Originally designed as the end of the X series, 'X5' now hides new armors behind a full set requirement, X and Zero can be used whenever desired, and the music is as good as ever. Unfortunately, bosses become punishment sponges towards the end of the game, some stage gimmicks actively hurt the overall experience of some levels, I never fully grasped how the upgrade system was supposed to work, and if you can find it, the Ultimate Armor breaks the game in half. The story is good and there's a great sense of finality in it but this is kind of a messy sequel surrounding a solid core experience.