Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
Reviewed by Gabe Jones
Legend of the Mystical Ninja on the Super NES was one of my favorite action games. The
funny looking characters, the huge bosses, and one of the best parts were all those
sub games. I had a blast running through mazes, playing Gradius, Horse Racing, it
was incredible. After Mystical, Ninja. two more games went through Japan. Finally
America gets the Newest Game, and I have to say the wait was worth it, but I miss
some things.
Graphics 9 out of 10
The Graphics will remind you of Mario 64 obviously, since it has the same 3D look,
the characters are all well animated, plus their expression change when they get
hit or they are attacking. There are a few problems though. the enemies just are not
that good looking, They are undetailed and redundant, plus the camera is really hard
to control, you will spend quite a bit of time moving the camera to the best angle,
even then the graphics tend to get a little glitchy too. Oh Yeah the Boss Battles are
awesome, they have a first person mode, and you can even pull off special attacks
to beat the well detailed bosses.
Music and Sound 10 out of 10
The Music sounds a lot like Mystical Ninja except for the improved sound chip, the
music is good enough on its own, but the sound effects are the best, they include
the usual action sound effects, but then you hear a laughtrack during the cinematic,
strange voices, and even an entire music video from the Goemon Impact weapon,
which is a basic robot that looks like Goemon but carries a huge stick and rollerskates,
the sound effects are hilarious, and well worth keeping the volume up.
Game Challenge 7 out of 10
Goemon is pretty easy, you can rush through the game pretty quickly with out much
trouble, but the game can leave you stumped sometimes, and it is a lot of trouble to
search all the towns to pick up clues. The Bosses are pretty tough and a good
challenge. I think the Real Frustration comes from the Bonus areas where you try to
get your special powers for each character.
Game Play-Fun 10 out of 10
Its almost as fun as Mario 64, although you have less moves, there is more land to
explore, and you get 4 characters to choose from. a small Robot that might be
recognized from Mystical Ninja 2. A Female Ninja with cool sword attacks and the
ability to turn into a mermaid, next is Ebisu who can shrink himself and is real good
with a hammer. Plus Goemon himself who welds the cane and has the power to move
across long gaps with the help of a chain cane (similar to Zelda's Hookshot) The
Control Is sometimes tough, you have no long jump so it can be hard to get across
long gaps, the camera angles will drive you crazy.
Frustration
I became extremely Frustrated with Goemons Bonus round, in it you have to throw
boxes to keep these weird looking guys from popping your balloon at the top of the
screen. You cant see behind you so, the another guy can always come up and pop your
balloon, It took me an hour to get through the 99 second round, Frustration at its
worst. Other than that the only other frustration comes from getting lost in the
story sometimes you will lose your place. And forget what you have to do next.
Replayability 7 out of 10
After you beat the game and collect all the cats, which give you more health, you
gain a special boss mode, and its a good game to replay a lot, just be sure to save
some files for getting past Goemons bonus round, That round is only good for a
headache. But you will possibly replay this as much as Mario 64, even if you do get
everything in the game.
Game Value 7 out of 10
Game Value, the game costs just under $60 so its a tough question. Goemon is a
real good game, and you will not be disappointed if you buy it but if you have doubts
then you can always just rent the game first, which is a very good idea.
Overall 8.5 out of 10
In Conclusion, at the least i will say I'm disappointed with Goemon mainly because
there are no more Subgames, = ( but this is the Next Generation of Goemon and
hopefully a sequel will come that offers a ton of improvements, including better
enemy design, subgames, and improved camera control, But the game is easily one
of the Funniest I have ever played. One last note you will need a memory pak to save games