Mega Man ZX Advent

is a 2007 action-platform game developed by Inti Creates and published by Capcom for the Nintendo DS. The game was first released in Japan on July 12, 2007; in North America on October 23, 2007; in Europe on February 29, 2008; and in Australia on March 5, 2008.
Part of the Mega Man franchise, the game is the only sequel to Mega Man ZX. ZX Advent follows two new protagonists, Grey and Ashe, as they battle with various enemy "Mega Men", the infamous Model W, and their own destinies. The gameplay sees a multitude of expansions, including twice as many playable forms. The North American localization also includes a full English voice cast.
During a livestream hosted by Inti Creates, it was divulged that a third Mega Man ZX entry dubbed "ZXC" had been in development, and that ZX series scenario writer Makoto Yabe had written numerous story details in preparation for that game before being cancelled, and Mega Man 9's movement had actually been imported from the playable character of that game.
The game was re-released as part of the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection, on February 25, 2020, and February 27, 2020, in Japan, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows.

Plot

Setting

Mega Man ZX Advent takes place 4 years after Mega Man ZX. Despite the destruction of Slither Inc., Maverick raids continue to occur.
The Biometals, artifacts that can imbue the forms and abilities of ancient heroes into chosen individuals known as "Biomatches" or Mega Men, previously gathered by the protagonist of ZX have been stolen and given to new Biomatches in an effort to advance the "Game of Destiny", a competition orchestrated by Master Albert of the Sage Trinity, where Mega Men would supposedly fight each other to become "Mega Man King". However, this was a ploy in order to feed innocent souls and their negative emotions to "Model W", the first Biometal, in order to awaken its power and enable Albert to "reset the world." However, a new Mega Man, not chosen intentionally by Albert, emerges with Biometal Model A, a backup Biometal created by Albert with the ability to transform into various entities by absorbing their DNA through "A-Trans".
A coalition government, Legion, serves as the highest authority in the country, and has enacted robot-human equality laws that give humans mechanical parts and giving Reploids lifespans, with both now being considered "human." These pieces of legislation force all Reploids and humans to report to Legion at least once in their lives in order to receive new bodies with limited lifespans. Master Albert would use these laws to implant his DNA into those he deemed worthy of his "Game of Destiny", with most being victims of Maverick raids, allowing them to use Biometals.

Characters

Advent features a very large cast of characters both new to the series and returning from the first ZX, including the two main protagonists, eight Mega Men, the Sage Trinity, and eight Pseudoroids. Most bosses can be used as playable forms through the A-Trans ability after their first defeat, with several exceptions.
Like the first Mega Man ZX, two protagonists can be chosen. Unlike the first game however, the two have different intro levels and different styles of play, both in their Model A form and the A-Trans Biometal forms.

Grey serves as the male protagonist. A teenage Reploid who escaped from a laboratory with amnesia. Despite his amnesia, after being rescued by the Hunters' Guild, he is inspired to return the same kindness to other people. He plays similarly to X of Mega Man X, firing up to three pellets on screen or charging up for a more powerful shot. His "Homing Shot" with Model A fires multiple blasts at targeted enemies.
Ashe serves as the female protagonist. A teenage Humanoid who works with the Hunters' Guild after they saved her from a Maverick raids. She is headstrong and confident to a fault, expressing wishes to leave a mark on the world. Ashe features more powerful bullets than Grey, at the cost of only having two on screen. Her fully-charged blast can also reflect off of surfaces. Her Homing Shot fires a single bolt of energy that travels through targeted enemies.
The Sage Trinity are the ruling triumvirate of Legion. Their names are Master Thomas, Master Albert and Master Mikhail. They were originally human, but in order to continue ruling Legion extended their lives through cybernetics. Unbeknownst to Thomas and Mikhail, Albert is the original creator of Model W and betrays them in order to gather various Model Ws in the world to form the ultimate Biometal, Ouroboros. Using it, he intends to rule a new world as its god. Their names are a reference to Dr. Thomas Light, Dr. Mikhail Cossack and Dr. Albert Wily, the three named roboticists from the original Mega Man games.
Prometheus and Pandora are two characters returning from the first ZX. In this title, their origins are revealed as sibling creations of Master Albert. In order to enforce their loyalty, Albert gave them limited lifespans that require them to return to capsules to rest. Since their creation, they have been ordered to seek out the strongest Mega Man, but their bitterness toward their creator has led them to create their own agenda. They hope to use Grey/Ashe to bring them closer to Albert and, ultimately, destroy him and everything he has ever worked on.

Humans/Reploids chosen as the Biometals' "Biomatch" are regarded as Mega Men. Several enemy Mega Men appear throughout the course of Advent who possess the Biometals used from the first ZX. By defeating them in battle, Grey/Ashe is able to copy their forms via A-Trans, but they never actually attain the Biometals.

Aeolus is the Biomatch for Model H, the Wind Mega Man. Aeolus is a perfectionist and thus very condescending. He views the world's chaos as a result of ignorance. Model H is modeled after Sage Harpuia of the Mega Man Zero series.
Atlas is the Biomatch for Model F, the Flame Mega Man. She was originally a soldier for a country destroyed by Mavericks, and plays the Game of Destiny to speed up the evolutionary process. Model F is modeled after Fighting Fefnir of the Mega Man Zero series.
Thetis is the Biomatch for Model L, the Ice Mega Man. On the surface, Thetis is a kind, normal boy, but hides a radically environmentalist agenda. Model L is modeled after Fairy Leviathan of the Mega Man Zero series.
Siarnaq is the Biomatch for Model P, the Shadow Mega Man. Siarnaq is exceedingly cold and machinelike in his demeanor, always speaking in a robotic monotone, which is apparently due to incidents in his past, which include betrayal and being left for dead. Model P is modeled after Hidden Phantom of the Mega Man Zero series.
The protagonists of the first ZX title also return: Vent and Aile. They are the Biomatches for Model X, but they also use Model Z in a combined form, Model ZX, as the "Ultimate Mega Man". These two are also seeking Model W to destroy it, and after a misunderstanding, they become allies with Grey/Ashe, aiding in the infiltration of Ouroboros. Model X is based off of X from the Mega Man X series while Model Z is based off of the incarnation of Zero from the Mega Man Zero series.
Pseudoroids

The eight Pseudoroids can also become playable upon destroying them in battle. Although the Biometal forms all use similar abilities, the Pseudoroid forms vary greatly in basic movement and abilities. There are two Pseudoroids to represent each element and two with no element, akin to the first ZX title.

Plot

The story focuses on the chosen wielder of the Model A Biometal, a backup Biometal created by Albert. The story varies slightly depending on the character the player chooses to play: if Grey is chosen by the player, the story begins with Grey waking up in an Abandoned Laboratory; if Ashe is chosen, the story begins with Ashe already the member of Hunters and about to raid an airship. The remainder of the story follows the same basic premise.
Grey is being subjected to a brainwashing program within a laboratory, but it is interrupted by a battle between Raiders and Mavericks. However, Pandora appears before him when he exits his capsule and declares him "defective" before attempting to kill him, prompting him to escape. After fighting a large "Mechaniloid", he falls into a ravine.
Ashe is a member of the "Hunters' Guild", who hunt down lost technology and eliminate dangerous Mavericks for bounties on behalf of the coalition government "Legion." However, her attempt to raid an airship goes awry when she encounters Prometheus, who knocks her unconscious.
The chosen protagonist awakens in the Hunter's Guild camp, where they are issued a Hunter's license, and board a train to deliver a presumed Biometal to Legion.
However, en route to Legion's headquarters, the protagonist is confronted by Prometheus and Pandora, but is able to "Megamerge" with the Biometal, Model A, prompting Prometheus to spare them before retreating. However, when the protagonist, is forced to fight a Pseudoroid, the train is damaged, necessitating repairs.
The Sage Trinity, the leaders of Legion, assign Mega Man Model A to repair the train, and they encounter various other Pseudoroids and hostile Biometal users known as "Mega Men." After defeating several of these foes, the protagonist unlocks ciphers within Model A that reveal the existence of a "Game of Destiny" being orchestrated by a member of the Sage Trinity that prompts Mega Men to fight each other in order to rule the world, and unlock the power of the first Biometal, Model W.
When Mega Man Model A reaches Legion HQ however, they find the city under attack, and after defeating another enemy Mega Man, they reveal the perpetrator as Master Albert, who escapes after cryptically taunting the protagonist about their supposed identity.
The remaining two of the Sage Trinity then announce that Albert has initiated several attacks across the world to feed Model W. After stopping several attacks, Mega Man Model A is tasked with investigating an airship with an underground Model W buried nearby. However, they encounter the protagonist from Mega Man ZX, Mega Man Model ZX, and due to a mutual misunderstanding, come to blows. However, the two resolve the misunderstanding, temporarily parting ways. With this confrontation however, the protagonists learns from another cipher that most Biomatches are only able to use Biometals due to being personal chosen by Master Albert thanks to the implementation of robot-human equality laws, which forces robots and humans to visit Legion once to be given modified bodies.
The protagonist continues to search for Albert, eventually recovering data that allowed the Sage Trinity to track Albert's location to an undersea volcano.
When Mega Man Model A confronts Albert inside his hideout, fully of dormant Model W fragments, Prometheus and Pandora appear and strike Albert down, revealing they were using the Game of Destiny to draw Albert out to kill him for forcing them in servitude. However, as they have limited lifespan, they want to destroy everything that Albert created as a final act of revenge, which would entail the entire world. However, after briefly fighting Mega Man Model A, the two siblings collapse as their centuries-worth of hatred is absorbed by the Model W fragments, awakening them. Albert reappears and explains that the siblings killed a decoy body. As the Model W fragments awaken, the hideout begins to collapse and Mega Man Model A is forced to escape.
Mega Man Model A regroups with Mega Man Model ZX, who is able to assist them in infiltrating the newly formed Ouroboros, the fully combined form of all Model W fragments, with the Guardians from the previous game. As they infiltrate the structure, Model ZX assists Model A by holding back the returning hostile Mega Men, while Model A goes on to confront Albert. Albert reveals that his intention for the "Game of Destiny" was to use the power of Model W to "reset the world" and become its new god in order to shape it in his image. Albert also notes that Mega Man Model A was not directly chosen by him, and their ability to use Biometals was borne through a different connection to him Mega Man Model A is able to defeat Albert in battle, but collapses afterward. Mega Man Model ZX is prompted by Model Z to save Model A, with Model Z voluntarily detaching himself from Mega Man Model ZX to immobilize the rest of the hostile Mega Men. Mega Man Model A and Model X are able to escape, with Ouroboros falling into the ocean without a trace along with Model Z.
With the threat of Model W seemingly vanquished, Mega Man Model A resolves to forge their own destiny.
In a special cutscene unlocked by beating the game's Extreme Mode, Master Thomas reveals to Master Mikhail that he agreed with Albert's views but disagreed with Albert's methods. While the previous enemy Mega Men appear, revealing they survived the fall of Ouroboros, Thomas implies that he has a plan of his own involving the confiscated human bodies and Reploid data collected from Legion's equality laws.