A Fan’s Paradise Without Gacha

The world of gachas is both overwhelming and distressing. Despite its undeniable success, it has never been my cup of tea. Consequently, I often find myself daydreaming about gacha games becoming offline experiences. In a surprising turn of events, that precise scenario has manifested with Mega Man X DiVE, now introducing a fully offline version, Mega Man X DiVE Offline.

Mega Man X DiVE Offline is essentially the offline iteration of Mega Man X DiVE, as the title implies. The game kicks off with a rather meta introduction, where we, the players, find ourselves in the Deep Log, a digital archive of the Mega Man X series plagued by bugs and errors. To rectify our favorite game franchise, we are guided by a new character, RiCO. Frankly, the narrative here is not the main attraction, as it remains more of an intriguing novelty. In my limited experience, gacha titles tend to either heavily emphasize the plot or set it aside in favor of gameplay, and the latter seems to be the case for DiVE.

RiCO: A Shining Star in Mega Man X DiVE Offline

Regrettably, the translation quality is somewhat hit-or-miss. Some lines read perfectly fine, while others seem untouched by a proofreader’s hand. I didn’t play the original Mega Man X DiVE, but I assume little to nothing was done for the script in this newer release. Admittedly, this isn’t much of a drawback, given how minor the story’s role is, but it’s worth noting. However, RiCO is quite endearing, which makes this flaw more tolerable.

Turning to the gameplay of Mega Man X DiVE Offline, it quickly becomes apparent that it retains the remnants of a gacha game. Of course, there is no actual gacha mechanism since it’s an offline experience, but the menu structure suggests that the online gacha elements were removed with minimal alterations. Unfortunately, this was a source of frustration for me from the outset, as gacha games often feature a convoluted UI with nested menus for reward distribution and the like. To be completely honest, I’m not sure I’ve entirely grasped the layout yet. The game does provide colored icons to signal when you can redeem or upgrade gear, which helped guide me.

Quality vs. Quantity: Exploring Mega Man X DiVE Offline Gameplay

Above all, this title prioritizes quantity over quality. You have hundreds of stages to conquer and over 100 characters from the broader Mega-Man franchise. These numbers should give you a clear idea of the game’s genre. The gameplay loop involves exploring these bite-sized stages with your choice of characters in both standard and challenging variations, ultimately leading to resources that let you upgrade your characters and equipable components. Once you figure out the menu mechanics, progression becomes relatively straightforward, though there is a notable issue with the PC version.

While stages are perfectly playable with a controller, all menus use an on-screen mouse pointer. The controller’s thumbstick can control this pointer, but it feels more natural with a mouse. So, on PC, you’re encouraged to switch between the mouse and controller, which is a minor yet constant inconvenience. At least you have the option to rebind the controls.

As you gain enough levels, you can unlock Events, which are all from the gacha version of the game, although cross-IP collaborations are not included. In simple terms, there’s a wealth of content to enjoy if it suits your taste. The stages and character progression are quite straightforward and don’t require much thought, making this a somewhat mindless experience that you can play in the background. Furthermore, the overall presentation, while not spectacular, aligns with the original game’s platform. It, along with the familiar music, gets the job done without going above and beyond.

Preserving the Gacha Legacy: Mega Man X DiVE Goes Offline

Mega Man X DiVE Offline is an unusual game to review. I wouldn’t label it as “good,” and I wouldn’t recommend it to newcomers to the franchise. Given its nature as a collection of Mega Man characters, it’s evident that this game is designed for fans. Nevertheless, I can’t help but appreciate it on principle. For the sake of preservation and making the game accessible to those who dislike gacha experiences, Mega Man X DiVE Offline is a commendable effort, showing that all gacha titles should offer offline versions so that both contemporary and future audiences can enjoy them without the burden of excessive monetization.