Newsletter
  • Guides
  • Previews
    • Indie Games
    • PS4
    • PC
    • Xbox One
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo 3DS
    • PS Vita
    • PS3
    • Xbox 360
    • Wii U
  • Site Info
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Staff Directory
    • Join Our Team
    • Privacy Policy
      • Cookies Policy
    • RSS Feeds
    • Social Media
      • Youtube
      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Twitch
      • Instagram
      • Tumblr
      • Linkedin
      • Pinterest
      • Discord
  • Discord
  • Store
  • Logitech G
  • green man gaming
  • Affiliates
    • GAMIVO.com
    • Logitech
    • Astro Gaming
    • Nord VPN
    • Best Buy
    • Namecheap Hosting
    • Blue Mic
    • Ultimate Ears
    • Jaybird
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
BG
  • News
    • All
    • Esports
    • Interviews

    Wanted: Dead Enemies and Bosses Explained Video

    8 Minutes of New Atomic Heart Gameplay

    Chance to make money with valorant?

    Valorant, CS: GO, Dota 2 – Just Online Games or an Opportunity to Make Money on Bets?

    Amazon Luna Games Coming in February

    Wanted: Dead Finishers Explained Video

    Current CS:GO Team Rankings! What’s the Best Team at the Moment?

    Wanted: Dead Shows New Combat Gameplay For A Bloody Valentines Day

    Eminence in Shadow Mobile RPG Gets New Trailer, Available Now

    Crunchyroll Announces 8-Bit Adventure Gam Hime’s Quest

    Trending Tags

    • Top Stories
    • PlayStation
    • Xbox
    • Nintendo
    • Retro Games
    • Mobile Games
    • Indie Games
    • Square Enix
    • Sony
    • Microsoft
    • PAX
    • EGX
    • Gamescom
    • Rockstar Games
    • Electronic Arts
    • Activision Blizzard
    • E3 Expo
  • Reviews
    • All
    • Flash Game Reviews
    • Google Stadia
    • Indie Game Reviews
    • Mobile Game Reviews
    • Nintendo 3DS Reviews
    • Nintendo Switch Reviews
    • PC Reviews
    • PS Vita Reviews
    • PS3 Reviews
    • PS4 Reviews
    • PS5 Reviews
    • Retro Game Reviews
    • Reviews RoundUP
    • Xbox 360 Reviews
    • Xbox One Reviews

    No More Heroes 3 PS4 Review

    Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters PS4 Review

    Wanted: Dead Review

    The Legend of Heroes Trails From Zero

    The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero PC Review

    Amnesia: Memories + Later x Crowd Review

    Dusk Diver 2 PS5 Review

    Yurukill: The Culmination Games

    Yurukill: The Calumniation Games Nintendo Switch Review

    Matchpoint Tennis Championships Live Review

    Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II Nintendo Switch Review

    Trending Tags

    • Resident Evil
    • Call of Duty
    • Final Fantasy
    • Destiny
    • Borderlands
    • Halo
    • The Elder Scrolls
    • Fortnite
    • PUBG
    • Bioshock
    • The Witcher
  • Opinion
    • All
    • Second Opinion

    Manga Review: Summertime Rendering Volumes 2 & 3

    buying, szelling, and trading csgo skins

    What To Expect When Buying, Selling, & Trading CS: GO Skins

    What Are the Best Ways to Gear Up in Retail WOW?

    Chance to make money with valorant?

    Valorant, CS: GO, Dota 2 – Just Online Games or an Opportunity to Make Money on Bets?

    megaways vs regular slot machines

    Are Megaways Better Than Regular Slots?

    Current CS:GO Team Rankings! What’s the Best Team at the Moment?

    game night with friends tips for success

    Top Tips for Games Night Success

    10 benefits of online gaming

    10 Benefits of Online Gaming

    The 5 Most Popular Video Games that Feature Casinos and Gambling to Play

    Trending Tags

    • Is It A Classic?
    • Remember When
    • Do We Even Care Anymore?
    • Humpday Haikus
    • Top Series
    • Thirsty Thursday
    • Aging Gamer
    • On The Way To E3
  • Podcasts
    • All
    • The BagoCast
    • TSR BagoCast

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Social Media & Esports

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Politics in Video Games Games

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist 2

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Titan Fall and Apex: Legends Hacked

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist

    BagoCast EP: 12 – Code Vein and the DLC

    Debate/Discussion: Bad Video Games That We Love

    Discussion/Debate: Is Bioware Gone?

    Trending Tags

    • Film Fallout
    • 8Bit Proof
    • Gaming Historia
    • Bago Anime Cast
    • Gamers In Beta
    • Gamers Unscripted
  • Videos
    178614

    So, You Wanna Play Junker Queen?

    178081

    Matchpoint Tennis Championships Live Review

    176052

    Void Slayer – Review

    174993

    The IDEAL Spider-Man VR Game

    174963

    Crunchyroll Panel Full Video @ Anime Frontier

    174259

    BPM: Bullets Per Minute – Shooting to The Beat (Review)

    173523

    She Will Punish Them – Warning: Mature Content (Early Access Review)

    172416

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

    172189

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Social Media & Esports

  • Geek Culture
    • All
    • Anime and Manga
    • Anime/Manga Review
    • Collectibles
    • Comic Books
    • Cosplay
    • Movies
    • Tech
    • TV Shows

    Manga Review: Summertime Rendering Volumes 2 & 3

    Pwnage Releases New Info On Stormbreaker, The Magnesium Alloy Gaming Mouse

    Eminence in Shadow Mobile RPG Gets New Trailer, Available Now

    Crunchyroll Announces Anime Frontier Panels and Premieres

    Crunchyroll Announces Hell’s Paradise, The Ancient Magus’ Bride S2, and More Upcoming Anime

    The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie Gets New Key Visual, Tickets Now on Sale

    Crunchyroll Rich Presence Now Available on Discord

    Udon Entertainment Announces Persona 4 Arena & Ultimax Manga Coming 2023

    Steve Aoki Releases All-New Remix for the “One Piece Film Red” Original Soundtrack

    Trending Tags

    • Movie Reviews
    • Movie News
    • TV News
    • TV Episode Review
    • Episode Guide
    • Competitive Gaming
    • Tech News
    • Tech Review
    • Anime and Manga News
    • Anime and Manga Review
    • Comic Book News
    • Comic Book Review
  • Forum
No Result
View All Result
Social icon element need JNews Essential plugin to be activated.
Social icon element need JNews Essential plugin to be activated.
  • News
    • All
    • Esports
    • Interviews

    Wanted: Dead Enemies and Bosses Explained Video

    8 Minutes of New Atomic Heart Gameplay

    Chance to make money with valorant?

    Valorant, CS: GO, Dota 2 – Just Online Games or an Opportunity to Make Money on Bets?

    Amazon Luna Games Coming in February

    Wanted: Dead Finishers Explained Video

    Current CS:GO Team Rankings! What’s the Best Team at the Moment?

    Wanted: Dead Shows New Combat Gameplay For A Bloody Valentines Day

    Eminence in Shadow Mobile RPG Gets New Trailer, Available Now

    Crunchyroll Announces 8-Bit Adventure Gam Hime’s Quest

    Trending Tags

    • Top Stories
    • PlayStation
    • Xbox
    • Nintendo
    • Retro Games
    • Mobile Games
    • Indie Games
    • Square Enix
    • Sony
    • Microsoft
    • PAX
    • EGX
    • Gamescom
    • Rockstar Games
    • Electronic Arts
    • Activision Blizzard
    • E3 Expo
  • Reviews
    • All
    • Flash Game Reviews
    • Google Stadia
    • Indie Game Reviews
    • Mobile Game Reviews
    • Nintendo 3DS Reviews
    • Nintendo Switch Reviews
    • PC Reviews
    • PS Vita Reviews
    • PS3 Reviews
    • PS4 Reviews
    • PS5 Reviews
    • Retro Game Reviews
    • Reviews RoundUP
    • Xbox 360 Reviews
    • Xbox One Reviews

    No More Heroes 3 PS4 Review

    Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters PS4 Review

    Wanted: Dead Review

    The Legend of Heroes Trails From Zero

    The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero PC Review

    Amnesia: Memories + Later x Crowd Review

    Dusk Diver 2 PS5 Review

    Yurukill: The Culmination Games

    Yurukill: The Calumniation Games Nintendo Switch Review

    Matchpoint Tennis Championships Live Review

    Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II Nintendo Switch Review

    Trending Tags

    • Resident Evil
    • Call of Duty
    • Final Fantasy
    • Destiny
    • Borderlands
    • Halo
    • The Elder Scrolls
    • Fortnite
    • PUBG
    • Bioshock
    • The Witcher
  • Opinion
    • All
    • Second Opinion

    Manga Review: Summertime Rendering Volumes 2 & 3

    buying, szelling, and trading csgo skins

    What To Expect When Buying, Selling, & Trading CS: GO Skins

    What Are the Best Ways to Gear Up in Retail WOW?

    Chance to make money with valorant?

    Valorant, CS: GO, Dota 2 – Just Online Games or an Opportunity to Make Money on Bets?

    megaways vs regular slot machines

    Are Megaways Better Than Regular Slots?

    Current CS:GO Team Rankings! What’s the Best Team at the Moment?

    game night with friends tips for success

    Top Tips for Games Night Success

    10 benefits of online gaming

    10 Benefits of Online Gaming

    The 5 Most Popular Video Games that Feature Casinos and Gambling to Play

    Trending Tags

    • Is It A Classic?
    • Remember When
    • Do We Even Care Anymore?
    • Humpday Haikus
    • Top Series
    • Thirsty Thursday
    • Aging Gamer
    • On The Way To E3
  • Podcasts
    • All
    • The BagoCast
    • TSR BagoCast

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Social Media & Esports

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Politics in Video Games Games

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist 2

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Titan Fall and Apex: Legends Hacked

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist

    BagoCast EP: 12 – Code Vein and the DLC

    Debate/Discussion: Bad Video Games That We Love

    Discussion/Debate: Is Bioware Gone?

    Trending Tags

    • Film Fallout
    • 8Bit Proof
    • Gaming Historia
    • Bago Anime Cast
    • Gamers In Beta
    • Gamers Unscripted
  • Videos
    178614

    So, You Wanna Play Junker Queen?

    178081

    Matchpoint Tennis Championships Live Review

    176052

    Void Slayer – Review

    174993

    The IDEAL Spider-Man VR Game

    174963

    Crunchyroll Panel Full Video @ Anime Frontier

    174259

    BPM: Bullets Per Minute – Shooting to The Beat (Review)

    173523

    She Will Punish Them – Warning: Mature Content (Early Access Review)

    172416

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

    172189

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Social Media & Esports

  • Geek Culture
    • All
    • Anime and Manga
    • Anime/Manga Review
    • Collectibles
    • Comic Books
    • Cosplay
    • Movies
    • Tech
    • TV Shows

    Manga Review: Summertime Rendering Volumes 2 & 3

    Pwnage Releases New Info On Stormbreaker, The Magnesium Alloy Gaming Mouse

    Eminence in Shadow Mobile RPG Gets New Trailer, Available Now

    Crunchyroll Announces Anime Frontier Panels and Premieres

    Crunchyroll Announces Hell’s Paradise, The Ancient Magus’ Bride S2, and More Upcoming Anime

    The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie Gets New Key Visual, Tickets Now on Sale

    Crunchyroll Rich Presence Now Available on Discord

    Udon Entertainment Announces Persona 4 Arena & Ultimax Manga Coming 2023

    Steve Aoki Releases All-New Remix for the “One Piece Film Red” Original Soundtrack

    Trending Tags

    • Movie Reviews
    • Movie News
    • TV News
    • TV Episode Review
    • Episode Guide
    • Competitive Gaming
    • Tech News
    • Tech Review
    • Anime and Manga News
    • Anime and Manga Review
    • Comic Book News
    • Comic Book Review
  • Forum
No Result
View All Result
BagoGames
No Result
View All Result

BagoGames > Articles > Opinion > What Went Wrong With Mighty No. 9?

What Went Wrong With Mighty No. 9?

Harry Martin by Harry Martin
7 years ago
in Opinion
Reading Time: 5 mins read
1
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RelatedStories

Manga Review: Summertime Rendering Volumes 2 & 3

3 weeks ago
buying, szelling, and trading csgo skins

What To Expect When Buying, Selling, & Trading CS: GO Skins

2 months ago

Even if you haven’t had the chance to sit down and play it yet, I’m sure that you’ve heard the news of Mighty No. 9 not being the old-school, Mega Man-inspired, side-scrolling, platforming experience that we were all hoping for. Despite what the vast majority may think, I don’t think that Mighty No. 9 is an explicitly bad video game but I do think that the final product just ended being a colossal mass of wasted potential. The amount of wasted potential, and just how close Mighty No. 9 was to being a good game, got me wondering about what went wrong when it came down to the development process of what could’ve been a fantastic throwback title.

As I’m sure you’re aware, Mighty No. 9 was launched as a Kickstarter project back in August of 2013, with a target goal of $900,000. Mighty No. 9 didn’t get funded the asking amount of $900,000. Instead the campaign only managed to collect a little over $4,000,000. What was that? That’s nearly four and a half times the asking number of monetary value they needed. Damn.

(Mighty No. 9, Comcept)
(Mighty No. 9, Comcept)

One of the biggest questions that comes up when discussing the development of Mighty No. 9 is the one asking where all of the money that backers put into the project went. $4,000,000 is a lot of money to invest into anything, especially an independently developed video game, and upon seeing the final version of the game, a lot of fans—myself included—questioned just where all of that money was used, and was it all used to develop the game?

Mighty No. 9 doesn’t in any way, shape, or form look or play like something that had $4,000,000 pumped into it, or something that took nearly 3 years to produce. I know the game was being developed by an independent studio, but that just isn’t any excuse. Just take a look at Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight — a game that shares a striking resemblance to the original Mega Man titles and, if you ask me, is a game more worthy of being crowned as a spiritual successor to that franchise than Mighty No. 9 will ever be. Shovel Knight and Mighty No. 9 are extremely similar in terms of what kind of games they are, how they were funded, and what  inspirations motivated the production of the games. Shovel Knight was the first game to ever be produced by Yacht Club Games and was completed in a little over a year after it was first announced via a Kickstarter campaign in March of 2013. The minimum funding requirement for Shovel Knight to be developed was just $75,000 — around 12% of what Mighty No. 9’s asking amount was — and received a total of around $300,000 by the end of it’s funding period, which is about 10% of what Mighty No. 9 received.

I know money isn’t the defining factor when it comes down to developing and producing a video game, but when looking at the difference in the monetary value invested into both of those games, and then comparing the final product, confusion does start to appear. If Yacht Club Games, a first time developer, could make a game of such high quality with a budget of just $300,000, then why couldn’t a team of ex-Mega Man developers do the same thing, but on a much larger scale, and with a budget of nearly 10 times the amount that Shovel Knight had? Not only did Yacht Club provide a fantastic final product, they’re still dishing out a load of new content for the game 2 years after its launch. By reinvesting their profits back into their game, Yacht Club continue to show their passion for their project.

(Shovel Knight, Yacht Club Games)
(Shovel Knight, Yacht Club Games)

If money was taken out of the equation, where else could developers have gone wrong when developing Mighty No. 9? Well, after such a long period of time working on the game, the team may have lost their spark of passion that drove the project in the first place, or maybe somewhere down the line, the team realized that they just weren’t able to build the game to the standard that was expected of them, leading them to lose faith in the project. Man, even a member of the development team was quoted saying that the game was “better than nothing” when reacting to the first wave of reviews the game received by critics. Keiji Inafune said “we’ll do it even if it doesn’t sell” when asked about the possibilities of a potential sequel to Mighty No. 9, showing his doubts in the game’s success.

During the 3-year-long development period that Keiji Inafune and his team spent working on Mighty No. 9, the crew was simultaneously planning and working on a variety of other games, which could have been a defining factor for the downfall of the project. I honestly think that by doing this the team was spreading themselves too thin, especially as one of the games, ReCore, is a game on a much larger scale than any of the other games the team was working on at the time. As well as working on a multitude of different games at the same time, Comcept were also working alongside a number of other studios, co-developing each game with each respective company. Working with such a wide range of studios and working on so many different games at the same time may have lead the team to getting flustered with their workflow, frequenting having to change what game they were working on and alongside what team.

Screen Shot 2016-07-25 at 9.52.52 p.m.
(The games that Comcept have been working on since the announcement of Mighty No. 9, Wikipedia)

With all that speculation, until a statement is released, nobody truly knows what went on during the development of Mighty No. 9 apart from the people that worked on it. For all we know, it could’ve just been a really stressful time for the team because they couldn’t get the results they wanted, which led to the creation of a game that was overall a less-than-average experience. It’s a shame because Mighty No. 9 had so much potential to bring the Mega Man style of platformers back to the modern market. Seriously, it’s so close to being a great game, but it just falls short at almost every single idea it had. It just tries to do so many different things to differentiate itself from the Mega Man series while trying to retain everything that made Mega Man, well, Mega Man.

(Mighty No. 9, Comcept)
(Mighty No. 9, Comcept)

It’s a true shame that Mighty No. 9 turned out the way it did. Not only did it disappoint a large number of fans anticipating the release of the game, it changed the way that a lot of people look at crowdfunding when it comes to video games. Investing money into something that doesn’t yet exist was always going to be a risky move, but when promising statements are made, it gives the investor some sense of security as to where their money is going, and what final product they’re going to receive at the end of the project. I’ll have to admit that I’ve always been a slight bit wary when it comes to crowdfunding video games, and games like Mighty No. 9 are almost proof that my cautiousness is valid. Crowdfunding isn’t always bad, though. In fact, in a lot of circumstances, crowdfunding is a fantastic way to allow smaller development teams to bring some absolutely phenomenal ideas to life. Games like A Hat in Time, Yooka-Laylee, The Banner Saga, and Shovel Knight are all games that have had a light shone upon them in the form of Kickstarter campaigns. They are all proof that, sometimes, even though it could be a huge risk, investing your money to bring an idea to life isn’t always such a bad idea.

If you’re still in need of shooting some lemons, you could always pick up the Mega Man Legacy Collection. Yeah, you should go and do that instead of buying Mighty No. 9. Mighty No. 9 had some really ugly lemons anyway. Ugly lemons.

Tags: KickstarterMighty No. 9Shovel KnightTop Stories
ShareTweetShare
Previous Post

Kholat Review – Dyatlov Pass Revisited

Next Post

Gamers Unscripted Episode 50: A Super Milestone

Subscribe
Connect with
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
guest
The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us to keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.

I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
guest
The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us to keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.

1 Comment
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
trackback
What Went Wrong With Mighty No. 9? | BagoGames – Harry Martin (Polylink)
6 years ago

[…] Click here to go straight to the article! […]

0
0
Reply
wpdiscuz   wpDiscuz

BAGOGAMES WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Get this week's top news, reviews, guides, videos and opinion for your favorite games, movies, TV and tech in your email every Friday.

Don't worry, we don't spam.

BagoGames

BagoGames.com © 2020 BagoGames LLC. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Staff Directory
  • Join Our Team
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • RSS Feeds
  • Discord Server
  • BG Store
  • OpenCritic
  • green man gaming
  • Logitech G
  • GAMIVO.com
  • ASTRO Gaming
  • Logitech
  • Namecheap Hosting
  • Nord VPN
  • Best Buy
  • Blue Mic
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Guides

Follow Us

Social icon element need JNews Essential plugin to be activated.
  • Login
  • Sign Up
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Opinion
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Geek Culture
  • Previews
  • Guides
  • Short Videos
  • Forum
  • Site Info
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Join Our Team
    • Staff Directory
    • Privacy Policy
    • Newsletter
    • RSS Feeds

BagoGames.com © 2020 BagoGames LLC. All rights reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
wpDiscuz