During a live stream to promote the long-awaited launch of Mighty No. 9, producer Keiji Inafune addressed the middling reviews the game received so far (As of this writing, the PC version has a 53 on Metacritic) with a fairly disconcerting statement:
“The reality is they put everything into making this game. They didn’t try to micro-transaction it out, they didn’t try to DLC it out for extra money. They put it all in. So, 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’ll 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.”
This feels like the final insulting blow to fans after enduring a series of problems during the game’s development cycle. Following its successful Kickstarter campaign (raising nearly $4 million), the game has been plagued with issues, including numerous delays, questionable quality, early plans to franchise the title, and most recently, a controversial launch trailer.
Mighty No. 9 is currently available for PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One, and PC. The 3DS and PS Vita versions are set to be released later this year. The Xbox 360, Mac and Linux editions of the game are currently delayed, but the Xbox 360 backers recieve a free Steam key.