Mighty No. 9 Reviews
Comcept and Keiji Inafune didn't knock it out of the park with Mighty No. 9, but they damn sure took a good swing at it. If people can pull their heads out of a certain part of their body and judge the game for as it is, I'm sure this game could, in the long run, be successful enough for a sequel and if that day comes, let us hope and pray that Comcept has learned many valuable lessons from this endeavor and do Mighty No. 9-2 the right way.
After several years, delays, and missteps, the Kickstarter-funded Mighty No. 9 is here, and believe me when I say that the supposed spiritual successor to Mega Man is a Mega Bust.
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.
Mighty No. 9's dash mechanic is a lot of fun, but bad art, imprecise hitboxes, and awful level design make the experience extremely frustrating.
Mighty No. 9 is not a good video game. It's is loaded down with lots of cool ideas that it never fully explores, and frankly it feels unfinished, unpolished, and unplaytested. It has potential, but right now this game serves as a warning about the dangers of stretch goals and crowdfunding, and only the most die-hard Mega Man fans will find something worthwhile here. Everyone else is better off sticking with the Blue Bomber.
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 is a lot like your Uncle Steve. You know, the one that still lives in his hometown where he played varsity football in high school. Uncle Steve never fails to remind you of this, just as he never fails to remind the waitress bringing him his coffee. She is too young to know who he is, but he's quick to point out the picture hanging near the entrance. The best quarterback this town has ever seen, he tells her. She smiles and laughs, too sweet to tell him that thirty years was a long time ago. Mighty No. 9 tries to hold onto its legacy, resting on its laurels while the rest of gaming world has left town a long time ago. We paid for the coffee out of pity now, instead of hope. Because Uncle Steve was always going to let us down from the start.
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.
Mighty No. 9 suffers from spreading a great idea too thin and thusly not allowing it to thrive in its own right. It was a promising first start but in order for this to be a future franchise I feel like more focus will be needed. At just over 7 hours of a campaign time, Mighty No. 9 is not a bad game by any means, and for $20 it is extremely worthwhile. It just isn't the great game we wanted and instead is a hopeful good game with promise. Here's hoping it gets a sequel.
Mighty No. 9 is not a terrible game, nor is it even a bad one - it's just plain mediocre. From its downright disappointing visuals to its flat music and bland-at-best level design, everything about Mighty No. 9 screams of mediocrity. And let's be clear - if this were a fan game made by a small group of devoted Mega Man fans it'd be deemed more impressive. Yet this is a budget retail title developed by one of Mega Man's lead designers, which also had involvement from Inti Creates, a proven studio with hits like Mega Man 9 and Azure Striker Gunvolt among its credits. We're not sure where things went wrong, but Mighty No. 9's finished product is just a "mega" disappointment.
From poor visuals, to awkward physics, and even annoying narrative elements, Mighty No. 9 feels boring and lifeless. It's irritating that we had to wait so long for something so meagre and mediocre.
Mighty No. 9 can have its moments when its platforming and shooting tickles that same nostalgic bone that makes us love Mega Man, but its poor design makes it more frustrating than novel.
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It's worth a peek, but probably not until it's on sale
At the end of the day, Mighty No. 9 is simply an average game. That is not a terrible thing, it is not what I would call a bad game. Certainly the hype surrounding it helped to elevate expectations that it did not and probably could not have met, so tossing aside the Mega Man comparisons and taking Mighty No. 9 for what it is? You have a bland-looking game with some interesting mechanics that deliver some entertainment without doing anything to make itself a memorable experience. There are worse things than that, but there are also better.
Mighty No. 9 is the best Mega Man game I've played in years, but all of the problems it has come from that too. Whether the gaming scene of 2016 needs a modern Mega Man is a more ambiguous question, perhaps answered by the old adage: be careful what you wish for.
If you're a fan of the Mega Man series, then I recommend you check out this game when it's 5$ or less (and I'm very serious by the way). Otherwise, stay away and pretend it doesn't even exist.
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9 fits that bill, and you're probably better off with Shovel Knight or Freedom Planet's oldschool-yet-new sensibilities. Every time I try to think about what the motivator for playing this game would be, I immediately dismiss it. I repeat: I have no idea who this is for.
Overall, I'm proud I was a backer for this game and am pleased with the work Inafune and his team put into it. The trailer was indeed terrible, but my focus is always on the quality of the game itself. To all the people judging the game without playing it and putting it down: You're doing a fine job of showing your ignorance and unwillingness to be objective.
However, this must be said. Although it truly is not quite as good, with Capcom letting Mega Man collect dust in his cryogenic pod until the year 21XX, this is definitely a serviceable replacement, especially at its affordable price-tag. With a few minor control issues you'll eventually overcome, it isn't mind blowing nor is it exceptionally special in its own right.