Mighty No. 9 is, without a doubt, one of the most disappointing games of all time. To the point it has reached meme levels of ridicule, with its pathetic “it’s better than nothing” and “make the bad guys cry like an anime fan on prom night” moments. Hate the game as much as you want, but if there’s one thing you definitely can’t deny, it’s that the game’s main character, Beck, is actually a charismatic little fella that actually had a bit of potential of becoming someone more important, if only he were in a better game.

Well, our favorite kickstarted bomber is now having a new chance at redemption by being one of the main characters in Mighty Gunvolt Burst, by Inti Creates, the ones behind the Game Boy Advance Mega Man Zero games, as well as the Switch launch title Blaster Master Zero.

Mighty Gunvolt Burst is a straight-up Mega Man clone, in which you can play as both Beck and Gunvolt from Azure Strike Gunvolt. The gameplay premise is as familiar as possible: an intro level with a big robot as a boss, followed by eight levels you can tackle at any time, get a new ability everytime you beat a boss, y’know, the same old stuff. If you’re looking for innovation in the Mega Man clone department, Mighty Gunvolt Burst offers little to no new quips for you. Sure, you can customize your shot with some items you find throughout the game’s stages, and you can carry health items with you (which recover as much health as a standard potion on a level 100 RPG character), but the premise is as old-school as it can get. That’s not entirely a bad thing, the game is marketed towards Mega Man orphans, and it provides what they’ve been looking for, all for a nice $9.99 pricetag.

The game is also a much more forgivable Mega Man clone than any other, given the fact you don’t have a limited amount of lives. If you die, all that will happen is having your points slightly deducted at the end of the level. We live in a much less frustrating time in gaming, my friends, and it was only a matter of time before that change came to a game like this, so no need to hate on it. The bosses are still as cheap and violent towards you as usual, so don’t think there isn’t any actual challenge involved.

When it comes to its artistic department, Mighty Gunvolt Burst does a fairly good job. Both its visuals and soundtrack follow a “12-bit” mentality of sorts: they look much better than any NES game out there, but they still look and sound inferior to typical games from the 16-bit era. Characters are larger than their 8-bit counterparts, the textures are slightly more sophisticated, and there are some small lighting effects every now and then. The soundtrack is also quite good, with special praise to the retro rendition of the Mighty No. 9 theme song.

Both departments are decent enough for when you’re playing the game in portable mode, as they do look and sound quite outdated when in docked mode. If you intend on buying Mighty Gunvolt Burst, take advantage of the Switch’s portable capabilities and have fun with the game on-the-go. It will be a much more enjoyable experience.

Mighty Gunvolt Burst doesn’t bring anything new to the table, and it won’t completely heal the deep wounds caused by the trainwreck that was Mighty No. 9, but for the time being, and for its definitely very attractive pricetag, it’s most certainly “better than nothing.” And it won’t make you feel like an anime fan on prom night. It’s a nice title to have on your Switch to play it on-the-go.

Reviewed on Switch.

Also available on: Nintendo 3DS.