Game Preview: Mighty No. 9

Classic Mega Man fans have been clamboring to get a look at the progress of the Kickstarter game project Mighty No. 9, and yesterday our prayers were answered as the team at Comcept put up footage from their latest beta. Spearheaded by Keiji Inafune, a long time veteran of the wildly successful Mega Man franchise, the Kickstarter campaign sought a mere $900,000 to get off the ground. 67,226 backers and $3,845,170 later, the project now will contain bonus stages and bosses, various extra modes including an online battle race mode, and will be released on PC, Mac, Linux, WiiU, PS3, PS4, Xbone, Vita, and 3DS. The game is described on the Kickstarter page as follows:

"You play as Beck, the 9th in a line of powerful robots, and the only one not infected by a mysterious computer virus that has caused mechanized creatures the world over to go berserk. Run, jump, blast, and transform your way through six stages (more than six, since the stretch goals for the project were demolished) you can tackle in any order you choose, using weapons and abilities stolen from your enemies to take down your fellow Mighty Number robots and confront the final evil that threatens the planet!"

Blast? Tackle? Confront? Yes please! Talk about nostalgia, Mega Man sidescrollers always had a certain energy and challenge to them that it seems like the team at Comcept is implementing well so far. The graphics are sleek and new but without sacrificing the timeless look of Mega Man's 32-bit Mega Man X days. The boss concepts look suitably deadly and fun, with a plethora of different attacks to keep you on your toes. Meanwhile the community of Kickstarter backers has been lively, with Q + A and fanart being being displayed by the team in the Kickstarter's updates on a regular basis. Clearly people are excited! The team even held a community vote to choose the look of Beck's companion Call in the game (get it? Beck and call?), with the winner displayed here. I can't wait to see what sorts of abilities Beck will be able to get. Apparently you not only get powers from bosses, but from enemies as well:

"It’s not only killing bosses that gets Beck new powers. Taking out other enemies with a certain weapon, or hitting them in their weak spot, can expose one of three types of “xel” (pronounced “cell”) energy Beck can sap (if he’s quick enough), store, and unleash later via his own Mighty Skills! Give yourself a double-jump and speed boost for a limited time, unleash a concentrated flurry of powerful punches directly ahead, or set off a blast that hurts everything on the screen! Whatever final form it takes, this system will add depth and strategy to the action, as you choose how to approach and defeat even normal bad guys to best fuel your special powers."

Considering this video is making my thumbs tingle and we've only had the most basic look at Beck's attacks and enemies, I think it's fair to say that I'm pretty stoked to play this game on my 3DS. Mega Man on Nintendo, just like the good old days. Only another year to wait! I just hope they implement the fateful scrolling boss corridors.

Follow Mighty No. 9 through their Kickstarter page or through Facebook.