Platform-action game set in a 22nd-century city where humans live alongside Reploids—humanoid robots prone to going rogue. X has retired from fighting, leaving the spotlight to Axl, a defector from the vigilante group Red Alert who's fled after rejecting their brutal tactics. His former boss Red wants him back and isn't asking nicely. You switch between Axl and Zero across 3D and 2D sections, using Axl's shape-shifting copy ability to mimic defeated enemies and access their weapons. Combat leans on quick movement and pattern recognition as you dismantle Red Alert's forces stage by stage. The shift to 3D changes how encounters play compared to earlier X titles, with camera-relative aiming replacing pure side-scrolling reflex. Best for players curious about the series' experimental phase.
