Mega Man X SNES

Mega Man X is Capcom’s 1993 SNES spin-off, moving the series forward roughly a century after the original NES games and introducing a darker tone built around Mavericks — Reploid robots who have gone rogue and turned violent. It adds wall-jumping and dashing to Mega Man’s core moveset, along with upgradeable armor pieces hidden across stages.

Directed with heavy involvement from series co-creator Keiji Inafune, it launched a separate X sub-series that ran in parallel to the original Mega Man numbered games for years afterward. Its faster movement options and more mature storyline are frequently cited as a meaningful evolution of the formula rather than just another sequel with new Robot Masters.