| X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer | Capcom |
| Publisher | Capcom |
| Producer | Tokuro Fujiwara |
| Composer | Setsuo Yamamoto |
| Series | X-Men |
| Platform | Super NES |
| Release | |
| Genres | Platform,beat-'em-up |
| Mode | Single-player |
X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse is anaction game developed and published byCapcom for theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. The game is based on theX-Men comic book franchise fromMarvel Comics. It was the first game Capcom released based on the franchise, released a month before the fighting game titledX-Men: Children of the Atom, also released in 1994.
InMutant Apocalypse, players control five of the X-Men:Beast,Cyclops,Gambit,Psylocke, andWolverine. After guiding each of them through their own dedicated levels, players can then select whichlevel to complete next as well as the team member to complete it with. The end goal is to defeatMagneto on his Avalon space station. The game was well received by critics.
The game was re-released on anArcade1Up cabinet that also includedX-Men vs. Street Fighter,X-Men: Children of the Atom, andMarvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes.[1]
The player takes control of five X-Men who each have their own objectives, and different moves and capabilities activated by certain control combinations. The player has a limited number of lives that count for all five X-Men and not one individually.
The levels may be played in any order. At the end of each level, a boss must be battled and defeated. The next three levels are linear and require eachboss level to be defeated. This is followed by two straightforward boss battles in theDanger Room. Finally only one of the X-Men can be selected, each one going through a different end level.
After beating the first five stages, a password can be acquired. The game has health pickups, as well as extra lives in the form of collecting three "X" icons hidden throughout each stage.
Charles Xavier sends five of his X-Men to sabotage various operations and structures on theGenosha island complex to liberate mutants in captivity. Further investigation revealsQueen Brood andTusk involved in this matter and headed byApocalypse.
After defeating all evil forces on Genosha. Xavier finds out that Magneto intends to destroy Genosha from his space stationAvalon. To prepare for the confrontation, Xavier tests the five X-Men in the Danger Room to defeat holograms ofOmega Red andJuggernaut. After passing the tests, the X-Men go their separate paths insideAvalon facing and defeating Exodus and then battling Magneto and thwarting his plans.
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 76%[2] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame |    [3] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7.75/10[4] |
| IGN | 7.8/10[5] |
| Joypad | 91%[6] |
| Mega Fun | 70%[7] |
| Next Generation | [8] |
| Total! | 78/100[9] |
| VideoGames & Computer Entertainment | 7/10[10] |
| Total! (de) | 3/5[11] |
Three ofElectronic Gaming Monthly's four reviewers declared it to be the best video game based on the X-Men to date, citing the large levels and demanding difficulty.[4] Though they remarked that it "may become repetitive after a while",GamePro concluded that the game is "a solid hit," particularly praising the graphics, the high difficulty, and theStreet Fighter II stylistics.[12]Next Generation stated that "While it would've been nice to see more X-people, this game plays great. Nothing revolutionary, but fun."[8]
In a 2011 retrospective,GamePro listed the game's "strong soundtrack, unlimited powers and a focus on combat rather than platforming," as well as the fact that the levels can be beaten in any order, among its strong features, but criticised a "fairly limited" moveset of the characters.[13] According to aGameFan retrospective, "fans of the franchise and of the genre it represents here will be equally impressed with what is on offer." They specified the impressive visuals, tight gameplay, and perfectly balanced difficulty.[14]
In 2013, Nerdist includedX-Men: Mutant Apocalypse among the top ten most iconicMarvel video games, calling it "extraordinary for its time, with beautiful visuals and far more accessible game play thanits Sega Genesis counterpart."[15] That same year, this "pretty damn good" side-scrolling action game was also ranked as the 20th best Marvel video game by Geek Magazine.[16] IGN ranked the game 78th on their "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time".[17]
