So to say I've been slacking on Goemon games this year would be an understatement. This is just an off topic thing for why it's taken so long so skip this paragraph if you don't care. You see I was trying to go chronological order for the ones I could play so the next one was the RPG on the Famicom and I tried so hard to get through it but it's so boring. So I just took my L and skipped to this one and honestly I'm glad I did. Apologies to anyone who would have wanted me to finish the RPG, I'm not doing it.
The first year of the Super Famicom was an interesting one as while it had some duds like Final Fight (yes I will die on this hill that port is bad and idc if it was the best for the time.) But you also had stuff like Chou Makaimura, Super Mario World, F-Zero, Sim City, Area 88, Actraiser, and some more that were pretty good. Konami was part of the good stuff. Sure Gradius III is controversial on the 16 bit platform but we also got Akumajou Dracula, the retelling of the FDS game of the same name. We would also get this game, Ganbare Goemon: Yukihime Kyuushutsu Emaki.
This is a sequel to the two action games on the Famicom and it's easily an improvement over those two. It not only keeps the charm and adds even more then before but it refines the gameplay, adds lots of 2D platforming and not the awful platforming of the past and it's not nearly as cryptic or maze-like as past games.
Goemon still can upgrade his weapon and fight enemies to get more money to use to buy items or play events like Gambling, betting on horse racing, or even playing the first stage of Gradius 1 for fun. While these parts can be samey after a while, they don't last too long so you won't be frustrated. If you are unlucky with money though you might have to grind.
This game also has 2 player co-op like the 2nd Goemon game on the Famicom. I'm not sure if Ebisumaru has different weapons like he did in the 2nd game but I assume he does. Or is it a she? Are they still doing that bit from the end of the 2nd game anymore or was that dropped? It's really cool just how much to the two can interact in events, I could see this being a really fun co-op game.
The platforming stuff isn't too bad though I still hate pits are instant death. You can buy all this stuff to protect yourself but one pit just means nothing, it bothers me. The controls are also a lot better for these too as it'll most of the time not feel like your fault. The bosses though are pretty easy, in fact the whole game is not too hard which surprises me. Or maybe I'm just so used to how hard the previous games were.
The game looks pretty good for an early game on the console. While you could argue some of this could have been done on the Famicom, there are a lot of good looking locations that also use a lot of good colors. This also marks the first game to use Goemon's iconic design. Yeah he had the design on the cover of Gaiden but for some reason it's not used in game. The music is also really good but why does some of it remind me of Kiki Kaikai? I really love the song that plays in Area 8.
If you're looking for Goemon games to play and don't know where to start, play this one. It's really fun and worth a try. I would also recommend you play the fan translation of the Japanese version if you don't know the language. The original localization cut stuff out and lost some of the charm of the original. I'll probably play the sequel sometime next year and I hear great things about it so hopefully I love it.
The first year of the Super Famicom was an interesting one as while it had some duds like Final Fight (yes I will die on this hill that port is bad and idc if it was the best for the time.) But you also had stuff like Chou Makaimura, Super Mario World, F-Zero, Sim City, Area 88, Actraiser, and some more that were pretty good. Konami was part of the good stuff. Sure Gradius III is controversial on the 16 bit platform but we also got Akumajou Dracula, the retelling of the FDS game of the same name. We would also get this game, Ganbare Goemon: Yukihime Kyuushutsu Emaki.
This is a sequel to the two action games on the Famicom and it's easily an improvement over those two. It not only keeps the charm and adds even more then before but it refines the gameplay, adds lots of 2D platforming and not the awful platforming of the past and it's not nearly as cryptic or maze-like as past games.
Goemon still can upgrade his weapon and fight enemies to get more money to use to buy items or play events like Gambling, betting on horse racing, or even playing the first stage of Gradius 1 for fun. While these parts can be samey after a while, they don't last too long so you won't be frustrated. If you are unlucky with money though you might have to grind.
This game also has 2 player co-op like the 2nd Goemon game on the Famicom. I'm not sure if Ebisumaru has different weapons like he did in the 2nd game but I assume he does. Or is it a she? Are they still doing that bit from the end of the 2nd game anymore or was that dropped? It's really cool just how much to the two can interact in events, I could see this being a really fun co-op game.
The platforming stuff isn't too bad though I still hate pits are instant death. You can buy all this stuff to protect yourself but one pit just means nothing, it bothers me. The controls are also a lot better for these too as it'll most of the time not feel like your fault. The bosses though are pretty easy, in fact the whole game is not too hard which surprises me. Or maybe I'm just so used to how hard the previous games were.
The game looks pretty good for an early game on the console. While you could argue some of this could have been done on the Famicom, there are a lot of good looking locations that also use a lot of good colors. This also marks the first game to use Goemon's iconic design. Yeah he had the design on the cover of Gaiden but for some reason it's not used in game. The music is also really good but why does some of it remind me of Kiki Kaikai? I really love the song that plays in Area 8.
If you're looking for Goemon games to play and don't know where to start, play this one. It's really fun and worth a try. I would also recommend you play the fan translation of the Japanese version if you don't know the language. The original localization cut stuff out and lost some of the charm of the original. I'll probably play the sequel sometime next year and I hear great things about it so hopefully I love it.
I always come back to this legendary game... Yet I STILL can't get passed the first stage cause I don't allocate enough time to play it. Maybe someday I'll look at this masterpiece of a series... Just tell me which games to play other than this one and the n64 one, and I'll be good to go. (if the SNES Japanese exclusive versions have translations lmk)
Another genre hybrid very early on in the SNES' lifespan, though a lot more subtle than ActRaiser. Each level consists of a beatemup section and a platforming section, the former also including some adventure game elements such as stores and townsfolk to interact with and sometimes minigames to play with them. It all comes together very nicely, with a lovely little soundtrack as the cherry on top that fits like a glove with the feudal Japan aesthetic going on here.
Very pleasant stuff all around. It does get pretty rough in the endgame as far as difficulty goes, and I had to use a guide somewhere in stage 8's overworld, but those aren't really enough to detract from the overall experience. There are of course bigger highlights in the decade-spanning SNES catalogue, but this one makes for a great playthrough if you're looking for something on the quainter side.
Very pleasant stuff all around. It does get pretty rough in the endgame as far as difficulty goes, and I had to use a guide somewhere in stage 8's overworld, but those aren't really enough to detract from the overall experience. There are of course bigger highlights in the decade-spanning SNES catalogue, but this one makes for a great playthrough if you're looking for something on the quainter side.
Trying to find this game on Backloggd's list with just "Goemon" in the search field reminded me of the early 2000s spin-off series where they tried to make Goemon attractive and, I assume, more self-serious. I never played those and I have no desire to. Unless Goemon looks as hideous as he does on the cover of The Legend of the Mystical Ninja then I am not interested in any off-model Goemen.
Anyway, I have surprisingly little to say about this one. Normally I can whip up a tome about even the most asinine of SNES games, but surprisingly I keep coming up blank on this one. It's Goemon! Those games are pretty good. This game is also good. That's my review, please check back next week when I write 12 paragraphs about Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko!
Mystical Ninja is pretty funny, though not quite as absurd as the N64 sequel, which was able to get away with a bit more. There's still some really great bits like finding the Gradius minigame, and the boss and enemies designs are appropriately silly. The soundtrack is also really good, Yae's theme in particular stands out to me as a favorite.
Platforming feels solid, Goemon controls great both in the side-scrolling stages and during the more isometric town sections. It's just a solid little platformer that's worth your time, and which I probably should've played again to refresh myself on, because I'm sure there's more to say about it, but I sure as shit don't have anything else to talk about so I'm going to go clean the lent out of my dryer duct or something bye.
Anyway, I have surprisingly little to say about this one. Normally I can whip up a tome about even the most asinine of SNES games, but surprisingly I keep coming up blank on this one. It's Goemon! Those games are pretty good. This game is also good. That's my review, please check back next week when I write 12 paragraphs about Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko!
Mystical Ninja is pretty funny, though not quite as absurd as the N64 sequel, which was able to get away with a bit more. There's still some really great bits like finding the Gradius minigame, and the boss and enemies designs are appropriately silly. The soundtrack is also really good, Yae's theme in particular stands out to me as a favorite.
Platforming feels solid, Goemon controls great both in the side-scrolling stages and during the more isometric town sections. It's just a solid little platformer that's worth your time, and which I probably should've played again to refresh myself on, because I'm sure there's more to say about it, but I sure as shit don't have anything else to talk about so I'm going to go clean the lent out of my dryer duct or something bye.
When I was a kid my brother, sister, and I would start a new game only to run to a nearby house to find this NPC lady in a towel. We dubbed this the "nakey lady game," much to my mothers contempt, and that's the main reason we played it.
The only other memory I have of this game was that it was extremely challenging and we could never actually beat it.
The only other memory I have of this game was that it was extremely challenging and we could never actually beat it.