Capcom’s iconic sidescrolling robot hero, Mega Man, has definitely fallen on hard times in recent years. Despite having various characters from the franchise making cameo appearances in fighting games such as Marvel vs. Capcom 3 or the upcoming Super Smash Bros., the last two planned entries in the series, Mega Man Legends 3 for 3DS and the downloadable Mega Man Universe, were both abruptly cancelled by Capcom a while back, with no news on a new game since.
Now, developer Keiji Inafune, one of the original creators of the Mega Man franchise, who has since departed from Capcom, has unveiled his latest project, Mighty No. 9. Currently planned for a digital PC release via Steam, with a release goal of spring 2015, the tidbits of information announced so far for the title make it very clear that Inafune is hoping to resurrect the style of gameplay from his former classic franchise, while adding a modern coat of paint to the presentation and tossing in some new gameplay elements to keep things fresh.
The main playable character will be a robot named Beck, who has to fight his fellow machines when they are infected by a mysterious computer virus. Much like Mega Man, Beck will be able to absorb and use the powers of defeated foes, but in a new twist, he will also be able to physically transform his body into different shapes, enabling an even greater variety of enemies.
Mighty No. 9 was announced via a Kickstarter campaign, with a current financial goal of $900,000. Stretch goals include ports to Mac, Linux, and current home consoles, along with additional stages and a New Game Plus bonus mode. Depending on how much contributors donate to the campaign, rewards will range from physical game boxes to having your voice or face inserted into the game.
The Kickstarter announcement trailer for the game can be viewed below.
As a fan of the classic Mega Man titles, it’s exciting to see Inafune returning to the style of gameplay that made the series so iconic for many gamers in the days of classic Nintendo consoles, while still innovating to help the game fit into the modern industry. As of now, I’m definitely looking forward to this one.
Let us know your thoughts on the announcement of Mighty No. 9 in the comments below.