An ode for The Legend of the Mystical Ninja

Coming to the New 3DS in Japan

Very recently I talked about when Konami used to be a good, powerhouse of a developer that pumped out hit after hit.

Now they make Pachinko machines with those licenses, but many moons ago, they released The Legend of the Mystical Ninja, the first localized Goemon game, in the west. At that point I was pretty used to complex games (beating the first few Mega Man games was a challenge — I remember calling the official counselor’s tip line about the Mecha Dragon in 2!), but Mystical Ninja took me completely by surprise because of how damn unconventional it was.

Players kind of just started in a town with a nominal amount of cash and equipment, and could immediately begin bashing people’s faces in like I did many times in Double Dragon. But there was something different about this game. I could actually explore places and get lost. I could partake in minigames, relax in a bath, play the lottery, and amass a collection of items. It was a unique, fantastic game, and a gateway for me for other similar titles like River City Ransom.

Why am I bringing all this up? Because Japan is actually getting the game on the New 3DS Virtual Console soon (along with Super Street Fighter II), which means that it’s likely going to come west at some point (even more-so with the precedent of the Goemon Game Boy game already on 3DS). If you haven’t played it yet, I highly suggest giving it a go.

Funnily enough, the Goemon series has also been reduced to a Pachislot IP. Oh Konami!