This is by far one of my favorite entries in the series and my favorite N64 game overall. it's not hard to get your hands on and I highly recommend grabbing a copy and trying it for yourselves!
I absolutely agree. One of my favourite games of all time. I love everything about the game: the characters, the story, the environment, the enemies, the music (!!!), the humor, the endbosses, the mech fights, the collectables. This game is so beautiful!
I rented it as a teen and instantly thought it was just a half notch lower than mario 64, starfox and zelda. It really is that good, especially for it's time.
No one born in the 2000’s maybe! If you were born in the 80’s and before you grew up in the Ninja era. I own and collect all ninja games and Goemon is on my list. I will own every Goemon game, N64 Famicon Super Famicon Gameboy, every Goemon will be Mines! Mwahahahahahahahaaaa 😈😈😈😈
Such a shame this game hasn't seen any re-release/remaster in any way, shape, or form since it's original release. And with the internal politics at Konami, that is unlikely to change any time soon.
One thing I like about the soundtrack of the game is that inside the dungeons it progresses. The tracks starts with a simple melody and a few instruments but get more complex the more you explore. its so genius!
Say what you want, but this is, at minimum, the best SOUNDTRACK on the N64. Absolutely unmatched in it's technical complexity, ambition, and variety. Seriously, the fact that this soundtrack is over 2 hours long and has MULTIPLE voiced songs is just mind-blowing.
@@beanieweenie1349I second that. I haven't played either game in quite a while and still vividly recall melodies from songs in each game. And the impact song is just ... chef's kiss
I think this one outclasses GGA. This game set a peak for video game soundtracks that very potentially could never be reached ever again, in a particularly unique way. GGA has good music, some great, but there are enough filler songs and overall it feels like it's "trying" to be mystical ninja's OST, but failing. @@beanieweenie1349
This game was released over a year before OoT, so the influence from that specific title wouldn't have been there. The overall dungeon design may be reminiscient of Link to the Past, but 3D Zelda was still a ways away.
When you look at this game in context, it kind of had nothing to base itself on in the 3D world. Mario 64 released mid development, which I'm sure influenced things in some way, but 3D gaming (practically speaking) had basically existed barely a year by the time this released.
Mystical Ninja N64 WAS my introduction to Japanese culture. Like, I played this before I even HEARD of Dragon Ball as a kid. Such a good game man. Ebisumaru my boy.
This was the game that meant the most to me, growing up. It still means everything to me. Sometimes, I would just power it on and walk around the towns and villages, just exploring and talking to people, no thought given to the quest. The world felt so unique and alive, but it was small and cozy, too. It gave safety to exploring an unfamiliar world.
I imported this for my Japanese N64 back when it came out and was blown away. I loved this game so much that I decided to start leaning Japanese and it started my fascination with the culture. My Japanese is still only elementary unfortunately, but I am still fascinated by the country. One of my favourite games of all time and by far my favourite game soundtrack. I loved your review. Was nice to see someone else who was (and continues to be) enchanted by this quirky masterpiece!
13:10 Ah, I see you too used the "jumping repeatedly while climbing so you can hear the character's huphuphuphuphup grunts" technique. Clearly, a man of culture
I used to borrow this game all the time from a friend and then recently re-beat it again a few months ago. I never even knew that Impact had combo moves until recently! One thing I really love about this game is just how much love was put into all the character animations! Each character has like 4-5 movement cycles, depending on how fast you make them move, and on top of that they all have their own little victory animation and sound clip for when you find one of the cat statues or any special items.
Finally someone who speaks well about this awesome and bizarre title! Man, I love Mystical Ninja! When I was 13 (almost 15 years ago) and I bought this game it took me at leat 10 hours to complete it and I had to do it without saving because at that time I didn't have a Controller Pack xD (yep, I used to play it from dawn to dusk) So I eventually ended up solving the puzzles... :P Aahh... what a experience! I remember some of the dungeons were very much complicated for the games at that time.
It certainly was. Holy shit the nostalgia. Going to the rental store over and over to play this gem again and again with no memory pack. One day I rented it and the store closed forever. Eventually I managed to get my hands on one and finish the game. The music was magic. Theme of Koryuta is still in my heart to this day.
That's so crazy man! I grew up with the sequel instead of the original and also had no memory pack to save, so when I got to the end of the first map and finished the super hard burning castle level, I ALWAYS failed the Impact battle and had to regrind over and over for months just to learn the mech controls on the fly. It was also super strange with no context of the first game too.
I loved this game so much. Ocarina is incredible, of course, but Goemon gave me a totally different sense of wonder in exploring classic Japan, something I didn't feel again until Okami. The characters all felt so unique and special, and the writing so funny and well done, it was just an incredible experience. I'm sure I barely even scratched the surface, like you, and could still get a lot of play out of it! How crazy were those mech battles? I had Goemon flashbacks when I was doing the Divine Beast missions in Hyrule Warriors, just the scale of it. If anything, this is a criminally overlooked counterpart to Ocarina, just like maybe how Rocket (Robot on Wheels) is that for Mario/Banjo.
We literally had the same experience as you with this as kids. We used to rent it for the weekend. Play it and keep our N64 on overnight as we too had no way to save it. We used to rent it every few months too
This game truly is a gem! And came out before Ocarina of Time. Really captures the magic of when games were whimsical and vibrant. Can’t help but love the humor, music, and setting.
11:35 Not quite correct. It's true you can get it early at said random inn/café, but it's not the only way. If you don't have the map by the time Koryuta (the kid who can turn into a dragon) gives you the flute. If you don't have the map by then, he'll also give you a map of Japan. 12:10 There's an NPC in either the town or the shrine near it (I think?) who talks about it. This one is definitely vauge and kinda hard to figure out, but it's atleast hinted and spoken about in the game. 20:00 The circle trick isn't terrible, but throwing 2-3 boxes on each hole completely dunks them back in where they started, no matter how far up they got. 21:10 I think it IS technically optional. You find it in the Submarine dungeon, which disappears/blows up after you're done with it. So yes, I believe it's actually possible to completely miss Yae's Bazooka. It's not hard, but you can. 22:40 Fun Fact: It's best to do the minigame with Ebisumaru, because he throws the Achilles Heel' log faster than Goemon or Yae does! (Same goes for when recovering when landing very high jumps. Ebisumaru recovers the fastest.) That said, Mystical Ninja IS truly one of the best N64 games ever! The music, charm and insanity is just so lovely. How many games features a laugh track? Good video, dude! Between this and New Vegas, you clearly got some good taste.
24:44 shout out for Takarazuka theater production (Takarazuka is a one of the keys for understanding Japanese culture and anime jokes but not a lot of people know about it...)
It was one of my favorite game when I was a kid, English is not my main language and at the time I didn't understand everything and never could finish it because of that, but I loved it so much, the absurdity, the humor, the characters, the music, everything was so charming. Really a hidden gem of that era, thank you very much for that love letter Rad 💙
Dude I forgot about this game for the longest time. I just started thinking about it, and your title literally describes exactly how I felt about it. The music is so perfect and memorable as well. I literally thought no one even played it. It makes me so happy to see that I wasn't the only one who loved it
I played this game as a kid without knowing what I was doing (the game being only english and it not being my first language didn't help), I played it as a teenager when i finally understood what's going on and I will play it again and again until I die of old age. While I'm not playing it, I'm probably listening to its phenomenal soundtrack. This game is love. I'm so glad I'm not the only person that feels this way.
12:10-12:15 If you were Japanese that would actually make perfect sense to do. Shrines like this where you donate money is really common in Japan, so a lot of Japanese would make the connection.
During the impact battles, if you do two light punches, then mash the chain pipe button (I think it's R), you can smack the boss with the chain pipe for extra damage. I just found that out watching some boss videos of those fights, blew my mind as I never knew that was a possible attack, much like how the multi punch and beam were new to you
Oh my god I love this series (: Funfact the singer for impact's theme is the renowned Ichirou Mizuki who is known for singing the Mazinger opening themes (:
Ichiro Mizuki, aka Aniki, did the main vocals for the Impact song. He died a few years back, but had a long career doing themes for various anime and sentai series.
The fact they had a freaking laughing track is what won me over this game. The game doesn't take itself seriously and that's what makes it great. I recommend you try the second N64 installment of Goemon. It is a 2D scroller but set in a 3D background, it's quite the experience! Just as an addition because this idea just popped to me watching this review: The Blonde that appears next to the Blue hair final boss guy, she has a bit of a deep voice. Then I remember that traditionally in japanese theater, women were not allowed to act, _so female roles we're done by men as well._ And considering they had already pulled that joke in a N64 japanese release called _Mononoke Sugoroku,_ yeah, they got away with a really subtle joke at theater, lolz.
@@SuperRADLemon Oh, neat! Yeah, both are very different in play style, but both pack that japanese humor characteristic of the series. And the entire soundtrack is as sick as the first game.
Truly a gem. This game definitely made my childhood better and brighter. I rented it for so many weekends while having to share the N64 with my brother, only to have to restart the game next turn the videogame was mine to play. I would play the whole weekend and keep humming the tracks all week. I will always cherish this game and hope for a comeback on Goemon series.
I live in Japan and was recently shopping in Nakano Broadway which has dozens of second hand anime and game goods for sale. I found a tiny figurine of Goemon in the style of the Konami Baseball games and had memories flooding back to me of this game as a childhood. Similarly to you, SuperRad, I bought this game on New Zealand's version of eBay, TradeMe, simply because the game had "Ninja" in the title, and the box art looked good. When the game finally arrived and I actually played it I didn't have an expansion pack, and couldn't progress. I had to buy an expansion pack and play it a week later, I was so sad and impatient. Back when I played it I didn't understand any of it, and didn't like the campy jokes and over-the-top style. "I want a cool edgy ninja game!!" said child me. But now I have such fond memories of this game, and having lived in Japan I can understand a lot of the folklore references and scenes of the in-game version of Japan. I'm late, but thank you for this video, you painted a great picture of the experience, and I really want to revisit this game some time soon! 🙌🌟
When I was little I used to rent this game from Hollywood Video. I always preferred the sequel though, Goemon's Great Adventure. I remember having a big video game crush on Yae way back then and would rush through the game to unlock her.
This game filled me with so much magic back in the day! A time where I was falling in love with Japanese culture. Never felt the same feeling since in gaming. I did 100% of this game. A modern take is so needed!!!!!!
This was my EXACT story too XD I knew this game through Blockbuster, and I would rent it every weekend, until it closed down whilst the rental was still ongoing and we got to keep it, but they never gave us the expansion pack, and I could only progress by keeping on the console. The farthest I ever got was the submarine dungeon, whereupon entering, I glitched into one of the walls and I didn't have the courage to start again, until years later I played it through emulator and finished it. Such a charming, fun, lively game, it certainly was one of my favourites and holds such a special place in my heart. And the MUSIC! RAWEST OST on the N64 EDIT: I specifically remember that, when teaching the mountain shrine that upgrades your ryo, the message board in front of it will tell you to throw money at it to become happy
Mystical Ninja was one of my favourite games. I seen it in a N64 magazine as a kid, just a small corner piece on a page. I randomly asked my mam if I could get it for my bday....Needless to say I got it and loved it. Still have my original copy now.
This was my favorite game as a kid I used to beat this game in a day no need for a control pack. Once I got the control pack I got all the lucky cats and unlocked the Robot Boss Mode on the menu screen.
I love this game and I agree 100% with the statement on the title. About the fact that Impact talk about making a movie in America, it's something that was supposed to appear in the game. On a japanese magazine from November 1996 there's a screenshot from a beta version of this game, in which Impact is facing a robot in a cowboy hat. According to the text, it was a stage that started in Japan and had Impact walking to America. Sadly, it's not present in the final game, of course.
I've been saying for years that this game is my favorite N64 game. It's just so good and unique. I remember just resetting the game and watching the theme song over and over as a kid.. I was so blown away that a game could do that. Great take on the game
This 1000%!!! This game is such a gem! The Style, the humor, the soundtrack! I play a japanese instrument called the Shamisen and I attribute my love for it's sound to the hours I spent playing this game!
I first played this game as a rental as well, but I couldn’t beat it. I couldn’t figure out the robot controls, either. 😅 When I was an adult, I bought what I thought was the game, but actually turned out to be its sequel, Goemon’s Great Adventure. Imagine my confusion when the game suddenly became a side scroller with a completely different plot. I thought for a while The Mystical Ninja was some kind of fever dream I experienced after playing Ocarina of Time for so long. 😂 I eventually got both games and beat them. The Mystical Ninja is one of my favorite N64 games, and the soundtrack is one of my absolute favorites of all time.
The only game I still have a box and manual for on the n64. I bought a wireless controller and a retrotink to upscale on my modern TV just for this masterpiece.
One hundred percent "all of my yes" to this video. Mystical Ninja for the N64 was such an outstanding 3d platformer that I even put it over Legend of Zelda OOT. It was just sooo...charming. Everything about it was just so much fun!
Going through some of your old videos and saw this! As a Mystical Ninja lover I was taken aback when you said you can complete this game one hundred percent under eight hours. I could've sworn it was way longer, but... I guess the unapologetic no hand holding can do that to you. Fuck, I can't wait till you get to this game in the N64 marathon.
Want to learn another new thing about the game? Next time you do a playthrough, talk to the Witch with Sasuke after you're done talking to Wise Man's "ghost."
I agree! This was the beset and most fun game I ever palyed on N64. I remember how epic Zleda and SM64 were, but I kept playing this game over and over well after I beat it. It had humor, playful animation, mystery, this lovely japanese feel, and the music was beautiful. BEST N64 GAME!
As a kid, we rented this out and my brother and I beat it in one sitting when everyone was asleep cuz no memory pak. This title gave me a love for games where, on the surface, everything seems whacky and doesn't make sense. But if you concentrate on what's going on and dig a little deeper, the world actually has an interesting explanation. I won't spoil anything, but the plot is very funny and interesting to those outside of the know. Now I plan on streaming this as the final game to my retrothon, because hardly anyone I've met knows about this title. Few games sate my hunger for creativity, exploration and humour. I even got myself the Japanese version, box and all, when I visited Japan for the first time. Mystical Ninja fucking ROCKS subscribed
On a side note; if you're looking for another game that scratches this kind of itch, I highly recommend Cubivore: Survival of The Fittest by Saru Brunei and Intelligent Systems.
this was one my favourite games as a kid its so unique i still never played another game like it, i hope it comes to switch so i can play it again it was such a great game
SuperRAD I think you’ll be able to get that mystical ninja sense of wonder once again when Elden Ring releases in Feb! The game is shaping up to be Fromsoft’s opus for sure.
At the beginning of the video, you described my Friday evening perfectly; heading to Blockbuster to play a game right after school. I wish Mystical Ninja was on NSO, I never made it far either because I didn't understand why my game couldn't save until years later.
Damn this video sent me back into my childhood. Was not ready for such an awesome trip, thank you for that! I had almost the same story as you did. Never owned it myself and always borrowed it from my childhood friend (also no memory card here, so i would always start again, over and over). Always getting a bit further but never finished it. That didn't matter for me because that world and everything around it just made it so magical to me. I also remeber seeing those rice ball items and always thinking to myself howtasty they look! I owned a VHS tape with some demo videos and one of these demos was MNs Goemon (also Snowboard Kids, loved that game too). That was like the first time seeing that game and hearing I AM IMPACT. I think i watched that tape 100 times haha
I remember renting this game, but because I could never save it, I had to start over each time. But the Impact song still stayed in my head even years later.
When I was a kid in the 90's during the SNES era, every few weeks my father would take me to Toy's'R'Us and I got to pick out a game. One time, my uncle went with us, and he was trying to convince me to get some action game, and I don't remember what it was, but it looked very American. I probably would have gotten it, but almost immediately after, my eye stumbled upon the crazy box art of The Legend of the Mystical Ninja, and it was over. My uncle, with good intentions, tried to sway my decision, thinking the game I picked wasn't as fun as the one he picked up, but I just remember being so stricken with the box art that I *HAD* to know what the game was about. I'm so fortunate that I picked what I wanted, because that led me down a path of fandom that would last into my middle age years. Throughout the years my father bought me the N64 games, I played the Japanese only games, watched the cartoon show, hunted down figurines. I would do everything I can to get my hands on anything Goemon related, and I still feel that way now. Crazy how one moment in my childhood, that almost didn't happen, led me to one of the most beloved game series that I've ever had the privilege of knowing about. The series deserved more attention in the US.
Like you I rented this, probably several times, and the theme is still imprinted on my head. Not sure I ever managed to finish it but remember thinking the giant robot was the coolest thing ever.
I got this game used in box at blockbuster for I think around $30 cad in 1999. Cool thing about blockbuster back in the day is if you rented something a few times you could just out right buy the shelf copy from the store if you asked. And yeah, the controller pak thing got me too, thankfully for the Christmas before i got one of those 3rd party n64 accessory paks that had a bunch of stuff in it, including a memory card the infamous super pad 64 plus(don't know why everyone hates on this thing, i actually really liked it back in the day). But to this day, this game still is one of my most memorable childhood experiences ever. Back then I was super into what ever anime YTV was showing and would rent what every VHS anime OVA I could get from the video store. Playing a game with pure Japanese atmosphere and music just blew my mind. I would get immersed in the world as if I was playing a video game Anime OVA. From the level design and scenery to the map and locations its self, it felt like I was living some kind of adventure across the county of Japan. The soundtrack for this game is amazing. The gameplay is decent enough even though the camera can be finicky at times waiting for it to center. But the control was tight and all the cool stuff you had to do to progress really brought this home for me. Still in my top 20 of all time.
I thought this was about the second game, goemons great adventure, which was one of my top n64 games. Never played this one and didnt realize it was all 3d, the second one was surprisingly more 2.5d with the mech battles
People's entire perception of videogames was broadened when they stepped out into Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time for the first time. For me, it was stepping out into Kai Highway. And good lord does this game's OST fucking rock. DA DA DASH
This is by far one of my favorite entries in the series and my favorite N64 game overall. it's not hard to get your hands on and I highly recommend grabbing a copy and trying it for yourselves!
Best but it became less popular since some Goemon fans claim him as dead.
I absolutely agree. One of my favourite games of all time. I love everything about the game: the characters, the story, the environment, the enemies, the music (!!!), the humor, the endbosses, the mech fights, the collectables. This game is so beautiful!
Sorry you are cringe for complaining about old jokes. It makes you look like a Karen.
This game is the best, especially the soundtrack and setting!
Agreed I had the ill always remember then last boss with the dash dash dash dash bit
Telling everyone about this game as a kid was my mission in life. I will forever love this gem.
I found this video looking for evidence to confirm why I've been telling my friends this since the 4tg grade lol. Cheers to great taste!
and it’s like no one’s ever heard of it. Wtf
I rented it as a teen and instantly thought it was just a half notch lower than mario 64, starfox and zelda. It really is that good, especially for it's time.
No one born in the 2000’s maybe! If you were born in the 80’s and before you grew up in the Ninja era. I own and collect all ninja games and Goemon is on my list. I will own every Goemon game, N64 Famicon Super Famicon Gameboy, every Goemon will be Mines! Mwahahahahahahahaaaa 😈😈😈😈
Such a shame this game hasn't seen any re-release/remaster in any way, shape, or form since it's original release. And with the internal politics at Konami, that is unlikely to change any time soon.
One thing I like about the soundtrack of the game is that inside the dungeons it progresses. The tracks starts with a simple melody and a few instruments but get more complex the more you explore. its so genius!
Say what you want, but this is, at minimum, the best SOUNDTRACK on the N64. Absolutely unmatched in it's technical complexity, ambition, and variety. Seriously, the fact that this soundtrack is over 2 hours long and has MULTIPLE voiced songs is just mind-blowing.
I'd say it's a toss up between this game and the other Goemon game on N64, Goemons Great Adventure
@@beanieweenie1349I second that. I haven't played either game in quite a while and still vividly recall melodies from songs in each game. And the impact song is just ... chef's kiss
GaMetal has a metal cover of the last dungeon. worth checking out.
I still get many of this games' songs randomly stuck in my head legitimately every week.
I think this one outclasses GGA. This game set a peak for video game soundtracks that very potentially could never be reached ever again, in a particularly unique way. GGA has good music, some great, but there are enough filler songs and overall it feels like it's "trying" to be mystical ninja's OST, but failing. @@beanieweenie1349
This game was released over a year before OoT, so the influence from that specific title wouldn't have been there. The overall dungeon design may be reminiscient of Link to the Past, but 3D Zelda was still a ways away.
When you look at this game in context, it kind of had nothing to base itself on in the 3D world. Mario 64 released mid development, which I'm sure influenced things in some way, but 3D gaming (practically speaking) had basically existed barely a year by the time this released.
@bobbysworldofficial And they pretty much almost nailed it?!? Amazing
Mystical Ninja N64 WAS my introduction to Japanese culture. Like, I played this before I even HEARD of Dragon Ball as a kid.
Such a good game man. Ebisumaru my boy.
Same. It wasn’t anime that made me want to visit Japan. It was Ganbare Goemon!
Hey! Me too!
DItto! I freaking LOVE this game! It was such a joy to play when I still had my N64. The wild humor, the fun game play, the sound track!
This really is one of the best games on the N64 and really an underrated game at that.
Its the epitome of underrated.
You know the game is a masterpiece when it has it's own laugh track
Anytime I see the word "plasma", I ALWAYS need to yell "PURASUMA!!!!!!"
This was the game that meant the most to me, growing up. It still means everything to me. Sometimes, I would just power it on and walk around the towns and villages, just exploring and talking to people, no thought given to the quest. The world felt so unique and alive, but it was small and cozy, too. It gave safety to exploring an unfamiliar world.
I would do the exact same thing, even in more "barren" areas like Musashi or Awaji Island!
@@bobbysworldofficial I would love finding little empty corners of the world and just hanging around them... like they were "mine."
I imported this for my Japanese N64 back when it came out and was blown away. I loved this game so much that I decided to start leaning Japanese and it started my fascination with the culture. My Japanese is still only elementary unfortunately, but I am still fascinated by the country. One of my favourite games of all time and by far my favourite game soundtrack. I loved your review. Was nice to see someone else who was (and continues to be) enchanted by this quirky masterpiece!
がんばれごえもん！
This is my favorite N64 game. Thanks for spreading the love.
13:10 Ah, I see you too used the "jumping repeatedly while climbing so you can hear the character's huphuphuphuphup grunts" technique. Clearly, a man of culture
Game needs an HD remaster with a full orchestra soundtrack
I used to borrow this game all the time from a friend and then recently re-beat it again a few months ago. I never even knew that Impact had combo moves until recently!
One thing I really love about this game is just how much love was put into all the character animations! Each character has like 4-5 movement cycles, depending on how fast you make them move, and on top of that they all have their own little victory animation and sound clip for when you find one of the cat statues or any special items.
"Orc Arena of Time" I would play that
Beat me to it lmao!
lol That's funny. I always fuck up this pronunciation too.
It's better than Ogre Battle 64
Playing this game when I was a kid is the reason I live in Japan now
Finally someone who speaks well about this awesome and bizarre title!
Man, I love Mystical Ninja!
When I was 13 (almost 15 years ago) and I bought this game it took me at leat 10 hours to complete it and I had to do it without saving because at that time I didn't have a Controller Pack xD
(yep, I used to play it from dawn to dusk)
So I eventually ended up solving the puzzles... :P
Aahh... what a experience!
I remember some of the dungeons were very much complicated for the games at that time.
This game’s OST is toe to toe with Donkey Kong Country.
It certainly was. Holy shit the nostalgia. Going to the rental store over and over to play this gem again and again with no memory pack. One day I rented it and the store closed forever. Eventually I managed to get my hands on one and finish the game.
The music was magic. Theme of Koryuta is still in my heart to this day.
That's so crazy man! I grew up with the sequel instead of the original and also had no memory pack to save, so when I got to the end of the first map and finished the super hard burning castle level, I ALWAYS failed the Impact battle and had to regrind over and over for months just to learn the mech controls on the fly. It was also super strange with no context of the first game too.
Oh yeah getting a game over was hell
I loved this game so much. Ocarina is incredible, of course, but Goemon gave me a totally different sense of wonder in exploring classic Japan, something I didn't feel again until Okami. The characters all felt so unique and special, and the writing so funny and well done, it was just an incredible experience. I'm sure I barely even scratched the surface, like you, and could still get a lot of play out of it! How crazy were those mech battles? I had Goemon flashbacks when I was doing the Divine Beast missions in Hyrule Warriors, just the scale of it. If anything, this is a criminally overlooked counterpart to Ocarina, just like maybe how Rocket (Robot on Wheels) is that for Mario/Banjo.
We literally had the same experience as you with this as kids.
We used to rent it for the weekend. Play it and keep our N64 on overnight as we too had no way to save it.
We used to rent it every few months too
This game truly is a gem! And came out before Ocarina of Time. Really captures the magic of when games were whimsical and vibrant. Can’t help but love the humor, music, and setting.
Man I forgot it came out BEFORE OoT. Was basically 3d Zelda before 3d Zelda.
I grew up on SNES and N64 games, would love to see you cover more of these type of games :) your commentary is incredibly well done!
Thank you!!
I played this throughout my childhood, but I didn't realize just how perfect the soundtrack for this game is until now. The Impact theme is godlike.
11:35 Not quite correct. It's true you can get it early at said random inn/café, but it's not the only way.
If you don't have the map by the time Koryuta (the kid who can turn into a dragon) gives you the flute. If you don't have the map by then, he'll also give you a map of Japan.
12:10 There's an NPC in either the town or the shrine near it (I think?) who talks about it.
This one is definitely vauge and kinda hard to figure out, but it's atleast hinted and spoken about in the game.
20:00 The circle trick isn't terrible, but throwing 2-3 boxes on each hole completely dunks them back in where they started, no matter how far up they got.
21:10 I think it IS technically optional. You find it in the Submarine dungeon, which disappears/blows up after you're done with it.
So yes, I believe it's actually possible to completely miss Yae's Bazooka. It's not hard, but you can.
22:40 Fun Fact: It's best to do the minigame with Ebisumaru, because he throws the Achilles Heel' log faster than Goemon or Yae does!
(Same goes for when recovering when landing very high jumps. Ebisumaru recovers the fastest.)
That said, Mystical Ninja IS truly one of the best N64 games ever! The music, charm and insanity is just so lovely. How many games features a laugh track?
Good video, dude! Between this and New Vegas, you clearly got some good taste.
One thing about this game was not being able to pause during the mecha battles
God I love this game. I just wish they could bring them back. Also I wish to have an amiibo of all the characters.
Playing 4 players in the sequel was one of the most fun experiences you can have as a couch co-op experience
24:44 shout out for Takarazuka theater production
(Takarazuka is a one of the keys for understanding Japanese culture and anime jokes but not a lot of people know about it...)
It was one of my favorite game when I was a kid, English is not my main language and at the time I didn't understand everything and never could finish it because of that, but I loved it so much, the absurdity, the humor, the characters, the music, everything was so charming. Really a hidden gem of that era, thank you very much for that love letter Rad 💙
Dude I forgot about this game for the longest time. I just started thinking about it, and your title literally describes exactly how I felt about it. The music is so perfect and memorable as well. I literally thought no one even played it. It makes me so happy to see that I wasn't the only one who loved it
I have zero memory of needing a gamepack to save my game in this or any other n64 game I played
And it has now been decomped! No emulation necessary!
WAIT WHAT?!???
I played this game as a kid without knowing what I was doing (the game being only english and it not being my first language didn't help), I played it as a teenager when i finally understood what's going on and I will play it again and again until I die of old age. While I'm not playing it, I'm probably listening to its phenomenal soundtrack. This game is love.
I'm so glad I'm not the only person that feels this way.
"This song played 3 times throughout..."
You're welcome?
This was my hidden gem growing up playing on n64. I told people about it and they just looked at me weird haha one of the greatest games of all time!
12:10-12:15 If you were Japanese that would actually make perfect sense to do. Shrines like this where you donate money is really common in Japan, so a lot of Japanese would make the connection.
During the impact battles, if you do two light punches, then mash the chain pipe button (I think it's R), you can smack the boss with the chain pipe for extra damage. I just found that out watching some boss videos of those fights, blew my mind as I never knew that was a possible attack, much like how the multi punch and beam were new to you
Oh my god I love this series (: Funfact the singer for impact's theme is the renowned Ichirou Mizuki who is known for singing the Mazinger opening themes (:
Holy shit I never knew that!
And "I Am Impact" was sang by Hironobu Kageyama, known for the Dragon Ball theme, Cha la head cha la.
@@Marklar3 was sung by Ichirō Mizuki (:
100% a gem. Still shocked to this day they haven’t done a sequel or a remake . We need to rally together and make it happen !!!!
Ichiro Mizuki, aka Aniki, did the main vocals for the Impact song. He died a few years back, but had a long career doing themes for various anime and sentai series.
My God. I adored this game and played it more than mario 64. It was a hell of an experience. I would love to play this game again.
This needs a remaster
The fact they had a freaking laughing track is what won me over this game. The game doesn't take itself seriously and that's what makes it great. I recommend you try the second N64 installment of Goemon. It is a 2D scroller but set in a 3D background, it's quite the experience!
Just as an addition because this idea just popped to me watching this review: The Blonde that appears next to the Blue hair final boss guy, she has a bit of a deep voice. Then I remember that traditionally in japanese theater, women were not allowed to act, _so female roles we're done by men as well._ And considering they had already pulled that joke in a N64 japanese release called _Mononoke Sugoroku,_ yeah, they got away with a really subtle joke at theater, lolz.
I actually own both games, though I've never finished Great Adventure
@@SuperRADLemon Oh, neat! Yeah, both are very different in play style, but both pack that japanese humor characteristic of the series. And the entire soundtrack is as sick as the first game.
Truly a gem. This game definitely made my childhood better and brighter. I rented it for so many weekends while having to share the N64 with my brother, only to have to restart the game next turn the videogame was mine to play. I would play the whole weekend and keep humming the tracks all week. I will always cherish this game and hope for a comeback on Goemon series.
I live in Japan and was recently shopping in Nakano Broadway which has dozens of second hand anime and game goods for sale.
I found a tiny figurine of Goemon in the style of the Konami Baseball games and had memories flooding back to me of this game as a childhood.
Similarly to you, SuperRad, I bought this game on New Zealand's version of eBay, TradeMe, simply because the game had "Ninja" in the title, and the box art looked good. When the game finally arrived and I actually played it I didn't have an expansion pack, and couldn't progress. I had to buy an expansion pack and play it a week later, I was so sad and impatient.
Back when I played it I didn't understand any of it, and didn't like the campy jokes and over-the-top style. "I want a cool edgy ninja game!!" said child me.
But now I have such fond memories of this game, and having lived in Japan I can understand a lot of the folklore references and scenes of the in-game version of Japan.
I'm late, but thank you for this video, you painted a great picture of the experience, and I really want to revisit this game some time soon! 🙌🌟
Hands down my favourite N64 game. I even had a special technique for the Impact fight for firing the pellets really fast xD
Babe wake up! New SuperRAD upload!
When I was little I used to rent this game from Hollywood Video. I always preferred the sequel though, Goemon's Great Adventure. I remember having a big video game crush on Yae way back then and would rush through the game to unlock her.
Goemon’s Great Adventure and Mischief Makers was all kid me needed. This was my Super Mario🙌🏽
This game filled me with so much magic back in the day! A time where I was falling in love with Japanese culture. Never felt the same feeling since in gaming. I did 100% of this game. A modern take is so needed!!!!!!
The soundtrack alone made this game forever stuck with me. I listen to the ost when i fall asleep or riding around. Its THAT 🔥
Man older games sure had a lot of charm didn't they
Fun Fact: This game made me into the weeb I am today back in the late 90's when I was a little boy
I still have my og copy of this game and play it from time to time. Def one of best N64 games ever.
Best game brings back so many memories 😢 ugh. Almost hurts.
DAMMMN that intro theme sounds like a Dragon Ball Z song probably the same artist I'll have to try this game out.
This was my EXACT story too XD I knew this game through Blockbuster, and I would rent it every weekend, until it closed down whilst the rental was still ongoing and we got to keep it, but they never gave us the expansion pack, and I could only progress by keeping on the console. The farthest I ever got was the submarine dungeon, whereupon entering, I glitched into one of the walls and I didn't have the courage to start again, until years later I played it through emulator and finished it.
Such a charming, fun, lively game, it certainly was one of my favourites and holds such a special place in my heart. And the MUSIC! RAWEST OST on the N64
EDIT: I specifically remember that, when teaching the mountain shrine that upgrades your ryo, the message board in front of it will tell you to throw money at it to become happy
Mystical Ninja was one of my favourite games. I seen it in a N64 magazine as a kid, just a small corner piece on a page. I randomly asked my mam if I could get it for my bday....Needless to say I got it and loved it. Still have my original copy now.
This was my favorite game as a kid I used to beat this game in a day no need for a control pack. Once I got the control pack I got all the lucky cats and unlocked the Robot Boss Mode on the menu screen.
I love this game and I agree 100% with the statement on the title.
About the fact that Impact talk about making a movie in America, it's something that was supposed to appear in the game. On a japanese magazine from November 1996 there's a screenshot from a beta version of this game, in which Impact is facing a robot in a cowboy hat. According to the text, it was a stage that started in Japan and had Impact walking to America. Sadly, it's not present in the final game, of course.
I’ll be honest I kinda wanted goemon as a character I’m super smash bros XD
We got ripped off with the mii costume
I listen to this game’s OST to this day and will continue to do so.
Man I never got to play this as a kid, thankfully I had Ocarina of Time to play every day.
I've been saying for years that this game is my favorite N64 game. It's just so good and unique. I remember just resetting the game and watching the theme song over and over as a kid.. I was so blown away that a game could do that. Great take on the game
This 1000%!!! This game is such a gem! The Style, the humor, the soundtrack! I play a japanese instrument called the Shamisen and I attribute my love for it's sound to the hours I spent playing this game!
I first played this game as a rental as well, but I couldn’t beat it. I couldn’t figure out the robot controls, either. 😅 When I was an adult, I bought what I thought was the game, but actually turned out to be its sequel, Goemon’s Great Adventure. Imagine my confusion when the game suddenly became a side scroller with a completely different plot. I thought for a while The Mystical Ninja was some kind of fever dream I experienced after playing Ocarina of Time for so long. 😂 I eventually got both games and beat them. The Mystical Ninja is one of my favorite N64 games, and the soundtrack is one of my absolute favorites of all time.
Just drafted this in the 20th round of the best video games of all time draft 🔥
Go Go Go! I love this game. It's music lives rent free in my head and I have zero issues with that
The only game I still have a box and manual for on the n64. I bought a wireless controller and a retrotink to upscale on my modern TV just for this masterpiece.
Remember those days going to Blockbuster renting games man those were the good ole days.
I always liked how the music in dungeon 2 and 3 had more added to them the deeper you go.
I loved this game so much I rented it multiple times without owning a memory card, begging my mom to leave my console on so I didn't lose my progress
The more epic game over screen, soundtrack progress, the bosses, everything
One hundred percent "all of my yes" to this video.
Mystical Ninja for the N64 was such an outstanding 3d platformer that I even put it over Legend of Zelda OOT.
It was just sooo...charming. Everything about it was just so much fun!
The character of this game and how well it played are what made this better than Ocarina for me.
Going through some of your old videos and saw this! As a Mystical Ninja lover I was taken aback when you said you can complete this game one hundred percent under eight hours. I could've sworn it was way longer, but... I guess the unapologetic no hand holding can do that to you. Fuck, I can't wait till you get to this game in the N64 marathon.
loved playing Goemon's great adventure as a kid with my siblings
Want to learn another new thing about the game? Next time you do a playthrough, talk to the Witch with Sasuke after you're done talking to Wise Man's "ghost."
This game, Mischief Makers, and Ogre Battle 64 were my favorites of the underrated games.
I agree! This was the beset and most fun game I ever palyed on N64. I remember how epic Zleda and SM64 were, but I kept playing this game over and over well after I beat it. It had humor, playful animation, mystery, this lovely japanese feel, and the music was beautiful. BEST N64 GAME!
As a kid, we rented this out and my brother and I beat it in one sitting when everyone was asleep cuz no memory pak.
This title gave me a love for games where, on the surface, everything seems whacky and doesn't make sense. But if you concentrate on what's going on and dig a little deeper, the world actually has an interesting explanation. I won't spoil anything, but the plot is very funny and interesting to those outside of the know.
Now I plan on streaming this as the final game to my retrothon, because hardly anyone I've met knows about this title. Few games sate my hunger for creativity, exploration and humour. I even got myself the Japanese version, box and all, when I visited Japan for the first time.
Mystical Ninja fucking ROCKS subscribed
On a side note; if you're looking for another game that scratches this kind of itch, I highly recommend Cubivore: Survival of The Fittest by Saru Brunei and Intelligent Systems.
this was one my favourite games as a kid its so unique i still never played another game like it, i hope it comes to switch so i can play it again it was such a great game
SuperRAD I think you’ll be able to get that mystical ninja sense of wonder once again when Elden Ring releases in Feb! The game is shaping up to be Fromsoft’s opus for sure.
I would pay money for a remake of this game. It's perfect in so many ways.
At the beginning of the video, you described my Friday evening perfectly; heading to Blockbuster to play a game right after school.
I wish Mystical Ninja was on NSO, I never made it far either because I didn't understand why my game couldn't save until years later.
Damn this video sent me back into my childhood.
Was not ready for such an awesome trip, thank you for that!
I had almost the same story as you did. Never owned it myself and always borrowed it from my childhood friend (also no memory card here, so i would always start again, over and over).
Always getting a bit further but never finished it.
That didn't matter for me because that world and everything around it just made it so magical to me.
I also remeber seeing those rice ball items and always thinking to myself howtasty they look!
I owned a VHS tape with some demo videos and one of these demos was MNs Goemon (also Snowboard Kids, loved that game too). That was like the first time seeing that game and hearing I AM IMPACT. I think i watched that tape 100 times haha
I remember renting this game, but because I could never save it, I had to start over each time. But the Impact song still stayed in my head even years later.
Nobody:
Absolutely nobody:
SuperRAD: "Mystical Ninja starring Goemon is better than Ocarina of Time and Mario 64"
Fact
When I was a kid in the 90's during the SNES era, every few weeks my father would take me to Toy's'R'Us and I got to pick out a game. One time, my uncle went with us, and he was trying to convince me to get some action game, and I don't remember what it was, but it looked very American. I probably would have gotten it, but almost immediately after, my eye stumbled upon the crazy box art of The Legend of the Mystical Ninja, and it was over. My uncle, with good intentions, tried to sway my decision, thinking the game I picked wasn't as fun as the one he picked up, but I just remember being so stricken with the box art that I *HAD* to know what the game was about. I'm so fortunate that I picked what I wanted, because that led me down a path of fandom that would last into my middle age years. Throughout the years my father bought me the N64 games, I played the Japanese only games, watched the cartoon show, hunted down figurines. I would do everything I can to get my hands on anything Goemon related, and I still feel that way now. Crazy how one moment in my childhood, that almost didn't happen, led me to one of the most beloved game series that I've ever had the privilege of knowing about. The series deserved more attention in the US.
This is one of my favorite games ever and I try to replay it from time to time. Good to know I'm not alone in liking it so much!
Like you I rented this, probably several times, and the theme is still imprinted on my head. Not sure I ever managed to finish it but remember thinking the giant robot was the coolest thing ever.
I got this game used in box at blockbuster for I think around $30 cad in 1999. Cool thing about blockbuster back in the day is if you rented something a few times you could just out right buy the shelf copy from the store if you asked. And yeah, the controller pak thing got me too, thankfully for the Christmas before i got one of those 3rd party n64 accessory paks that had a bunch of stuff in it, including a memory card the infamous super pad 64 plus(don't know why everyone hates on this thing, i actually really liked it back in the day). But to this day, this game still is one of my most memorable childhood experiences ever. Back then I was super into what ever anime YTV was showing and would rent what every VHS anime OVA I could get from the video store. Playing a game with pure Japanese atmosphere and music just blew my mind. I would get immersed in the world as if I was playing a video game Anime OVA. From the level design and scenery to the map and locations its self, it felt like I was living some kind of adventure across the county of Japan. The soundtrack for this game is amazing. The gameplay is decent enough even though the camera can be finicky at times waiting for it to center. But the control was tight and all the cool stuff you had to do to progress really brought this home for me. Still in my top 20 of all time.
Oh god. I loved that game. Everything was just perfect
I thought this was about the second game, goemons great adventure, which was one of my top n64 games. Never played this one and didnt realize it was all 3d, the second one was surprisingly more 2.5d with the mech battles
I used to rent this game with my best friend when we were kids. We still talk about it to this day, the mech battles were so much fun!
I never got to play this but one of my absolute favourite N64 games is "Mystical Ninja 2 starring Goemon"
People's entire perception of videogames was broadened when they stepped out into Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time for the first time.
For me, it was stepping out into Kai Highway. And good lord does this game's OST fucking rock.
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