Warning: Spoilers for X-Men ‘97 below.
If you’re reading the name of this article and thinking “Is this whole thing based on that one X-Men ‘97 episode?” you’d only be half right. Admittedly, I did watch that episode and immediately wanted a game but that’s not what led to this. Believe it or not, this is based on the other ‘80s and ‘90s properties getting stylish 2D beat ‘em ups.
From TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge to G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra and Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind, it’s undeniable that 2D beat ‘em ups based on older childhood properties are big. Even Toxic Crusaders, of all properties, is getting a gorgeous pixel game where you fight anything and everything that moves.
This idea is tantalizing because it’s easy to imagine a beat ‘em up based on X-Men ‘97, or ‘92 if you wanna be a purist about it. The default roster should have Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, Beast, Jean Grey, Storm, and Jubilee as playable characters, maybe add Sunspot or Magneto as post-game unlockables. Players can choose one of these heroes in solo play or two to four of them in co-op multiplayer (offline of course) as they go through abridged versions of older episodes.
How easy and fun would it be to imagine seeing set pieces from the show reimagined as levels in the game? From the grimy warehouse where the X-Men rescued Sunspot to the tragic events of Genosha, there are just too many possibilities that can be done here. Naturally, each of these levels will have boss fights that can range from Master Mold, Captain America, and Bastion himself.
DLC for an X-Men ‘97 beat ‘em up would also be pretty easy to imagine. Easy candidates for extra characters include Nightcrawler, Bishop, Emma Frost, Cable, and Forge. If the devs are feeling confident, they can also add teased characters like Kitty Pryde or obscure favorites like Multiple Man. Needless to say, there are endless possibilities that can be done here.
For players who want an extra challenge, we can see a Roguelite-style Danger Room added to the game as paid DLC. Similar to the Survivor Mode in Streets of Rage 4 and Dimension Shellshock in Shredder’s Revenge, this would be an endless mode where players can fight unique enemies and get exclusive power-ups. Adding extra costumes from the comics would also be great because fans would love to see that weird brown and orange costume for Wolverine.
We know some readers would want a Persona-style X-Men game with deep relationship mechanics and RPG gameplay, looking at you Cosmonaut Variety Hour, but that’s a whole other discussion. This writer loves the recent rise of 2D beat ‘em ups from Lizardcube and Tribute Games, so he hopes the trend continues with Marvel’s mightiest mutants. Lord knows that fans need something to play while that Wolverine game takes its time.
Only time will tell if Marvel listens to our pleas but an X-Men ‘97 beat ‘em up is an idea made to print money. We don’t know when Season 2 of this excellent show will be coming out, but watching that is only going to fuel our desire for the game to exist.
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