| Mega Man X4 | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Keiji Inafune Yoshinori Takenaka |
| Designer(s) | Koji Okohara Mitsuru Endo Hiroyuki Yamato |
| Artist(s) | Masako Honma Haruki Suetsugu |
| Composer(s) | Toshihiko Horiyama |
| Series | Mega Man X |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action, platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Mega Man X4, originally released in Japan as Rockman X4 (ロックマンX4), is a 1997 action-platform game developed and published by Capcom. It is the fourth game in the Mega Man X series and the second game in the series to be released on the Sega Saturn and PlayStation. The two versions were released simultaneously in Japan in 1997. A North America release followed sometime thereafter, while Europe received only the PlayStation version in 1997. Mega Man X4 allows the player to choose between the two mechanoid "Reploids" protagonists at the beginning of the game: X, who uses traditional, long-range attacks; or Zero, who wields a short-range sword.
Taking place in the 22nd century, the Mega Man X series is set in a society populated by humans and intelligent robots called "Reploids," which are branded "Mavericks" if they commit crimes. Two Maverick Hunters, X and Zero, fight against a Reploid army called the "Repliforce" who are waging war against humanity to earn their independence. Development of the game started due to Capcom's desire to explore the franchise in a new hardware which proved to be difficult as they aimed to make the two protagonists unique when playing. Xebec produced the animated cutscenes.
Critical reception for Mega Man X4 has been generally positive. Critics praised the ability to play as either X or Zero, a concept many found to expand upon the then perceived exhausted gameplay formula of the Mega Man X sub-franchise during the 1990s. However, it was criticized for its lack of innovation and its English voice acting. In addition to its console versions, the game was released on Windows worldwide in 1998 and 1999 and on Japanese mobile phones in 2011 and 2012. It was in compilations for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube in 2006, the PlayStation Network in 2014, and the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, as part of Mega Man X Legacy Collection released in 2018.