Nostalgia: Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon

      

Feudal Japan Meets Robots and Broadway

       
        Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon is not a game that really reflects what the title suggests. Much like a Fall Out Boy song, the title is just there because it needs one, and really doesn't give a whole lot of insight on what to expect. Well, I'm going to tell you what to expect.

        This Nintendo 64 platformer/action/adventure/musical (I'm not kidding about that last one) is one in a long line of games in the Ganabare Goemon series. These games have been extremely popular in Japan ever since its humble arcade beginnings. The Ganabare Goemon series has had many games released on multiple consoles throughout the years, but only four games made it to the States. Mystical Ninja was the second one released in America after The Legend of the Mystical Ninja for the SNES. 

        Mystical Ninja takes place in a bizzaro version of feudal Japan where every single myth or legend told in Japanese folklore is real. Along with this, it also has robots and space ships. There is actually a boss battle where the player battles a top-like robot on the back of a dragon that is flying through the air. There are also three boss battles that consist of two giant robots fighting each other. The basic plot of this crazy game is our ninja heroes: Goemon, Ebisumaru, Yae, and Sasuke (who is a robot that runs of batteries) have to stop the evil Peach Mountain Shoguns who have come from outer space to change Japan into a giant stage for their musicals. Obviously, this game isn't meant to be taken seriously but may put some gamers off, due to its bizarre world, and incredible Japanese-ness.

        Many sequels have been made after Mystical Ninja, but only one, Goemon's Great Adventure, ever saw an English release. I don't know how easy it is to get a hold of a copy today outside of eBay and Amazon, but it sure is worth playing through if you just keep an open mind and ignore the sometimes bad translating (which I thought added to the humor, but that's just my opinion). This game takes its cues from The Legend of Zelda, but was released just before Ocarina of Time, so it doesn't necessarily work like an three dimensional adventure game should since it didn't have anything to take from, but still does nice job at staying interesting in the dungeon sections. If you ever come across this strange game, don't pass it by. It's worth at least one play through.

Here's a robot boss battle (the quality is kind of crappy, sorry)