Mighty Milky Way

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Mighty Milky Way
Mighty Milky Way Coverart.png
Mighty Milky Way cover art
Developer WayForward Technologies
Publisher WayForward Technologies
Directors Sean Velasco
James Montagna
Artist Erin Pellon
Composer Jake Kaufman
Platform Nintendo DSi
Release
  • NA: May 9, 2011
  • EU: May 27, 2011
Genres Action, puzzle
Mode Single-player

Mighty Milky Way is a 2011 puzzle video game developed and published by WayForward Technologies for the Nintendo DSi's DSiWare service. It was the second title after Mighty Flip Champs! in the Mighty series from WayForward Technologies.

Contents

Gameplay

Mighty Milky Way tasks players with guiding Luna, a French-speaking extraterrestrial, safely towards a portal at the end of each level while avoiding enemies and electric barriers. Every level is filled with small planets, each with its own center of gravity, which Luna walks around clockwise at a speed controlled by the player. By kicking off of planets, in some cases destroying them, Luna can propel herself through space in a specific direction, sometimes swayed by another planet's gravity. Kicking off a planet also causes any enemies on it to fly off its orbit, which can be used to destroy other obstacles. By collecting pieces of candy, Luna can create additional planets to help her navigate difficult sections. [1]

Development

Mighty Milky Way was developed and published by WayForward Technologies for the Nintendo DSi, directed by Sean Velasco. It was originally conceived as an "experimental gameplay idea" for the DSi. Certain elements were established in this concept, including not controlling Luna. It was described as a "pseudo-sequel" to Mighty Flip Champs , citing both games having "sexy girl leads, loud colors, action puzzle gameplay, friendly monster co-stars, and a whimsically wacky attitude". [2] The Milky title was chosen to ensure that these titles could stand together and stand apart from other games. Despite not being involved in the development of Flip Champs, Sean and the team sought to examine what made it unique and apply it to Milky Way. [3] He said that the zooming in and out on the models was reminiscent of Mode 7 SNES games. [2] The art for the game was done by Erin Pellon, who worked as a contract artist for the project, and whose first job was Mighty Milky Way. [4] [5] When designing Luna, Velasco said they wanted to evoke a "50's retro chic", noting that she became less retro as development progressed. Velasco noted that creative director Matt Bozon was fond of female leads, which influenced characters like Luna being a protagonist. [3] The soundtrack was composed by Jake Kaufman, who also did the soundtrack for Flip Champs, both of which were released as part of the "Mighty Flip Champs & Mighty Milky Way Original Soundtrack". [6] The game was released for download through DSiWare on May 9, 2011, in North America and May 27 in Europe. It was the last game officially released for the Nintendo DS in Japan. A remixed version of the game was featured at Game Night 6 at Giant Robot alongside other WayForward games, where players could play for only one night only. [7] [8]

Reception and legacy

The game received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [9] Reviewing for IGN , Lucas M. Thomas described the game as challenging, and praised its unusual design. Thomas said the game requires repeated attempts for each level but that "Mighty Milky Way's frustrations almost always feel like the good kind". [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Thomas, Lucas M. (May 10, 2011). "Mighty Milky Way Review". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Dillard, Corbie (February 8, 2011). "Interviews: WayForward - Mighty Milky Way". NintendoLife. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Holmes, Jonathan (February 16, 2011). "Exclusive: A behind-the-scenes look at Mighty Milky Way". Destructoid . Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  4. Craddock, David L. (October 16, 2018). Shovel Knight: Boss Fight Books #19. Boss Fight Books . Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  5. "Erin Pellon - artist • RAWG" . Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  6. Kotowski, Don (August 1, 2012). "Mighty Flip Champs & Mighty Milky Way Original Soundtrack". Video Game Music Online. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  7. Brothers, Cynthia (September 14, 2011). "The Hyphenite's Social Calendar: Kollaboration DC, Street Eats". Hyphen Magazine. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  8. @JamesPopStar (September 22, 2019). "One of the rarest WayForward games might be "Mighty Milky Way @ Giant Robot". Playable for one night only publicly at Giant Robot, this version of the DSiWare game had all remixed levels! Including a giant banana stage. I have what might be the only copy burned on a DS game card" (Tweet). Retrieved January 24, 2024 via Twitter.
  9. 1 2 "Mighty Milky Way for DS Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  10. Ponce, Tony (May 8, 2011). "Review: Mighty Milky Way". Destructoid . Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  11. Edge staff (June 22, 2011). "Mighty Milky Way review". Edge . Future plc. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  12. Reed, Kristan (June 3, 2011). "Download Games Roundup". Eurogamer . Gamer Network . Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  13. "Review: Mighty Milky Way". Nintendo Gamer . Future plc. July 2011. p. 77.
  14. Dillard, Corbie (May 13, 2011). "Mighty Milky Way Review". Nintendo Life . Gamer Network. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  15. Scullion, Chris (August 2011). "Mighty Milky Way review". Official Nintendo Magazine . Future plc. p. 91. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2019.