Mighty No. 9 Reviews
As an homage to Mega Man this is almost a complete failure, especially given the only successful elements are those that have the least to do with the original games.
In its day, Mega Man went from a pioneering force in action game perfection to the poster child for redundant, cookie cutter sequels that failed to push the genre forward. Mighty No 9 does present a few concepts that feel like they could have been the next iterative step. Even if it had avoided its many pitfalls and baffling design choices, though, it's likely a few decades too late for such minor improvements.
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.
The final line of dialogue in the story posits that only time will tell if "this Mighty No. 9 is a blessing or a curse." The statement probably wasn't meant to be as fitting or applicable to the finished game as it ultimately is, but maybe it was a rare moment of introspection.
Even with dull visuals and a little too much reliance on the past, in a world where Capcom has seemingly forgotten that the Blue Bomber exists, Mighty No. 9's enthralling boss battles make it an okay substitute to fill that void for the time being.
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!
Mighty No. 9 fails to fill the shiny blue, metallic, oversized boots of its predecessor. The game manages to capture the essentials of the previous titles without capturing the essence. Remaining true to the original design ethos from a decade ago has perhaps been too restrictive and it feels more like a HD remake or re-imagining of the Mega Man games than an attempt to breathe new life into an aged franchise, advancing it and introducing it to a new generation of players.
But it feels like instead of putting time into multiple engrossing levels to experience, the player is instead thrown into a handful of death-trap missions with inferior controls and volatile settings and told they should be having fun.
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Mighty No. 9 was designed to be a spiritual successor to Mega Man. If any of that spirit was ever here, it's long since decayed. The game is incredibly frustrating, suffers from bad design choices throughout and offers only middling enjoyment .
From New Super Mario Bros. to Rayman Legends to Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds to the recent Doom reboot, we've seen games that mix twenty-year-old styles with modern visuals and new ideas and the results have been great. Mighty No. 9 isn't in the same league. Instead, it looks and feels like an amateurish homage to Mega Man with bargain-basement production values and a ridiculous difficulty level. While fans will find something to love in its hardcore gameplay and old-school character design, non-fans should steer well clear.
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.
Mighty No. 9 appears to be caught in two minds about whether it wants to make a Mega Man-style game for novices or veterans, and that indecision unfortunately prevents it from being anything close to mighty. Combine the release's well-meaning but misguided attempts at accessibility with sub-par graphics, puzzles, and an insane difficulty spike towards the end, and you end up with a title that's not very mega at all.
Mighty No. 9 is a tedious and bland platformer and while I have never played a Mega Man game before, I have a feeling that this game does little to live up to the legacy that those games had.
This game will not be heralded as a classic in the same vein as Mega Man. However, the original Mega Man isn't the best either. Fans debate back and forth between Mega Man 2 and 3 as their favorites (MM3 for this writer's money). Another example is the first Assassin's Creed. Great concept, failed delivery. The point is, despite its flaws, Mighty No. 9 is a good step toward reviving the Mega Man style in all but name. Hopefully the team will learn from their mistakes and make the next game the classic fans want it to be.
Mighty No. 9 created very high expectations and could have reached a perfect formula for success but as it is, it failed to capture Mega Man's essence and doesn't build up on what its inspiration did best.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Mighty No. 9 is an extremely niche product. The efforts of the developers do not reflect the millionaire crowdfunding campaign that gave birth to the game, but the final result is still more than decent and can be really fun for those who love this videogame genre.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Ultimately, Mighty No. 9 is just not worth the price. It has a satisfying set of mechanics, but that is all it has going for it. The visuals are atrocious, the music unmemorable, the story painful, and the level design mediocre.
The biggest takeaway I have from Mighty No. 9 is that it was such a letdown.
Mighty No. 9 has all of the annoying traits that buried the Mega Man franchise, but none of the personality or charm that made it so beloved in the first place.