Mighty No. 9 Review: Annoying but often awesome
I've heard so many bad things about this game, yet my dad has always really enjoyed it, so I was cautiously optimistic about checking it out. I've never really gotten into the Mega Man games yet, as I usually play RPGs. However, I wanted a quick, fun game to spend a couple of weekends on, so I dusted off this controversial relic, popped it into my even more controversial Wii U, and played it. So, how was it? Was it as terrible as most say, or awesome like my dad says, or somewhere in between? That's what I, Brighton Nelson of The Reel Ranker, will be discussing in today's review! Thanks for joining me, and I hope you enjoy.
Level Design - 8.5
As soon as you look past the fact that this game's a buggy mess, the level design here is actually really dynamic, fun, and memorable. While there are only a few levels, each is completely different from the last and has the perfect length and difficulty. I also felt there were a perfect number of levels: any more could've dragged out the game.
Platforming - 8
While there aren't as many crazy, memorable platforming sequences in this game than some games, there are some memorable moments that were relaly saitsifying, from surviving jumping throuh fire while buildings are collapsing on you, to jumping from car-to-car on a highway; from ascending a radio tower to helicoptering through Xel fields and dashing through a mine while being chased by a drill, there's so many fun and fullfillingly difficult platforming challenges here.
Art & Graphics - 7
I really love the more cutesy, fun style this game has. However, the execution leaves a little to be desired due to its somewhat plastic, blurry look. I think some more polish on the character models and an attempt to make the game less polygon-looking could've honestly pushed this art style up to a 9 or 10. Alas, that's not the case.
Theming - 7
This game was certainly aiming to be a spiritual successor to Mega Man, so I can't blame it too much for its lack of creativity. But, I can't help but feel it could've been done even better. That's why I feel a score of 9 or 10 is out of reach. However, in terms of executing what it was setting out to do, it succeeded. We've got memorable character design, a menu select format, power-ups... and all the other essential groundwork a Mega Man successor really needs. Should it have innovated more? Certainly, but it didn't do all that shabby.
Story - 5
Mighty No. 9's story is certainly a major step up from, say, a Super Mario Bros. story, but it's still nothing special. The worldbuilding and characters are rather unique in the platforming genre, but the dialogue and cutscenes do leave a lot to be desired. The best platformers can make the most of the most minimal moments to draw out emotions, all while not having a narrative that's too fleshed out to stilt the game's pacing. Yet, Mighty No. 9 only partially succeeds at doing so, as, while there's a good balance of story and gameplay, the story lacks anything all that gripping.
Music - 5
The music and sound effects in this game aren't that memorable, but they're really solid. Sure, I'm giving it an average score, but there's plenty of music out there that's grating in video games. And there's also so much incredible competition in the world of VGM, so I can't really justify giving this soundtrack a higher or lower rating than 5.
Controls - 7
Outside of the rather questionable method for switching their ReXelection, the controls here are practically perfect. So, why not a 9/10? Because some of the abilities are completely unexplained to a fault. Long tutorials are annoying, but no explanation is equally frustrating. No place is this more apparent than in the Power Plant level, where you must use a crouch dash, which was never previously telegraphed.
Quality of Life - 0
I really would love to say that I didn't get really mad while playing this game, but that'd be a complete and utter lie. Unfortunately, this game has the worst lag, frame-dropping, and loading times of any game I've played. I could forgive this a lot more easily if it were an RPG (not that I've ever played one with as severe problems as this). Yet, with how necessary timing is and how difficult the game's in-game achievements are, it's aggravating to have to start over because the whole game wigged out after double-tapping a Battalion missile mid-jump.
Combat - 9.5
I've never beaten a Mega Man game, so I can't speak on this game by comparison to that series, but I can say that this is some of the most fun I've ever had fighting enemies in a platformer! Since you get a completely different weapon after each level, each level feels completely fresh, and going back and replaying levels to get a higher score when you've gotten better weapons really recontextualizes the experience.
From a normal Mega Man-like blaster with great range and speed, to an offensive fire shield that can charge up to three degrees of AoE damage potential; from a blaster that shoots huge snowballs in a downwards trajectory and freezes enemies, to a multi-pronged electric weapon that deals major damage to big targets; from a wickedly fast katana that attacks in a variety of ways, to a weapon that transforms you into a car; from a propeller boomerang that lets you fly, to a self-detonating RPG; from a sniper rifle with richocheting bullets to a triple-turret building weapon, every weapon in this game comes together to make some of the best 2D combat in recent memory.
On top of all these weapons, the game adds a Dash attack that really changes the whole gameplay of Mega Man in a way I wasn't expecting. To actually kill bosses, you have to dash into them after weakening them. This creates a whole new style of play that makes you get too close for comfort, and it makes every boss twice as hard, but in a satisfying way. I love this mechanic! However, the dash mechanic struggles to be anything but a chore when up against trash mobs. The fact that you have to absorb the power-ups instead of just shooting them to get them is a new dynamic, but it doesn't really add anything to the strategy and just gets annoying—hence, my least favorite part of the combat (unless we were counting the terrible lag, but that's not included in this category).
While she's far less unique to play as Mighty, Call is also a unique playable character you get to play as for a level! Her weapon is a slow projectile weapon that is far weaker than any of the No. family's weapons, and her dash is just a movement mechanic. Yet, she can crawl, hover, and put up a shield to make up for it. As a one-level spice character more focused on stealth mechanics, she adds a lot, even if she'd have been rather annoying if she were in the game much longer.
Lastly, there's a really good (and cheap) DLC that adds a third playable character. Her name's Ray, and she's a whole lot more interesting and complete as a character than Call and maybe even Mighty. She is much stronger, and her weapons are similar to Mighty's but twice as good. She also absorbs enemies just by attacking them, meaning her dash is simply a conventional damage-dealing attack. This extra power comes with a cost, however, as her HP is constantly draining. Due to this, you basically have to be perfect when fighting bosses, making her a little riskier and more of a glass cannon.
The Verdict
Fun Factor: 6
Overall Score: 63%
Letter Rating: B-
Mighty No. 9 may have been too little too late for some. It may lack originality. It may be a buggy mess, with random lag and frame drops that occasionally ruin the whole experience, especially if you play on the Wii U like I did (don't do that). However, with solid levels and fantastic combat, this game is vastly overhated—it's an above-average platformer that any fan of the genre should check out sooner rather than later.
Interested in movies as well? Check out our sister site, The Reel Ranker!