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Mega Man spiritual successor Mighty No. 9 launching in February

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Image used with permission by copyright holder
After a series of last-minute delays scuttled a planned 2015 release, Japanese studio Comcept announced that its Kickstarter-funded platformer Mighty No. 9 will launch digitally and at retail in February of 2016.

Produced by Mega Man illustrator Keiji Inafune, Mighty No. 9 shares many similarities with Capcom’s classic franchise, putting players in control of a robotic character who is able to absorb powers from defeated enemies. Gameplay proceeds along a 2D plane and features a number of traditional platforming elements in addition to character-specific powers and abilities.

Initially slated for release in 2015, Mighty No. 9 slipped to a 2016 launch following the discovery of bugs related to its online functionality.

“As we have communicated in the updates to our backers, all of the core content for the game is developed and in a complete state,” Mighty No. 9‘s creators stated in a recent Kickstarter project update. “However, there are still bugs and issues pertaining to the online features that are included in the game. These bugs and issues have a direct affect on enjoyment of the game, so a decision was made to work these issues out before release.”

As an apology for the delay, Mighty No. 9‘s creative team released a PC demo version of the game last week via Humble Bundle’s distribution platform for backers who pledged $20 or more toward the project.

Mighty No. 9 will launch digitally in North America for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC platforms on February 9, 2016. A worldwide release will follow on February 12. Retail versions of Mighty No. 9 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U will also be available at launch.

Developer Comcept notes that promised Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita ports of Mighty No. 9 will be available “at a later date.”

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