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    Mega Man X7 Prototype and Original E3 Demo Discovered

    Available to download unofficially.

    A prototype version of Mega Man X7, as well as the original E3 demo, have surfaced courtesy of Rockman Corner. The first build is the one present at the Mega Man X7 US press event in February 2003.

    According to Rockman Corner, the Mega Man X7 prototype build includes three missions with X as the only playable character. These missing are Highway, Tank Farm, Ride Armor. Highway is very similar to the final retail version with some minor graphical differences, adjusted enemy hitboxes, and the absence of cutscenes. It includes an unused mission in Tank Farm and only one life as well.

    The second is the E3 version, specifically the build in May 2023. The dialogue is based on an early English localization and includes only four levels. These are Highway, Battleship, Deep Forest, and Lava Factory. There are minor differences in enemy and camera locations,

    Further, Battleship is fully 3D instead of 2D, some cutscenes and music are missing, X becomes playable after completing the intro stage, and there are no Maverick boss battles. They’re fascinating insights into the evolution of arguably the most infamous Mega Man game in history.

    Mega Man X7 is available via the Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2. It also includes Mega Man X5, Mega Man X6, and Mega Man X8. The Legacy Collection is on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Additionally, legacy collections for other Mega Man franchises such as Battle Network and Zero are also available now. While, at the time of writing, the future of the Mega Man franchise is currently unknown, fans of the X series can try the early builds to get a look at what could’ve been.

    Saras Rajpal
    Saras Rajpal
    Saras is a passionate writer, with a love for immersive sims, superhero games, and Persona. He graduated college with a Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in creative writing. He's been with Final Weapon since 2023.

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