Kickstarter project Mighty No. 9 — which is being touted as the "spiritual successor" to the Mega Man franchise — has raised $1.6 million on the crowdfunding platform in just four days.
Mighty No. 9's appeal is its retro, side-scrolling style, reminiscent of 8- and 16-bit titles of the 80s and 90s. The game is product of Keiji Inafune, who created Mega Man in the 1980s and was the godfather of the franchise until he left Capcom in 2010.
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The game stars Beck, the ninth in a series of Mighty robots. All previous models have been infected with a virus, and it's up to Beck to stop them. In the process of beating those robots and other enemies, Beck steals their powers, giving him transformative powers to solve puzzles. This definitely sounds like Mega Man, and it doesn't hurt that Beck resembles the Blue Bomber in design.
The Kickstarter page said the project chose the crowdfunding platform in order to allow fans passionate for side-scrollers to share their insight and feedback with the team. All of the rewards include involvement in backer-only forums, as well as your name in the game's credits.
Mighty No. 9 is targeted for a PC release through Steam and DRM-free download, but could come to consoles if the project meets its $2.2 million stretch goal. With 26 days left to go, it's pretty much assured it will.
What do you think of Inafune's Mighty No. 9 and its similarities to Mega Man? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Image: Comcept