Mystical Ninja starring Goemon

"Prepare to be immersed in wacky & entertaining action"

Mystical Ninja: Starring Goemon is an action/adventure game that debuted on the N64 in 1998. It is the second of three Goemon titles released in the United States. The game, along with the other two titles, seemingly went by the wayside with the mainstream population of gamers, which is a real shame. After having read this review, my hope is that you will not join that cluster of mainstream gamers that simply push it aside in favor of the other, more well-known games out there. If nothing else, you would be missing out on some of the best music to ever grace a console. Period.

Story: 10/10
The game is set in Japan and the "story," if you will, takes off from there. What makes the plot so interesting is the fact that it is so ridiculous and hilarious, while at the same time managing to drive forward with a sense of seriousness. You take the role of Goemon: a blue spiked-hair, lovable Japanese kid along with his plump sidekick, Ebisumaru. They are kicked out a restaurant for, of all things, indecent exposure! Suddenly, a UFO flies through the sky and blasts the nearby Oedo Castle. Being the adventurous duo that they are, Goemon and Ebisumaro decide to venture out toward the castle for some exploration. This is where the game begins. One thing that really adds to the entertainment value of the characters and plot is the built-in laugh track. You'll understand what I mean when you get into it. This type of humor is truly unique to the Mystical Ninja series and the reason why it garners a perfect score.

Gameplay: 7.5/10
Who knew whacking things with a pipe could be so much fun? A very fun experience for a platformer. You take control of one of two characters at the start of the game and, as you progress through the game, can select from four to help complete your quest. Each of which has invaluable skills to aid in your quest. You will traverse across Japan in all types of terrain, go through numerous towns, interact with townsfolk and many other colorful characters, all in an effort to restore peace to Japan. Each character is given a standard weapon at the start and can collect better weapons and items throughout the game. Each character can also be trained to use a special "magic" skill, some for a fee, some for free. In short, the action is much like your standard platformer. Perhaps a few more bells and whistles would have been nice though.

Graphics: 5/10
The graphics aren't jaw dropping by any means, but they do their job effectively. There are times when you may be stunned by the cinematic cutscene quality, yet let down by the extreme pixelation of 2D sprites (trees for instance). Somebody should have told Konami about anti-aliasing when they designed this game. The worlds certainly are big enough so you will get your fair share of looking around the environments. Objects, items, and buildings are very well done, though the actual environments could have been done a little better. The detail of the interior of the buildings is very impressive with the amount of things lining the walls. Other entertaining features include some of the character animations while standing on a ledge or while crawling on the ground. Very well done. The reason for the average score is due to the camera angles in the game. Unlike other 3D adventure games, Goemon does not allow for any kind of camera control whilst romping through the countryside. This can lead to issues with gameplay which will be discussed later in the review.

Sound: 10/10
I wasn't kidding when I said this game had some of the best music to ever be featured in a console game. Right from the opening video, you know you have stumbled upon a gem. The tunes vary in tempo and meter, they all match the theme of the environment, and they completely immerse you in the game. This can not be anymore true than with the castle levels. Each level starts off soft, or "not as energetic." As you progress through the castles, the music becomes more intense and lets you know you are approaching the end. It's a fantastic way to program a soundtrack for a game. It seems as if Konami put more time into the music than the game itself; and when you compare it to the rest of the game, you'll understand just how much more time it seems like. The sound effects are right up there with the music as well. Each weapon makes a very realistic swish, swipe, shot, sha-zam, you name it. The cherry on this musical sundae is the actual character voices. Many characters, especially the four main ones, have actual voices used when performing actions. They are spoken in Japanese, but are still done very well and come through clearly. It is the voices that give the characters their personality and, ultimately, create a fondness with the gamer.

Play Control: 7/10
Overall, the controls are very responsive. Each button serves a valuable purpose or function for character abilities and the control stick allows for movement ranging from tiptoeing to sprinting. The Impact (big boss) battles offer very nice control as well with a combo system. There are, however, a couple of issues that detract from the enjoyment of the game. It can very easily be argued that the characters do not move fast enough when running full speed, especially since the environments are so big. There is a lot of ground to cover and it would be nice to get from point A to point B in a reasonable amount of time. Fortunately, one character does offer the ability to warp between points in Japan later in the game, so it isn't a total downer. The other big issue involves jumping distance. To make certain jumps, you will need to position characters in just the right spot or else they will fall down a hole/bottom of the room and you will need to start all over again. This issue is compounded by the lack of camera controls which forces the player to sometimes guess when and where they should jump and land.

Challenge: 5/10
Mystical Ninja: Goemon is not a very difficult game to play through, control and camera issues aside. It is rather straightforward, for the most part, although there are instances where you may have to think about what people have told you in order to proceed. There are no side-quests you need to worry about aside from collecting fortune dolls (the equivalent of heart pieces). If you ever do get lost (and it is possible with the huge world maps) or if you are ever uncertain about what you should do next, there is a conveniently placed fortune teller in every town through the game. For a small fee, you can get a hint on where to go and/or what to do next. Although the worlds are pretty large, you can pick up a map early in the game that guides you and shows exits. As far as AI is concerned, the enemies are about as intelligent as George W Bush's vocabulary. Their attacks are easily avoided and they do very little damage. You can fall off the top of a mountain and take no damage and when you fall into a pit, you lose a mere half a heart. If you consider the fact that you can attain up to 20 whole hearts, it makes the game easier than necessary. You start the game with only 5 hearts. For a higher challenge, one might want to try going through the game without collecting any fortune dolls.

Miscellaneous
Mystical Ninja: Goemon requires quite a few hours of gameplay, at least on the first runthrough. It would be advisable to devote a few days toward playing this game if one has any intentions on beating it. A save feature was built into this game; one for the game pak and one for the control pak. Another great bonus with this game is the inclusion of a sound test. You may spend just as much time replaying the music as you do playing the actual game! Once again, yes, the music is that good. The other thing worth noting is the game length. This game is pretty short. It's not short enough to beat in one day (again, on the first run), but still short for an adventure game. There are only five castles and although they do get progressively longer and more complex, the game seems to come to an end when you don't want it to. Again, that could be good or bad depending on your opinion.

Overall: 7/10
Looking for a game with a totally original story, awesome music, and offbeat humor? This game is your cup of tea, literally. It's not the most challenging game in the world, but that certainly doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the game (unless you are a hardcore puzzle junkie of course). I personally recommend all three Mystical Ninja games. For anyone who enjoys being immersed in a 3D environment, this is the one for you. Regardless of what kind of gamer you are, give this game a shot. It's one of a kind in the adventure world and must be experienced.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/09/06, Updated 06/18/08

Game Release: Mystical Ninja starring Goemon (US, 03/31/98)