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Mega Man X Dive

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Mega Man X DiVE
Developer(s)Capcom Taiwan
Publisher(s)Capcom Taiwan (Asia), Capcom (Japan), NebulaJoy (other regions)
Producer(s)Hideto Yoda (Asian version), Kenichi Hashimoto (Japanese version)[6]
Artist(s)Keisuke Mizuno[7]
Composer(s)Yuko Komiyama[8]
Platform(s)iOS,[9] Android[9]
ReleaseAsia: March 24, 2020;[1] service ended September 27, 2023[2]
Oceania: March 26, 2020[3][2]
Japan: October 26, 2020; service ended[4][5]
North American/European version: August 16, 2021
Genre(s)Action role-playing[9]
Mode(s)

Mega Man X DiVE, known in Japan as Rockman X DiVE,[10] was a 2020 mobile game developed and published by Capcom, primarily by its Taiwan-based staff.[9] It is a 2D action game using 3D models, featuring abilities from previous games in the series such as wall-kicking, dashing, dash-jumping, and Ride Armor operation. Originally released only for mobile devices, the game was ported to Steam, iOS, and Android in September 2023 under the new title Mega Man X Dive Offline.[11]

The original Mega Man X DiVE ended its global service on July 30, 2024.[12]

Gameplay

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First Armor X (middle) in one of the Jakob levels

Cooperative play and competitive play are multiplayer modes, while other game modes are single-player. Initially, only the story mode (normal) can be selected, but as the player level increases, additional modes become available. Multiplayer elements, such as competitive play, cooperative play, raid bosses, and the DNA portal, will be discontinued when the online version of the app ends.

Story mode involves conquering stages similarly to previous games in the series. Each stage is divided into six parts, with a boss character appearing in the third part. There are items throughout the stage that will temporarily increase player stats, and players will receive rewards based on the number of items collected. The item "Deep Element," which can be entered, is placed within these stages. In this mode, players progress in a specific order starting from stage 1. There are also "normal" and "hard" versions of each stage, each featuring different content and placements of enemies and items. Once players clear a stage, they can retry it as many times as they like. If they meet all the specified conditions and complete the stage, they can "skip dive" to receive clear rewards without having to replay the stage.[13]

In Challenge Boss, players fight only boss characters that have appeared in other modes. "Skip Dive" is also available under the same conditions as in story mode. In Time Attack, players compete against three randomly selected opponents for the clear time of a stage chosen from the story mode. Target stages and competing players change daily.

In DNA Portal (online version only), players can use special stamina to traverse the map. The amount of stamina recovered varies depending on the player's hunter program and weapon registration. In this mode, programs, weapons, and traversed maps will be reset.

In Event, players conquer special stages with specific objectives, such as enemy defeat rates and time attacks. Rewards can be obtained based on the goal achievement rate. Limited-time event stages may appear;[14] "Skip Dive" is also possible, but in this mode, players do not have to meet the specified conditions; instead, they need a special consumable item.

The offline version adds missions, including seasonal special events similar to the online version, and has been modified to become playable once a certain player level is reached. Cooperative play (online version only) allows players to complete one stage simultaneously. All stage configurations are exclusive to this mode.

In Battle (online version only), players compete against others online. Each player has three remaining lives within a stage that spans several horizontal and vertical screens, and the side that loses all its remaining lives is defeated. There are free competitions as well as those aimed at top rankings.

Meanwhile, in Raid Boss (online version only), there is a limited-time event. When the cumulative damage inflicted by all players on a server reaches a certain threshold, the boss will be defeated, and all players who contributed damage will receive a defeat reward. After defeating the boss, players will proceed to the next round, but the cumulative damage required for defeat will increase with each consecutive round.[15]

Premise

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The game recaps the story from the Mega Man series, with the player as the main character, controlling protagonist X as the first playable character. It features several original characters, such as ViA and RiCO, whose characterizations are revealed throughout the story.[16] The player, due in part to some corrupted data known as the Maverick Data, gets transported into the Deep Log, a massive database containing data on every Mega Man game. They must progress through the scrambled code of the Maverick Wars, Elf Wars, and the Game of Destiny to destroy the Maverick Data, which is causing the gradual corruption of the Deep Log.[17]

Development

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The original plan was initiated by Capcom Taiwan, and after receiving approval from Capcom in Japan, the project began development around March 2018. In addition to Capcom Taiwan, illustrations and 3D animations were produced by Capcom Japan. The original character Riko was newly designed by Keisuke Mizuno, who also supervised all 2D illustrations and 3D models of other characters. Supervision and quality control related to the intellectual property were thoroughly checked by their team in Osaka.

Returning to the original story, the producers and directors at Capcom Taiwan enjoyed the series and believed the online game would be appealing. While the game was conceived as a Mega Man X title, the staff stated that there would be "endless" possibilities.[18] This game marks Capcom Taiwan's inaugural venture into developing original titles. At that time, Yoda Hideto[19] was residing in Taiwan and had a deep affinity for the series. He took the initiative to connect with the producer of Mega Man in Japan and negotiated to create a Mega Man game in Taiwan. They started the project around May 2018 and completed it nearly two years and ten months later.[20]

The project began with the idea of developing a smartphone game that focuses on the action elements of the series, so it does not replicate the original gameplay. All actions are executed through the player's hands. The team received a great deal of feedback, which they considered while making balance adjustments before releasing the Japanese version. Hashimoto believes there is nothing comparable to this level of side-scrolling action on a smartphone, and he hopes that players from the original generation will rediscover its appeal while also attracting younger fans.[18] Nakayama, known for his work on Mega Man Zero, provided additional assistance.[20] Mizuno particularly enjoyed working as an artist due to his desire to produce more Mega Man X games. The character χ-kai started as an April Fool's gag related to the regular X but ultimately became a fully developed character with his own characterization.

Original characters were requested by Yoda. The team worked to express their personalities and characteristics through their designs. Riko and Via were among the hardest characters to develop in order to fit the series. Mizuno was pleased with the positive response Riko received from the audience, especially given the challenges of portraying a heroine who did not fit the mold at first.

Previous characters were designed with sprites in mind, which meant that several of them lacked a rear view, images of the soles of their feet, or weapons.[20] In addition to creating new characters, Mizuno designed new armors for X and Zero. He encountered no issues with X, as the artist was able to take advantage of the hardware's capabilities.[21] In contrast, Zero's design required careful consideration to retain his iconic appearance, while X's simpler design allowed for the inclusion of various armors in all of his appearances.[22]

Mega Man X DiVE is developed by Capcom Taiwan, with the Capcom head office in Japan responsible for design supervision and quality control checks.[23] The game was released in parts of East and Southeast Asia on March 24, 2020, and in Australia and India on March 26, 2020. Jun sang the theme song "Recognize" for the online version, but it could not be used due to multiple factors, leading him to create a new version based on his own ideas.[20]

As the online version approached its shutdown, Asada, a seasoned producer with extensive experience in numerous games, was brought in to oversee the offline version.[20] The offline version was released on September 1, 2023.[24] Service for the Japan and Asia online versions ended at 13:00 on September 27, 2023.[25][26] The offline version does not carry over play data from the online version and is treated as an independent game. Compatible devices include iOS, Android, and PC (Steam).[11] Asada suggested using a controller for the Steam version. All characters from the online version were carried over, excluding the Capcom collaboration characters from Monster Hunter, Street Fighter, and Devil May Cry. It is a one-time purchase game, offering all the original content upon purchase.[20]

Reception

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While the gameplay and visuals were praised, players felt that the multiplayer modes did not properly honor the franchise, to the extent that Mega Man X DiVE did not feel like a true Mega Man game.[27] Despite preferring a sequel rather than DiVE, players appreciated the accessibility of the story but had mixed feelings about the customization required to level up and whether the stages were appropriately designed.[28]

In Capcom's financial report for the quarter ending December 31, 2020, mobile content sales increased by 80.7% year-over-year. This boost is attributed to Mega Man X DiVE and the mainland China release of Street Fighter Duel. Both titles contributed to a rise in mobile revenue of 4.7 billion yen, or approximately US$45 million.[29]

Regarding the offline version, Joel Couture of Siliconera rated it 9 out of 10, praising it as a good adaptation of the original product for retaining most of the original content and its focus on single-player mode. However, he criticized the story mode for being too short and noted that the difficulty might be too challenging for newcomers if they do not follow the rules properly.[30]

References

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  1. ^ "Rockman X DiVE 3/24 Official Open to the outside world | Travel information". Capcom Taiwan (in Chinese). 2020-03-24. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  2. ^ a b @RX_DiVE_Asia (2023-06-07). "We regret to inform you that《ROCKMAN X DiVE》will be ceasing operations on 27 September 2023" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2023-06-19. Retrieved 2023-06-19 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ "Game Maintenance Complete and Bug Fix Announcement". Rockman.
  4. ^ "Service termination notice". Rockman X DiVE official website. 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  5. ^ @RX_DiVE (2023-06-07). "【サービス終了のお知らせ】『ロックマンX DiVE』は、2023年9月27日13:00をもってサービスを終了させていただくこととなりました。これまでご愛顧いただいた皆様には、厚く御礼申し上げます。終了までのスケジュールはお知らせにてご案内させていただきます。" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2023-06-07 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "Interview with the key man of "Rockman X DiVE"! What is the secret story behind the birth of this full-scale action film, and what is the point of this work?". Famitsu App. 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  7. ^ "Interview with Capcom designer Keisuke Mizuno Talks about the development and production of [Rockman X DiVE] and the birth of "RiCO"". Official Facebook (in Japanese). 2019-09-26. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  8. ^ Yuko Komiyama [@comiyam] (2020-02-10). "...Capcom's "Rockman X DiVE" BGM is provided! ..." (Tweet). Retrieved 2020-04-10 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ a b c d "Taiwan version official website". Rockman X DiVE. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  10. ^ "Group companies/offices". Capcom Inc. 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  11. ^ a b "Mega Man X DiVE Offline Game Launches on September 1". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  12. ^ https://x.com/MEGAMANXDiVEMO1/status/1807593174681932074 [bare URL]
  13. ^ "System". Capcom. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  14. ^ (Tweet). 2020-06-16 https://x.com/. Retrieved 2020-07-18 – via Twitter. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); {{Cite tweet}}: Missing or empty |user=; Missing or empty |number= (help)[full citation needed]
  15. ^ "Capcom Announces Mega Man X DIVE Offline to Keep Game Alive and Playable". Game Is Hard. 19 August 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  16. ^ "《洛克人 X》系列人設水野佳祐專訪 以小短褲側馬尾等元素描繪原創人物「RiCO 莉可」". GNN Gamer. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "Story". Capcom. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  18. ^ a b "『ロックマンX DiVE』のキーマンにインタビュー！本格アクションの誕生秘話、本作のポイントは？". Famitsu. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  19. ^ "From Overseas1 | カプコンリクルートサイト". www.capcom.co.jp. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  20. ^ a b c d e f "《ROCKMAN X DiVE 離線版》製作團隊專訪 為了讓玩家盡情享受遊戲所打造的「離線」版本". GNN Gamer. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  21. ^ "ROCKMAN X DiVE". Capcom. Facebook. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  22. ^ @RX_DiVE (August 3, 2022). "カプコンのデザイナー水野佳祐への「ゼロ ダイヴアーマー」ミニインタビュー" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2022-08-03. Retrieved 2023-10-30 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ "New spin-off of the "Rockman X" series "Rockman"". Automaton. 2019-09-13. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  24. ^ Romano, Sal (August 17, 2023). "Mega Man X DiVE Offline launches September 1". Gematsu. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  25. ^ "Capcom discontinues service for "Rockman ・It was announced from the official Twitter account of "Megaman X DiVE Mobile" that the European version will continue to be serviced indefinitely. X DiVE official tweet on June 7, 2023". Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  26. ^ @RX_DiVE (September 27, 2023). "「ロックマンX DiVE」は、2023年9月27日をもちましてサービスを終了させていただきました。" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-11-30 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ "Mega Man X Dive, la recensione dello spin-off per iOS e Android". Multiplayer. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  28. ^ Andriessen, CJ (2021-07-04). "Mega Man X DiVE is out in Android Early Access and I don't completely hate it". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 2023-04-30. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  29. ^ "Rockman X DiVE Helps Drive Capcom Mobile Sales Up 80.7%". Rockman Corner. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  30. ^ Couture, Joel (October 2, 2023). "Review: Mega Man X Dive Offline Offers a Wealth of Ways to Play". Silcionera. Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
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