Super FamiComplete #25: Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Redux)

Title: Ganbare Goemon: Yukihime Kyuushutsu Emaki (JP)

          Legend of the Mystical Ninja (NA)

Release Date: 07/19/91

Developer: Konami

Publisher: Konami

I love this game, and have very distinct memories of this game from my childhood. One of my good friends introduced this game to me, and it was so distinctly strange that I was fascinated with it. It is a tough game, but lil' old me banged my head against it for days at a time until I could make it most of the way through the game. I finally did beat this game in preparation for this blog. 

Background

Legend of the Mystical Ninja was the first SNES installment of the longstanding Konami series, Ganbare Goemon, (which translates to "Go For It" or "Hang in There Goemon!"); it was also the first to reach North America. It was a much beloved series in Japan for the Famicom, and this game marked the first 16 bit entrant in the series. 

The series follows the story of a much beloved folk hero of Japan from the Sengoku (Warring States) period in Japan, Goemon Ishikawa, who was a sort of gentleman thief, similar to a Robin Hood. The Warring States period was a period of civil war in Japan, with the various region daimyos (warlords) fighting to become the next leader who would unify Japan. It lasted quite a long time in Japan (from the middle of the 15th to the beginning of the 17th century), which was quite devastating to the people of Japan. Goemon was known as the commoner thief who would steal from these Warlords and return that wealth back to the common people. He is most famously depicted as having stolen from the second true "Shogun" of that period, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and being boiled alive for it. Legend states that both him and his son were set to be boiled alive for such a crime, but Goemon so loved his son that he held him above his head while he was boiling to save his son from execution. Hideyoshi was so moved by this, that he spared the son. 

From this legend, Goemon has appeared in a TON of Japanese media: manga, anime, video games, films, etc, including this series of games and the game we are looking at in particular. This legend even appeared in the most recent arc of One Piece with a character holding up thirteen people above boiling pitch. 

The other playable character, Ebisu-Maru (Dr. Yang in North America), is based off of another real-life folk hero/thief named Nezumi Kozo. He was another thief who would steal from samurai lords, until he too was eventually caught, dragged behind a horse, and decapitated (Japan didn't treat thieves too kindly). The most famous thing that has lived well into the modern day is his signature head-scarf, which he tied under his nose. He is still a much loved character in kabuki and noh theater. 

Gameplay

Now this game is a rather interesting hybrid of genres. For one, it has both 3D plane action segments (think Link to the Past) as well as platforming segments (akin to Castlevania). As well, you can play this game with two players, which is rather rare in a platforming game. Finally, the game adds RPG elements, complete with grinding for money, buying armor to raise your life meter, and other power-ups which add special attacks and mounts for your characters. 

The story is rather straightforward: a clan of thieves has stolen the princess of one of the Daimyo, and it is up to your characters to retrieve her from the nefarious thieves. What adds a wrinkle to the matter is that these thieves have allied themselves with a clan of Japanese monsters, who have given them considerable power. 

Now the North American version did its best to make a game as "Japanese" as this one palatable for the American audience, but it must be said that Japanese culture still exudes by the gallon from this game. So many stock characters from Japanese history, culture, and mythology make an appearance, such as the Ainu Barbarians (the aboriginal people of Japan who are stereotyped as unkempt and barbarous), the Kitsune (Fox Spirits), the Tengu (bird goblins), and characters from Japanese Bunraku theater (puppet theater). Tanuki statues act as save points before the platforming segments, and various yokai pop up everywhere. 

Even the first boss, seen above, is a female ghost that spins plates at you, is based off of the Japanese myth of Okiku and the Nine Plates, a well known drama of a girl who is drowned in a well by her lover and comes back to haunt him.

For lovers of Japanese culture, this game is worth checking out for these reasons alone. Beneath this Japanese candy coating, though, leaves a tough-as-nails platformer. I am not going to lie, I had to Game Genie it up to beat this darn game, and even then the game was still time consuming to beat due to its difficult platforming segments. Your character has a very limited life bar and his health is drained rather quickly due to a very small invincibility window after being hit. The 3D action segments and the platforming segments are littered with enemies who move very quickly and fire projectiles, meaning your reaction time has to be on point or you will be dropped and lose a life very quickly. The later levels, as well, have some really tight platforming segments, and any hit by an enemy projectile has your character doing the "Belmont" leap back, most often into a pit. Add this to the fact that your weapon has a very measly reach (you can extend the reach through items, but it is taken away instantly after being hit by an enemy), and you only have 2 lives and 3 continues, and you have a recipe for a very tough game.

The trick to getting far in this game is that it is meant to be played like Castlevania II: Simon's Quest: you have to grind out money during the 3D plane action levels in order to afford enough money to buy the armor, healing items, special attacks, and other items that will increase your life bar and allow you to make some mistakes. It also helps to have extra money, as you can throw this as a projectile weapon, allowing you to not have to get close to enemies and bosses to hit them. You also can play a series of mini games at shops to help build up some money (one of the levels takes place in a theme park, and it is a chapter that mainly serves to buff you for the rest of the game).



I will say, as tough as the game is, the boss fights are really quite fun. They are rather inventive, and no boss fight is the same as another in terms of how it is fought or what is expected of the player.

 

What about them great licks?
The music in this game is pretty darn phenomenal. Very Japanese.

Ads and Art



No commercials for this game that I could find.

Final Verdict
This game is very tough, but incredibly fun. It begs to be replayed over and over again, and it really wants you to engage with the games systems in order to eventually succeed. The difficulty curve in this game is usually fair, but there are a few segments that are very tough (the ninja palace and the cliff levels expect some very precise platforming that can easily burn through your lives). Overall, this is a solid and must have game for the SNES. I am excited to play the THREE sequels for this game that exist on the Super Famicom library.