review by our friends at Play-Asia. They do a great job, and if you're interested in importing this title, please send them some business.
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