Collection essentials #419: Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon (N64)

Here we have one of the “sleeper hits” of the Nintendo 64. Most gamers who were around in the ‘90s or who are into retro games are familiar with the “big hitters” from the console’s lineup, and sometimes they lament that the console doesn’t have a ton to offer outside of those big hitters. This, however, is an example of a game that flew under the radar a bit and was not anything close to a household name, but it is fondly beloved by the ones who did have the privilege of playing it.

You may recall that I have covered some Goemon titles on this blog before and that I generally like the series (no surprise, as it’s made by the great Konami). It’s one of those series that switches genres at times, but is typically some form of action game, often a platformer with various levels of adventure thrown in. They’re usually quite silly, and as the series went on some more main characters were introduced who offer distinct abilities to the player, as well as these unique first-person giant robot battles. It is a bit of a surprise that this game got released in America, as the previous few titles were limited to Japan only, and the series is very unabashedly Japanese which wasn’t really a normal thing for games released in America in the ‘90s.

This game is more of an action adventure title than a platformer, most resembling Ganbare Goemon 3 for Super Famicom in that regard. It definitely feels inspired by Zelda, as for example it has dungeons which involve solving puzzles as well as lucky cats to find throughout the world to increase the player’s maximum health (the equivalent of Zelda’s heart pieces). It is interesting to note, though, that this game predates Ocarina of Time by over a year, so it’s impressive that they pulled this off in 3D before Zelda itself did.

Goemon finds three other friends who join him on the adventure, and the player can switch between the four heroes at any time when they are available. Their different abilities include Ebisumaru’s ability to shrink, and Yae can turn into a mermaid to swim way better than the other characters. 

One of the most memorable things about this game is its humor. This game is incredibly goofy and silly in a delightful way. The plot of the game involves evil dancers who have a giant UFO and intend to transform all of Japan into their dancing stage. Not one ounce of the story is meant to be taken seriously, but that’s for the best. My personal favorite running joke is how one of the main villains keeps calling Goemon “Fernandez”, for no reason. There is some voice work in the game (kept in Japanese), but the actual dialogue in the cutscenes is restricted to text. The game actually employs laugh tracks like you’d see in a sitcom for the humorous dialogue, and I find that highly amusing. 

The giant robot battles return in this game, in 3D for the first time, and they’re pretty sweet. The best part now is that Goemon’s giant robot, Impact, now has his own theme song complete with vocals which plays when Goemon summons him, a song that is beloved by the game’s fans, including me. Speaking of songs, the game's opening also has a cool tune sung by the same guy who sang Dragon Ball Z’s Japanese theme song, Cha-La Head-Cha-La.

This game is not without blemishes, unfortunately. I have two main issues with it. The first is that it is rather slow to get going. The beginning of the game just isn’t too exciting and doesn’t really get you hyped for what’s to come. But eventually the game will start being awesome and you’ll have tons of fun…before it ends too soon. This is one of those games where the credits rolled and I was like, “Aww, I want more!” It’s not the type of game you can beat in one sitting or anything, but it’s considerably shorter than, say, Ocarina of Time, and I can’t help but feel another quality dungeon or two could have really done wonders.

I first heard about this game in the mid-2000s when my internet friend Mr. Fwibbles told me about it and how much he liked it. It took several years for me to actually get it for myself, though, and then it was a few years after that (mid-2010s) that I actually sat down to play through it. After playing various Goemon titles, this one stands out as one of the best. For being a wonderful and unique title in the Nintendo 64 library, it’s an easy essentials pick. DASH DASH DASH!