Nintendo 64x64

21/64

1998

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon

"A platforming adventure that takes place across Feudal Japan, Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon focuses on a kiseru-wielding hero and his friends trying to prevent the country from being turned into a westernised fine arts theatre. Rich in Japanese folklore, yet stuffed with anachronisms such as giant robots, the varied gameplay and vibrant pseudo-historical setting make this a charmingly odd experience from start to finish."

8/10 - Martin Watts 64

#nintendo64x64

User Reviews (7)

"The incredible music alone keeps this up there as one of the best N64 gaming experiences, and the bright colours, character switching, coin throwing and dragon riding around Oedo Japan don't do it any harm either. Let's face it, a lot of gamers enjoy a bit of Japanese culture...maybe this is as much Konami's love letter to those folks as it is a game!"

10/10 - mid_55 64

"Mystical Ninja is what you would get if you mixed the platforming of Super Mario 64, the exploration and collecting aspects of The Legend of Zelda, and a little Punch-Out...along with a hokey storyline involving kabuki space aliens, giant robot battles, and a soundtrack that borrows from both traditional Japanese and contemporary pop music, set in feudal Japan...and that's why I love this game."

8/10 - chiefeagle02 64

"What do you call a game where you use a pipe and farts to fight food-monsters, duke it out in huge mechs, explore castles and towns inspired by the old japanese eras, fight a villain that comes from outer space and gain new allies, each stranger than the other along the way? A great Nintendo 64 classic with a bit of a platforming issue."

7/10 - Yrreiht 64

"This was among the first games I ever saw for the Nintendo 64. Everything from the vibrant visuals to the catchy music screamed ‘amazing’ at me. Few games since have such an amazing theme tune and been filled with quirky Japanese humour, and robots! If you haven’t played this game, you are sorely missing out. This needs to reach the Wii U Virtual Console."

8/10 - TimoteiWest 64

"Not everyone was successful in bringing their 2D IP to the third dimension. Konami however was one of the companies that did so successfully and it must have been a real challenge to keep all the charm from the previous four SNES outings of the series intact. Fantastic platform adventure with exceptional gameplay and fantastic music. Better than the sequel in my opinion. Essential."

9/10 - Shiryu 64

"This is a game I picked up because of Nintendo Power. The absurdity was something I gravitated towards, despite a lukewarm review. I didn't get all of the references in it, but the game was a blast to play and that's what mattered. I loved the designs and the characters were entertaining. It's a game for those looking for something offbeat, different... and FUN!"

9/10 - MasterGraveheart 64

"This is a delightfully eccentric game that is a joy to play in so many ways: the scenery, the music, the robot battles, the curious storyline. Although not the most challenging of RPGs, it still gives the gamer some challenge and can be the cause of frustration at times. This is a franchise that could do with a 3DS reboot - are you listening Konami?"

8/10 - N64Memories 64

Comments 29

Djreisat

This game and its sequel are hands down some of my favorite 64 games!

wayneyrob22

i can just about remember this game, it had that japanese nintendo look that only nintendo games look like, i can remember jumping over some fence type things while being chased by some huge thing, a bit like re4, might see what price it is on amazon/ebay.

SKTTR

This game was so expensive when it was new. I bought it for 150DM (75€) plus a Controller Pak for 40DM (20€) and it was totally worth it. Great game, with an amazing atmosphere, a big action-adventure world for explorers who couldn't wait for Zelda Ocarina of Time (which was released almost 1 year later!), funny humour, and an all-time favourite soundtrack (3 songs with singing which was said to be impossible on a cartridge-based system in 1997/98) Pure whacky Japanese magic! Was very disappointed when they took out the voice-acted songs for the Western market in the sequel.
Still my favourite game in the Goemon-series.

FubumblR

The final stage performance towards the end of this game always cracked me up and I had to usually play it over and over just to get enough of it. I'm glad I kept this cart, one day I'll play it again!

nf_2

My brother and I rented this so many times. I really regret not having just bought it since it's a game I've wanted to go back and play. We did end up buying the 2d side scrolling sequel, but I hated it compared to the free roaming one.

Dpullam

I absolutely adored this game each time I rented it back in the day. So many good memories. I wish I owned the cartridge so I could play it again since it doesn't feel right playing games on emulators to me.

YuuMonMu

I use to play these games all the time during the N64 lifespan. My favorite is the 2 player one though.

Also, love the giant mech theme song. lol

kendorage

like others here i rented this multiple times and enjoyed it, especially just walking around and exploring the world. really should have bought it back then.

Nintex

This game was fantastic. I loved every minute of it. The graphics and music and overall game design were superb, Konami at its finest. Sad that there are no new Goemon games in the current generation.

10-zx

There aren't too many new articles... Slow day huh?

Ryu_Niiyama

one of my fave goemon games as well as one of my fave N64 games. I really wish Konami would revive the series.

zipmon

Awesome! Another N64 game I'd really love to see on the VC!

burninmylight

chiefeagle02 sums up this game perfectly!

Ocarina of Time was the best and worst thing to happen to me. Because after experiencing the master piece that was, 3-D platformers just could not compare, and I found myself unable to have fun in the same way. Mystical Ninja fixed that rut! I only rented it twice, but enjoyed ever minute of it (except the part where you have to button mash your way up a waterfall...), and it is probably my most wished for VC game. Please, Konami, PLEASE.

Rargh

Pure childhood nostalgia- one of my favourite n64 games. It feels a bit dated and clunky nowadays but I still love to revisit it every now and then.

Kirk

I thought the SNES game was pretty sweet but don't recall this version being particular stand out.

I'll go give it a wee look...

sr388survivor

I love this game. I was so happy when I found the cart recently. The laugh track to the horrible jokes always cracked me up.

shonenjump86

I played a Goemon game back on SNES, that was the only game in the series that I played.

chiefeagle02

@burninmylight Thank you! I agree with you, this is easily one of those games that I wish would appear on the Virtual Console.

mookysam

I love this game! The Impact! theme is just crazy.

Berto_Gamut

This game was a-mazing when I played it back then. It had its technical problems but I dont mind, still fun.

soma

This game is fantastic, so good I actually bought it just a few months ago. I've been playing it recently and it's a blast to play..... too bad my N64 is dying

MeloMan

Ohhhhhh YES!! Mystical Ninja. This was the first of the series I played, and I took a chance on it renting it one day from Blockbuster. Right from the opening theme to the awesome music, I loved this game and series ever since. I wish this series never died.

ErrantEmbers

I rented this out of the blue back in the N64 days and much to my surprised, I loved it. I only played this once, though I just actually bought this the other day to replay it and add it to my collection. The crazy thing is, it's been 16 years since I last played it and I still remember a lot of it. I remember the music, the levels, the characters. An underrated N64 classic for sure. 9/10

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