On the PAX East show floor, 30XX is tucked away along the edge of the exhibition hall, manned by just a few people. The booth may be small, but the roguelike - which draws heavily from the look and feel of Mega Man X - is set to get a big update with an emphasis on community creativity in the near future.

During my 15-minute demo, I played as Ace, the game's melee character (who looks a lot like Zero from Mega Man X, further drawing the connection) with red armor and a plasma sword for close-range combat. The game's other playable character, Nina, is more similar to Mega Man, with an arm-mounted blaster for shooting enemies from afar.

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As Ace, I made my way through a level titled Mini-M, created by Beast, developer Batterystaple's internal designer. Beast designed this and the two other stages Batterystaple is showing off during PAX East, but when the update goes live, every member of 30XX's early access community will be able to design stages with the same suite of tools.

Given the game's use of procedural generation, a player's toolset may vary greatly from run-to-run. With the upcoming Maker Mode, players will be able to design levels around acquiring and using specific tools to solve problems. Chris King, creative director on both 30XX and its predecessor 20XX, emphasizes that the game's Maker Update will allow players to design more intricate, complex stages than the devs can generate for the game's roguelike runs.

As I played through Mini-M, it was easy to see what King meant. Over the course of the level, I gained access to a half-dozen upgrades (give or take) gradually unlocking access to the full map. As I first passed through the level, I spotted blocks emblazoned with the icon of a spear with a plasma tip. I couldn't do anything with that at first. But after I gained a hover ability which allowed me to pass unscathed above an extended pit of spikes, I grabbed the spear and backtracked to those blocks, gaining access to more upgrades.

Mini-M is loaded with similar gates that require items to pass through. One requires the player to collect 50 nuts, the game's metallic currency. Others require a flaming uppercut ability which can lift Ace up into the air at a diagonal slant. As I collected these upgrades, my suite of movement abilities rapidly expanded. King says that players will be able to mix and match abilities to accomplish similar tasks. Though I crossed that pit of spikes with my hover, another player could throw a spear into each wall, stand on one, then jump and dash to close the gap between them.

King shows me a tab that players will be able to see which filters each stage by various tags. Descriptors like ‘Kaizo’, ‘Metroidvania’, and ‘Short and sweet’ will let players sort through the kinds of experiences they want to introduce into their run.

That's how players will encounter these levels. While Maker Mode will allow you to select individual levels, it will also allow you to play a full run composed of player-made stages. When you finish one level, three new options will pop up. If you want to explore, opt for one with the ‘Metroidvania’ tag. If you want something that emphasizes the game's aerial toolkit, you might choose ‘Platforming’. The plethora of options gives players the opportunity to structure their playthrough like they might structure their build, customizing their selection of levels the way they might choose armor or weapons. I'm excited to play around with the toolkit when the Maker Update launches later this year.

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