What a wild ride it’s been for backers and fans of Mighty No 9. After over a year’s worth of delays, double dipping in the Kickstarter well, expressed disappointment in the perceived visual downgrade the game underwent, and a controversial trailer that seemingly insulted a portion of its fanbase, the game has finally been released. So I guess Comcept is in the clear, right?
Well… Not so much.
Reports coming from multiple users have stated that the Wii U version of what was considered the spiritual successor to Mega Man is having severe performance issues, with some users claiming that it would render their entire consoles permanently unusable. Others have said that the backer codes they received had their own set of problems, from receiving the wrong codes, to not receiving all of their DLC. As a backer, I can confirm that while I did get my PS4 code, I was also sent a Steam code seemingly by mistake. On that subject, some PC users are claiming that their codes aren’t working at all, while Xbox 360 backers will have to wait at least a few more days to get their hands on it, since it apparently didn’t pass certification. This delay is only expected to last for a few days, much like the Mac and Linux versions, which is better than what handheld gamers can expect, since the 3DS and Vita versions still don’t have a release date.
During times like this, it might be best to do what you can to fix the issues while keeping your community updated, all while laying low outside of these subjects. Unfortunately for Comcept, that’s not what happened during yesterday’s celebratory live stream, where Keiji Inafune, the mastermind behind the project, allegedly said the game was, “…better than nothing.” Since then, the Internet has gone crazy with the gaffe, with even the Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account chiming in on the controversy. However, some Japanese speakers have said that Inafune didn’t say this at all, and this portion of the quote was interjected by the translator. Here’s the video where the line was spoken, but the transcribed quote can be found below so you can decide for yourself.
For now, this is what you see and what you get for the Mighty No 9 world, but again, we can hope that if things go well, there will be sequels. Because I’ll tell you what, I’m not getting my 2D side scrolling fill, and at the end of the day, even if it’s not perfect, it’s better than nothing. At least that’s my opinion.
Whether or not it was actually said is unfortunately, irrelevant at this point, since most people will have made up their minds on the situation at this point. One way or the other, there’s no denying that this situation is the cherry on top of a tumultuous launch, serving as a warning for what NOT to do when crowdfunding a game. If it’s any consolation, Inafune has owned up to the issues following the game since it accumulated nearly $4 million worth of his fans’ good faith, showing that there is some regret with how poorly everything went down.
Reviews have been tepid so far, but I’m enjoying the little bit I’ve played quite a bit so far. Make sure to check back for our full review, which will be out real soon, and leave your thoughts regarding the project in the comments below!