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Kickstarter Watch: Mighty No. 9 - The Modern Homage to a Platforming Legend

by Tom Malina - September 14, 2013, 1:32 pm EDT
Total comments: 2

NWR's crowdfunding highlights feature returns with a look at the $2 million project that aims to channel the spirit of Mega Man. 

Kickstarter Watch is a feature that attempts to help readers stay apace of Nintendo-related Kickstarter crowdfunding projects. In recent years, crowdfunding has become a popular alternative method of funding for many original, niche, and independent projects and products. Although the campaigns mentioned within the feature are actively soliciting fund-raising pledges, their inclusion does not constitute an endorsement on the part of Nintendo World Report.

The world is in danger. Robots everywhere have fallen under control of a malicious virus and are running amok. Our fate rests with a small humanoid robot hero - only he can destroy the 8 powerful ringleaders, take their special powers and extinguish the destructive robotic revolution once and for all.

If that sounds like the 20-second pitch for almost any mainline Mega Man game, well... you would be entirely correct to think so. However, it is also very much the narrative being created around Mighty No. 9, the new 2D platformer currently taking the video game crowdfunding community by storm.

This is a concept image for Mighty No. 9. The final game may not resemble it, but even now, the Mega Man influence is plain to see.

Nostalgia is a funny thing. Any avid fan of Nintendo games in the last couple of console generations will know of the delicate balance between calling back to those happy memories of your favorite childhood games, and innovating on old ideas and breaking new ground. In the case of Mighty No. 9, this tricky balancing act is undoubtedly a major consideration for Comcept founder and Mega Man co-creator, Keiji Inafune.

"What hasn't changed is listening to the fans: I've always felt it's important to hear their opinions. And while it's clear that they want new, fresh experiences from my games, I know they also hunger for elements of the classic action games of my past," said Inafune on Mighty No. 9's official Kickstarter page.

"While the beloved creations of my past are no longer at my disposal, the spirit they were born from still is. By tapping into that spirit, we can create a new game, and new characters, that carry on the legacy of the past," he continued.

While the game design might be rooted in the classics, Mighty No. 9 is aiming for a modernised visual treatment.

There is a clear desire from the Mighty No. 9 team, an all-star crew of former Capcom designers and artists, to bring these old action games into a modern context, and Inafune will no doubt want to bounce back after the unfortunate cancellation of Mega Man Universe, his last project before parting ways with Capcom.

And my word, how gamers at large have responded. In 2 weeks, more than $2 million has been donated by over 37,000 backers, easily doubling the campaign's original funding goal, and bringing the total just shy of the $2.2 million stretch goal that would bring the game to Wii U. Quite an impressive feat, when you consider that not a single second of footage nor even a screenshot from this early-in-development title has been shown.

What we do know about Mighty No. 9, though, hits a lot of the right notes, at least at a philosophical level. Fans clamouring for that specific kind of challenging, non-linear run-and-gun platformer haven't had much to be excited about since the retro-styled Mega Man 10, released on digital platforms in 2010. From the concept renders and artwork for Mighty No. 9, we can see a lot that harkens back to the NES and SNES Mega Man series, right down to the look of the main characters, Beck and Call (sound familiar?), as well as the design of the enemies and the Mighty Number boss robots.

Behold the earliest designs of Beck's transformation powers. My personal favorite of the bunch is Hammer Beck.

But to say that it's simply a Mega Man game without the Mega Man name, as some people have, would perhaps be too reductionist and a little unfair. Indeed, Inafune himself has been keen to downplay the similarities to the "Blue Bomber" and there are certainly some innovative ideas in the pipeline that shouldn't be ignored. Beck's ability to morph into different forms, such as a giant hammer, an extend-o-matic arm or a tank, opens up many possible gameplay opportunities. Furthermore, the Mighty Skills mechanic, which allows Beck to expend energy in exchange for temporary boosts, like a double jump or super speed, could potentially afford the player a level of decision making not seen in any Mega Man title.

Of course, Mighty No. 9 is a still a long way off. Who knows how these concepts will turn out in the final product, if they do show up at all? Nevertheless, it gives us plenty to look forward to ahead of the planned April 2015 release date, and with a Wii U version very nearly assured, we will definitely be following its progress with great anticipation.

The Kickstarter campaign for Mighty No. 9 will complete its funding period on October 1. Several stretch goals are lined up, including home console support, extra stages and new modes. For more information, click here.

Talkback

SundoulosSeptember 17, 2013

Looks like they're locked in for development of the Wii U, PS3 and Xbox 360 console version now.  The goal was reached tonight!

AdrockSeptember 17, 2013

I pledged $20 last night after it reached the Wii U stretch goal then cancelled it a few minutes later. If Comcept releasing in April 2015, I'll just get this sometime in 2015 when it goes on sale. I think in the next two weeks, it will reach a few more stretch goals though the PS4/One goals may be too high at this point. They would need a little more than $1 million and the second million took them much longer to reach than the first. It should hit the extra end stage and boss goal, but I hope they can reach the Beck and Call online co-op goal.

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