Mighty No. 9 is a 2016 action platform video game created by Comcept and Inti Creates, with Deep Silver as the publisher. The game was funded through Kickstarter, a website where people donate money to support projects. Many players and fans helped shape the game’s development. Mighty No. 9 is similar to the early Mega Man series in its gameplay and character designs. Keiji Inafune, the project leader, previously worked on the Mega Man series, and Mighty No. 9 is seen as a game inspired by that series.

The minimum funding goal for Mighty No. 9 was met quickly after the Kickstarter campaign began in September 2013. Additional features, such as more levels, special game modes, and support for other platforms, were added when more funding targets were reached. These extra goals helped the campaign raise over four times the original amount. The game was first planned for release in April 2015 but faced delays. It was finally released in June 2016 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Linux and OS X versions came out in August 2016. Plans for PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS versions were never completed.

Mighty No. 9 was widely expected to be successful after its announcement. However, delays and Comcept’s decision to fund another game, Red Ash: The Indelible Legend, through Kickstarter led to criticism about how the company managed its resources. Critics gave the game mixed or negative reviews when it launched, pointing out issues with its design, graphics, limited content, voice acting, story, and performance on game consoles.

Gameplay

Mighty No. 9 is a 2D platformer that uses both 2D and 3D art and animation. Players control a robot named Beck (Mighty No. 9), who can run, jump, and shoot enemies. Players can collect weapons and abilities from defeated enemies. The game begins with an intro level, followed by eight main levels that players can complete in any order. After finishing each level, Beck must fight one of the other eight "Mighty" units in a boss battle. After completing the main game, additional levels are unlocked, leading to a final battle. A special level featuring Beck’s partner, Call, is also available later in the game.

Beck’s main ability is called "AcXelerate" (pronounced like "accelerate"), which lets him move quickly to cross large gaps. When enemies are weakened by shooting, Beck can use AcXelerate to pass through them and absorb a substance called Xel (pronounced "Cel"). Absorbing Xel gives Beck temporary powers: stronger attacks, the ability to shoot through walls (red), faster movement (green), and increased resistance to damage (yellow). Some enemies turn blue when weakened, and defeating them restores Beck’s AcXel Recover 1 (AcXel Recover 2 is restored only at "Patch" checkpoints), which heals Beck. Defeating bosses grants Beck new transformation forms, giving him abilities like magnetic limbs for fighting enemies and navigating levels. Call cannot absorb Xel but can jump farther than Beck and use a "Patch service bot" that creates a shield to reflect projectiles and slow her fall.

Raychel’s (DLC) gameplay is similar to Beck’s but has differences. Her default attack is a melee strike. She automatically absorbs enemies whose health drops too low, even if they are not weakened. Her version of AcXelerate acts as both an attack and a bounce if enemies are not absorbed. Raychel’s health works like boss health. She gains different powers called "Variation Codes" from defeated bosses, and some levels are redesigned to match these changes.

Plot

Mighty No. 9 is a video game about an android named Beck (voiced by Yuri Lowenthal and Ayumu Murase), who is the ninth in a group of advanced robots called the Mighty Numbers. A computer virus created by an unknown hacker causes the first eight Mighty Numbers and many other machines worldwide to malfunction and attack their human creators. As Beck, the player must stop these robots and find the person behind the attack. Beck is helped by his partner, Call (voiced by Julie Nathanson and M.A.O).

The game starts with a sudden robot uprising across a country. Beck is one of the few robots not affected by the virus. He is asked by Dr. White, the creator of the Mighty Numbers, to find and stop his robot siblings. Beck has a special ability to take in "Xels" from damaged robots, which helps him restore their original personalities and send information to Dr. White. Dr. White also works with his clumsy colleague, Dr. Sanda, and Call to solve the problem. Gregory Graham, the president of Cherry Dynamics (the world’s largest robot company), denies any role in the crisis and blames Dr. Blackwell, a former mentor of Dr. White who is imprisoned.

As Beck helps his siblings, Dr. White discovers that the virus contains code from his old project, "Trinity," a robot that can learn and grow by absorbing others. Since Trinity was funded by Cherry Dynamics, Dr. White visits Graham while Call and Dr. Sanda investigate Dr. Blackwell. During their visit to the prison, Call asks why Dr. White designed Beck as a battle robot instead of a peaceful one. They learn that Graham tried to copy Trinity’s design for military use, which made Trinity dangerous. Dr. Blackwell had stopped the project and was falsely accused of terrorism, allowing Graham to control Dr. White.

Dr. White confronts Graham about restarting Trinity, but Graham denies any wrongdoing. Dr. White reflects on how he used lessons from Trinity to create Beck, who avoids fighting. Graham then reveals that Dr. White is actually Dr. Blackwell’s illegitimate son, Bill.

As Beck stops Trinity’s plan to start a war, she becomes so powerful that she begins absorbing non-robot objects. Beck, the only robot immune to her control, fights her alone. He absorbs Trinity, ending her influence over other robots. With help from the Mighty Numbers, Beck and Trinity (restored to her human form) escape.

After the game ends, photos show Trinity becoming friends with the Mighty Numbers, Dr. White giving her a proper body, and Beck joining a fighting tournament to improve his skills. In a post-credits scene, Dr. White tells Dr. Blackwell about Trinity’s change of heart and suggests a new way for robots to grow responsibly. Dr. Blackwell doubts this, calling Dr. White "Bill," and Dr. White vows to prove his critics wrong. As the screen fades, Dr. Blackwell says only time will reveal whether Beck is a help or a problem.

Development

Mighty No. 9 was introduced at a conference during the 2013 Penny Arcade Expo by Keiji Inafune and his team. The Kickstarter campaign for the game began on August 31, 2013, and reached its goal of US$900,000 just two days later, on September 2. A company named 8-4 handled the translation of the game’s Japanese content into English, as well as public relations and consulting work. 2 Player Productions created a four-part documentary series during the game’s development, showing details about the game’s creation and including comments from Inafune and his team.

The game’s idea was praised for bringing back the style of Mega Man games, which many believed had been ignored by Capcom, the company that owns the Mega Man franchise. Mighty No. 9 was noted as one of the first video game projects in Japan to be funded by many people.

Inafune promised to give fans a chance to see his team’s work during the game’s development. In a video for the Kickstarter campaign, he said he wanted fans to be involved in the project, similar to how fans were involved in the canceled game Mega Man Legends 3. On September 4, 2013, it was announced that two mystery stretch goals would be delayed to focus on releasing the game on consoles quickly. These goals were still kept and later revealed once funding reached US$2,200,000 and beyond. Additional goals were added each time a stretch goal was met, increasing the final goal to US$4,000,000. The first documentary by 2 Player Productions was released on September 26.

On September 27, a poll was launched to choose the design of Call, Beck’s partner in the game. Voters selected from nine options labeled A to I, all created by members of Inti Creates and Comcept. The poll ended on October 1, and designs E, F, and H were chosen as winners. The game’s soundtrack was composed mainly by Manami Matsumae, known for her work on Mega Man, with additional help from Ippo Yamada. Takashi Tateishi, known for Mega Man 2, and Masahiro Aoki also contributed music.

On September 30, 2013, it was confirmed that the game used Unreal Engine 3. The Kickstarter campaign ended on October 1, 2013, raising US$3,845,170, making it the sixth most funded project on Kickstarter at the time. An additional US$201,409 raised through PayPal brought the total to US$4,046,579, achieving all stretch goals. In an interview with Game Informer in October 2013, Inafune said he would not rule out Capcom, his former employer, as a publisher for the game, even if it meant rebranding Mighty No. 9 as a Mega Man game. He added that he would only work with Capcom if they offered the best terms. An official website for the game was launched on November 21, 2013, along with a forum for backers. On March 19, 2014, a development trailer was shown at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California.

In an interview with Polygon in February 2014, Inafune said he wanted to create a larger series of games, movies, and other media based on Mighty No. 9, including a possible live-action movie. He mentioned possible adaptations like a comic book, manga, anime, movie, and TV drama. He said these plans were not finalized but were being considered. He also mentioned that Contradiction Studios might help produce the movie. Tim Carter, a writer and producer from Contradiction Studios, said his company was working on the movie and had discussed it with Inafune.

On July 6, 2014, a new crowdfunding campaign was launched to fund bonus content, including full English voice acting for the game if US$200,000 was raised. On October 30, 2014, Comcept asked for an additional US$198,000 to create a DLC stage featuring Beck’s rival, Ray.

At Anime Expo 2014, Inafune announced an animated series based on the game, created by Digital Frontier in Tokyo. The series was planned to air in early 2016 but did not release, with no official explanation.

On July 7, 2015, it was announced that Legendary Pictures and Comcept would work together to make a Mighty No. 9 movie.

Inafune later introduced a new game called Red Ash: The Indelible Legend, which shared similarities with Mighty No. 9, including characters Beck and Call. However, its Kickstarter campaign failed to meet its US$800,000 goal, raising only US$519,999. Despite this, Fuze, a Chinese game company, agreed to fund the game in July 2015.

Delays in the game’s release and the failure of the Red Ash campaign led to criticism about poor management and communication from the developers. In an interview, producer Nick Yu apologized for delays, explaining that the multiplayer mode was still being developed while the solo campaign was complete. He said separate releases for the solo campaign and multiplayer mode were not possible due to cost. He also said the Red Ash project was started to help employees who were no longer working on Mighty No. 9 but admitted the situation was not clearly explained to the public.

After the third delay in early 2016, Inafune said the team had no excuse for disappointing fans. Critics said the repeated delays and broken promises hurt trust in the project and damaged Inafune and Comcept’s reputations. They warned that future crowdfunding projects should avoid overpromising and failing to deliver. On May 25, 2016, Deep Silver released a new trailer called "Masterclass," which received strong criticism from fans and media. The trailer’s poor narration, including a line about making "bad guys cry like an anime fan on prom night," was widely mocked.

In June 2017, Comcept told backers that the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita versions of the game would be released by the end of 2017, possibly due to Level-5’s acquisition of Comcept. However, neither version was released by the end of 2017. In 2026, Comcept shut down.

Release

Digital copies of the game were promised to those who gave $20 through Kickstarter when the game was released. Those who gave $40 received extra items, including a game manual, an artbook/strategy guide, and the original soundtrack. People who pledged $60 got physical copies of these rewards, packaged in a box with artwork chosen by the backer, along with a playable golden version of the character Beck. Additional donations allowed backers to receive special items, such as bonus content, exclusive merchandise, access to beta versions, and collaborations with the game's development team. Backers who donated at least $10,000 earned the chance to attend a dinner with Keiji Inafune.

The game was first being made for Windows computers. Later, versions for Linux, OS X, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo 3DS, and PlayStation Vita were added after the Kickstarter campaign met specific funding goals. For the Nintendo 3DS version, Jools Watsham, co-founder and director of Renegade Kid, offered help with development. However, Comcept confirmed they worked with Abstraction Games for the portable versions. In 2015, Abstraction left the project, and development of the handheld versions shifted to Engine Software. Abstraction later said they joined the project late and left because of the risks involved.

An extra physical copy of Mighty No. 9 was available for purchase, along with a digital version. The physical copy could be chosen in one of two forms. The first was a DVD-ROM with the game's artwork, available for an extra $26. The second was a USB flash drive with the game's artwork, shaped like a Nintendo Entertainment System or Family Computer cartridge, available for an extra $36.

The game was originally planned to release in April 2015. However, on April 28, 2015, Comcept announced that the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Windows versions would release on September 15, 2015, in the Americas, and September 18 worldwide. This delay allowed the team to improve the game and add Japanese and French voice-overs. The Vita version would be released later. Comcept also partnered with Deep Silver to distribute the retail version.

In August 2015, Comcept announced another delay, moving the release to the first quarter of 2016 due to unresolved bugs and online features. To thank backers, they provided a four-stage exclusive demo and Steam codes for Mighty Gunvolt. The demo was delayed due to distribution issues, with some backers receiving it before the initial release. On January 25, 2016, Inafune announced a third delay due to more bugs. The final release date was set for Japan and North America on June 21, 2016, and PAL regions on June 24, 2016. Some platforms, like Xbox 360, had later launch dates due to technical problems.

During a Twitch livestream, Inafune, through translator Ben Judd, said, "I want to explain the challenges of making a game this large for multiple platforms." He added, "I own all the problems with this game, and if you want to criticize me, it's my fault." Ben Judd later said the project required more work than expected, leading to delays. He also mentioned the possibility of sequels if the game succeeded.

Despite updates to the game's Steam app data on July 21, 2016, the SteamOS and Mac icons were removed on July 28, 2016. These versions launched on August 25, 2016.

Fangamer, the company hired by Comcept to deliver Kickstarter rewards, announced in January 2017 that they could not send all materials to backers because Comcept had not provided all necessary assets.

On January 5, 2025, Amazon canceled pre-orders for the 3DS version of the game, nine years after the planned release.

Reception

The PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One versions of Mighty No. 9 received "mixed or average" reviews, while the Wii U version received "generally unfavorable" reviews, according to Metacritic, a website that collects game reviews. After the game was released, Kickstarter backers reportedly received broken codes and rewards that did not match what they were promised. Because of the game’s many delays, average reception, and communication problems, many backers were unhappy with the final product.

GameSpot gave the game a score of 5 out of 10, stating that Mighty No. 9 is "an inoffensively average game inspired by the past, with little to show for its position in the present." IGN gave it a score of 5.6 out of 10, saying the game is "charmless and full of poorly-executed ideas" and "fails to entertain despite its legendary pedigree." Game Informer reviewer Andrew Reiner gave it a score of 6 out of 10, noting that "too much of the content feels recycled" and "none of the familiar content is as stylish or lively as it once was." The Wii U version also had technical problems. Polygon gave it a score of 5 out of 10, stating that "this feels like an answer to why Capcom isn’t making Mega Man games anymore."

Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave a more positive review, awarding the game a score of 30 out of 40.