Mighty No. 9 Beta Starts Tomorrow

The first beta for Mighty No. 9 will start tomorrow, the game's creator Keiji Inafune announced today at his PAX 2014 panel.

Kickstarter backers who pledged at the tiers that gave them access to the beta ($80 or more) will be able to download a build of the game that includes only the fifth level. However, over the next few weeks, the Mighty No. 9 development team will keep adding more content until beta testers will have access to a total of three levels.

Inafune also revealed that all Mighty No. 9 backers will get a free copy of Mighty Gunvolt, a 8-bit reimagining of the 2D action platformer Azure Striker Gunvolt developed by Inti Creates, which Inafune worked on as an "honorary action director." Fans who were lucky enough to attend Inafune's panel received a free copy of Mighty No. 9, free access to the beta, as well as a free copy of Mighty Gunvolt.

During the panel, Inafune said the team has spent the last year working on Mighty No. 9's core mechanics, but that they already completed work on a few key assets, abilities, and bosses. Inafune also showed a short video demonstrating a competitive online race mode for Mighty No. 9, though he said that he hasn't decided if it will make it into the final game.

Mighty No. 9 is becoming a reality thanks to an overwhelmingly successful Kickstarter campaign, which rocketed past its $900,000 goal, ending with $3.8 million last year. The side-scrolling action game is being worked on by Inafune himself and a team of designers at his studio, Comcept.

The final game is expected to launch by April 2015 for PC, Wii U, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and 3DS.