Mighty No. 9
Crowdfunded spiritual successor to Mega Man, released in 2016.
Mighty No. 9 is a 2016 action platformer developed by Comcept alongside Inti Creates and published by Deep Silver. Funded through a Kickstarter campaign that drew heavy public input, the game is widely seen as a spiritual successor to the early Mega Man series, sharing similar gameplay and character design—a connection reinforced by project lead Keiji Inafune, who worked on those earlier titles.
The Kickstarter campaign launched in September 2013 and met its minimum goal within two days. Additional stretch goals unlocked further features, including extra stages, special modes, and ports to other platforms, ultimately raising over four times the original target. Originally slated for an April 2015 release, the game faced multiple delays before launching in June 2016 on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Linux and OS X versions followed in August 2016, while planned PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS ports never materialized.
Mighty No. 9 generated high anticipation after its announcement, but lengthy delays and Comcept’s decision to fund another Kickstarter project, *Red Ash: The Indelible Legend*, led to accusations of mismanagement. Upon release, critics gave the game mixed to negative reviews, citing poor design, graphics, lack of content, voice acting, story, and technical issues on home consoles.
**Gameplay**
The game focuses on 2D platforming with a mix of 2D and 3D artwork and animation. Players control Beck (Mighty No. 9), a robot who can run, jump, and shoot projectiles at enemies. Defeated enemies yield weapons and abilities. The game begins with an intro level, followed by eight main stages that can be tackled in any order. Each stage ends with a boss battle against one of the other eight Mighty units. A final set of levels leads to the ultimate showdown, and an additional level starring Beck’s partner, Call, is also available.
Beck’s signature ability is “AcXelerate” (pronounced like “accelerate”), which lets him move quickly and cross large gaps. By weakening enemies with shots, he can AcXelerate through them to absorb a substance called Xel (pronounced “Cel”). Absorbing Xel grants temporary enhancements: red boosts attack power and allows shooting through walls, green increases speed, and yellow improves damage resistance.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Comcept · Inti Creates
- Publisher
- Deep SilverJP · Spike Chunsoft
- Director
- Koji Imaeda · Kinshi Ikegami
- Producer
- Nick Yu · Takuya Aizu · Yukimasa Tamura
- Designer
- Yoichi Ono · Tobuto Dezaki
- Artist
- Shinsuke Komaki · Yuji Natsume
- Writer
- Keiji Inafune
- Composer
- Manami Matsumae · Ippo Yamada
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 3
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3 · PlayStation 4 · Wii U · Windows · Xbox 360 · Xbox One · OS X · Linux
- Released
- PS3, PS4, Wii U, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox OneJP/NA · June 21, 2016 · PAL · June 24, 2016OS X, LinuxWW · August 25, 2016
- Genre
- Action, platform
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Mighty No. 9 was announced at the 2013 Penny Arcade Expo by Keiji Inafune and his team. The Kickstarter campaign launched on August 31, 2013 and met its US$900,000 target two days later, on September 2. Additional features including stages, special modes, and ports were announced after stretch goals were achieved, increasing total funds to over 400% of the original goal. The game was originally scheduled for April 2015 but was delayed multiple times until its June 2016 release on multiple platforms, with Linux and OS X ports following in August 2016; planned versions for PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS never surfaced.
The game focuses on 2D platforming with a blend of 2D and 3D artwork. Players control Beck (Mighty No. 9), a robot who can run, jump, shoot projectiles, and acquire weapons and abilities from defeated enemies. Beck's main ability, AcXelerate, allows quick movement and crossing large gaps; weakening enemies lets him absorb Xel for temporary enhancements. Defeating bosses grants transformation forms with new abilities. A DLC character, Raychel, uses melee attacks and different mechanics. The plot involves a computer virus corrupting the eight previous Mighty Numbers, and Beck must eliminate them and uncover the villain's identity, with assistance from his partner Call and Dr. White.
Reader's Guide
Mighty No. 9 was highly anticipated after its announcement, but lengthy delays and Comcept's decision to fund another project, Red Ash: The Indelible Legend, through Kickstarter were met with accusations of mismanagement. The game received mixed to negative reviews from critics upon launch, with criticism directed towards the game's design, graphics, lack of content, voice acting, story, and technical performance on home console platforms. Despite its Kickstarter success and the pedigree of its creator, the game's troubled development and final reception made it a cautionary tale about crowdfunding and project management in the video game industry. Its legacy is tied to the expectations of a spiritual successor to Mega Man and the gap between those expectations and the delivered product.
Did You Know?
- The game's Kickstarter met its US$900,000 goal in just two days.
- Total funds raised exceeded 400% of the original goal.
- The game features a DLC character named Raychel with melee-based gameplay.
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