A new 16-bit fan demake of the PS2 title Mega Man X8 has just been released as part of the Sonic Amateur Game Expo 2024 (SAGE 2024), as spotted by Rockman Corner.
The free PC-based fan game has been in development for the last two and a half years and is the work of a single person, AlyssonDaPaz, and reimagines the 2004 action platformer in the style of the classic Super Nintendo trilogy. This means transforming its 3D stages into a series of sidescrolling levels, complete with pixel art graphics.
It was built with tools like Aseprite, Audacity, Tiled, and Godot Engine, and is completely playable from start to finish, but, as is worth noting, only features one of the original game's playable characters: X. So don't expect Axl, Zero, or the Navigators.
The lack of these characters has been something that has generated a bit of conversation online among areas of the Mega Man fanbase over the last couple of days, but we can totally understand why the project's creator decided to limit the scope, especially given they were primarily working on the project on their own.
AlyssonDaPaz has always made efforts in the past to try and make it clear that the finished fangame wouldn't include these characters, to not lead people with promises they never intended to fulfill, but they have since claimed that they might consider adding them in a few years down the line, now that the project is finally finished.
If you want to download the fan game to give it a try, you can grab it here.