Mega Man X 3 (SNES)

Introduction to Mega Man X 3 (SNES)

I still remember the first time I booted up Mega Man X3, hearing that familiar chime as the Reploid crisis began. Dr. Doppler’s promise of peace quickly unravels when his newly designed Reploids start going berserk, and it’s up to X and Zero to clean up the mess. The story felt just the right mix of drama and action, with Sigma lurking in the shadows as always, waiting for the perfect moment to strike back at us.

Gameplay-wise, X3 builds on what we loved from the earlier entries but adds more polish. You’ve got X’s trusty charge shot and the classic boss weapons you swap in on the fly, but Zero’s now playable with his signature Z-Saber and a handful of special weapons. There’s also the armor parts system, so hunting through stages for hidden upgrades never gets old. And let’s not forget the Ride Armor—a two-legged mech you hop in for extra firepower that makes a stage feel totally different.

The level designs really shine, offering a nice balance between vertical labyrinths and open arenas, each topped off with quirky bosses like the mech-tank Byte or that gigantic Drill Octopus. If you’re up for an extra challenge, the secret bosses await once you complete all eight main stages, and they’ll test your mastery of every weapon you’ve collected. I’ve spent hours just chasing down every upgrade, trying to make Zero’s attacks as devastating as possible.

What’s interesting is that Mega Man X3 eventually showed up on PC, complete with remixed cut-scenes and a few difficulty tweaks. It isn’t a major overhaul—everything you remember from the SNES version is there—but it’s a neat way to replay it if you don’t have your old cartridge handy. All in all, X3 might not revolutionize the series, but it nails the formula so well that it still feels fresh decades later.