If Capcom Won’t Do It, ‘Kidbash: Super Legend’ Will. This ‘Mega Man’-Inspired Roguelike Has Its Hooks in Me (Demo Impressions)

While many games have inspired me over the years, I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the Blue Bomber. The Mega Man and Mega Man X franchise has always been near and dear to me, and I’ve been hoping for a return of this bombastic boy in the future. While I wait, however, a new mega-powered man has entered the fray and has quite the hold on me. I finally had an opportunity to go hands-on with Kidbash: Super Legend, and even in this early state, I can tell that we’ve got something that will make Mega Man fans swoon.

‘Kidbash: Super Legend’ Takes Inspiration From Claymation, Vinyl Toys, and Most Importantly, Classic Video Games

As an admitted vinyl toy fanatic, my first thought when I saw Kidbash: Super Legend was that I’d love to have him on my shelf. The graphical presentation, even in this early state, is phenomenal. Every character pops off the screen, has a unique look, and just looks utterly fantastic. Dialog boxes spring to life, stages are all varied and interesting, and the enemies are incredibly easy to spot. You won’t need to worry about cheap deaths here, even though Kidbash: Super Legend is technically a roguelike.

Now, the Mega Man inspiration is easily noticed just from taking a look at the game. But would you believe me if I told you that Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was also an inspiration for this one? Rather than just obtaining powers by beating bosses, you can absorb the powers of enemies that you encounter, mashing them together and creating something wholly unique in the process. Yes, it’s as cool as it sounds, and there is plenty of potential for making the perfect build this way. Otherwise, I would embark on my journey, sword in one hand, legally-viable Mega Buster in the other.

It May Be A Roguelike, But at Heart, ‘Kidbash: Super Legend’ is a Platformer First

If you’ve played any Mega Man title since its creation in 1987, you’re going to feel right at home with Kidbash: Super Legend. Rather than having set stages, ending with a particular elemental boss, we’ll be taking branching paths. Alright, so we’ve got platforming, action, roguelike, anything else that’s going to steal my heart? How about a little bit of city building for good measure? Kidbash: Super Legend may be the world’s first “Action-Platforming-Roguelike-Cozy Game”, but the way it handles each of these is done extremely well.

The game isn’t just visually stunning to look at. It’s a joy to play, too. Mixing and matching powers is super fun and creative. It controls fantastically, with any death or damage I took coming from a lack of skill or concentration. I never felt as if I was being unfairly punished when playing Kidbash, something I can’t say for every roguelike out there.

I Hope a Public Demo Is Available Soon, Because Everybody Deserves to Experience ‘Kidbash’ for Themselves

Kidbash: Super Legend could have easily attempted to coast by on its looks alone. I was interested from first glance, but after finally getting to go hands-on with the game? I’m so ready for this one to drop into Early Access or a full release when it’s finally ready. Even as I’ve been playing the demo, it’s been receiving updates, polishing things to an even higher degree.

Currently, there is no release window for Kidbash: Super Legend. But at this point, I’m fully on board with what it has to offer. I wasn’t sure how I would initially like the idea of a Mega Man-esque roguelike, but it works so much better than I could have anticipated. It’s witty, charming, and most importantly, technically solid. Regardless of the hardware that I played it on, portable or not, it ran incredibly well.

At this point, I may be more of a Kidbash stan than a Mega Man fan. This adventure takes what made its inspiration great and innovates on it in a way that will keep old fans and new arrivals incredibly happy. Plus, you can’t help but smile when you see how absolutely adorable the world of Kidbash: Super Legend is. It’s just pure magic across the board, and I’m eager to see how the full release stands up.