20XX lets two players tackle its randomized sidescrolling action, allowing players both online and off to fight against powerful machines and bosses using some familiar blasters, laser sabers, dashing, and wall-jumping powers in the game’s Mega Man X-like play.
20XX sends players out into random levels, each pulling from several elements that make each area feel unique to a particular run. Players will have a single life to play through all of the stages, tackling areas filled with vicious machine animals and creatures, as well as bosses with complex shot patterns. Players who find this a bit too stressful can play on a mode that offers them three lives to use, instead.
Plenty of power-ups will help players along the way. The game offers one hundred possible power-ups that can be scattered anywhere around the levels, which can increase shot or laser saber strength, offer new attack powers, increase movements speed, heighten jumps, or increase health. These will be lost upon death, but players can collect Soul Chips on each run that will let them buy permanent upgrades that will make later runs easier.
More competitive players can try out special challenges from the developers as well, playing for a space on the online leaderboards based on how fast they can complete them.
20XX has left Steam Early Access and is now available as a full release on Steam.
