Despite its pedigree, Mighty No. 9 doesn’t seem to have a good sense of what was fun about Mega Man, or 2D action-platformers in general. There are brief moments where its pieces come together, but even then it’s hamstrung by its visually joyless art and animation. The soul of the Blue Bomber just isn’t here, and worse yet there’s no endearing personality of its own, and as a result, Mighty No. 9 feels much more like a second-rate imposter than a spiritual successor.

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What’s perhaps most annoying about Mighty No. 9 is that Inafune clearly knows how to fix many of the problems present in the game. There’s a DLC transformation that allows attacking upwards from the beginning of the game and an additional DLC boss which throws out the gimmicks and just relies on skilled combat movement to fight.

There are examples in Mighty No.9 of Inafune designing content that feels rewarding, but it’s often set aside as optional DLC rather than being a core aspect of the game’s design.

Much like an anime fan on prom night, I would rather be at home playing Mega Man than here. I would rather be playing Shovel Knight. I would rather be playing most games in this genre.

Mighty No. 9? More like Shitey No. 9!

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For a game that's meant to bear the legacy of a classic series, Mighty No. 9 barely succeeds. It may rouse excitement from time to time, but by and large, it lacks a pervading sense of artistry, both in its level design and presentation. Platformers--and even Mega Man-like games in particular--are readily available. For one to stand out and leave a mark, it has to do something novel that speaks to the player and the conventions of the genre; something to spark wonder and excitement. Mighty No. 9 is an inoffensively average game sprung from the memories of the past, with little to show for its position in the present.

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Following Mighty No. 9 has been one hell of a ride. Having backed it in 2013 at a low pledge level, I can't say that I'm exactly disappointed with the end result. It still has a lot of baggage to unload (the 3DS and Vita ports aren't even dated yet), but most Mega Man fans will find solace in the fact that it didn't end up being a disaster. Other than the art style, of course.

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If you've got a hankering for old-school platformers (albeit ones bastardised by a few modern conventions) Mighty No. 9 is a game for you. If you were going to pick it up on a whim because you fancied a taste of Capcom's golden age, you're better off looking elsewhere. Hardcore gamers eat your heart out, but don't expect to sleepwalk through this one.

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Despite its anachronistic design philosophy, Mighty No. 9 is a game peculiarly suited for today. It's a game for the YouTube screamers, those players who are set up to capture and monetise their frustration while playing a game on camera. And it's a game for YouTube virtuosos, those players able to capture and monetise their extreme talent on camera. For those who aren't being paid to play, Mighty No. 9 is a fascinating, often slick video game. It's arguably Keiji Inafune's best work to date, but for the vast majority of players, it may prove too gruelling to justify its more ordinary pay-offs.

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Mighty No.9 fails to recapture the spark of its Mega Man heritage in any meaningful way. There’s not much inherently wrong with how it plays, but it is haphazardly presented and not quite as enjoyable as it could be.

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If you Kickstarted this game, you’ll likely be fairly satisfied with how Mighty No. 9 turned out. However, it’s far from ground breaking in terms of its visual style, has some rather rage inducing sections of the level design, and the dash is imprecise. That said, the majority of the game is fairly fun to play and it certainly captures the spirit of Kenji Inafune’s Mega Man franchise, it just lacks a certain amount of polish.

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Mighty No. 9 was supposed to be the game that sated our long-starved appetite for a new Mega Man entry, but it instead just made me want to play the old games again. I still think there’s room in the gaming world for a new, classically designed Mega Man experience, but it can’t just be a faceless and creatively sapped clone. Games like Shovel Knight feel more like a spiritual successor than this half-baked misstep.

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It just makes you angrier every time you lose. But somehow, despite how fucking bad everything about the game is, you can’t stop smacking your head against it. It’s a hard thing to score because of that, but we can tell you this: it isn’t a good platformer, and it isn’t a good Mega Man-esque game. And yet, despite everything we’ve moaned about in these last 1000 words, we wouldn’t say that Mighty No. 9 is necessarily a bad game. It’s just average, at worst.

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wig said:

It's looking more like Mighty No. 5

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jmaine_ph said:

4 Million Dollars.

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mysteriousmage09 said:

Well Inafune is done.

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Despite its anachronistic design philosophy, Mighty No. 9 is a game peculiarly suited for today. It's a game for the YouTube screamers, those players who are set up to capture and monetise their frustration while playing a game on camera. And it's a game for YouTube virtuosos, those players able to capture and monetise their extreme talent on camera. For those who aren't being paid to play, Mighty No. 9 is a fascinating, often slick video game. It's arguably Keiji Inafune's best work to date, but for the vast majority of players, it may prove too gruelling to justify its more ordinary pay-offs.

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This will always be the risk with a game funded by the public, especially when it has connections to a beloved series. Anything less than what was promised will just incite disdain for the creator and cause a backlash that could be hard to come back from. Mighty No.9 is never a terrible game. Inafune obviously still does have some spark of what once was, but it does show up all-too-fleetingly in the game’s stages. The biggest crime Mighty No.9 commits is not being as exciting or as interesting as it should be.

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wig said:

It's looking more like Mighty No. 5

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Crimsonclaw111 said:

Deep Silver crying like an anime fan on prom night.

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Holundrian said:

If there is an OT for MN9 it should be titled "Looks fine to me." #backersalt

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chrono01 said:

Mighty No. 9 |OT| It'll make you cry like a Kickstarter backer on release day

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If you Kickstarted this game, you’ll likely be fairly satisfied with how Mighty No. 9 turned out. However, it’s far from ground breaking in terms of its visual style, has some rather rage inducing sections of the level design, and the dash is imprecise. That said, the majority of the game is fairly fun to play and it certainly captures the spirit of Kenji Inafune’s Mega Man franchise, it just lacks a certain amount of polish.

Click to expand...

Mighty No. 9 was supposed to be the game that sated our long-starved appetite for a new Mega Man entry, but it instead just made me want to play the old games again. I still think there’s room in the gaming world for a new, classically designed Mega Man experience, but it can’t just be a faceless and creatively sapped clone. Games like Shovel Knight feel more like a spiritual successor than this half-baked misstep.

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Zomba13 said:

Mighty No. 9 |OT| Four Million Dollars



Mighty No. 9 |OT| Cry like Inafune on review night

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