Legend of the Mystical Ninja
I was fortunate to receive my second console, the SNES, during the Christmas that followed it's launch. Good times, but even at nine years old I felt slightly underwhelmed. Super Mario World was a masterpiece, but felt too much like a NES game with better colors. F-Zero was unique and fresh in it's presentation, but was still just a racer. Joe and Mac, Super Paper Boy and Super Ghouls and Ghosts were fun and challenging, but nothing I didn't experience before. "Something that costs $200 should do something completely new!," I reasoned. Before long, a friend told me of his brief time with a game I never heard of. "Legend of the Mystical Ninja. It's so cool. It's like Mario, but you can go in houses and talk to people, and buy a bunch of stuff. It even comes with other games!" With my interest piqued, I was warned, "It's hard to find. I haven't even rented it." Weeks later, I found a single copy for rent, and discovered the first game to truly introduce me to 16-bit generation.
Legend of the Mystical Ninja blew me away right from it's opening cut-scene. Set in ancient Japan, Kid Ying and Doctor Yang are represented as huge sprites, discussing their plans to discipline a dangerous ghost in a nearby forest. The scene starts out cheerful and carefree, but quickly becomes menacing as Doctor Yang describes the situation. The music seamlessly changes moods and pseudo-lighting is applied to an already impressive mode-7 zooming effect. After a bizarre joke directed towards the programmers, things instantly revert back to normal. Never before have I seen a game do so much with its music, graphics and mood within a mere twenty seconds.
The start of the actual game overwhelmed me at first; beginning in a small, ocean side village that was startlingly realistic. While somewhat cramped, the village contained many interesting sights. Houses and buildings in a style I had rarely seen, barrels and rocks blocking my way, even more buildings in the distance and music blending familiar drums and bass with Japanese drums, flutes, and guitars. I had no idea what to do other than start attacking people, regardless of their non-threatening appearance. My instincts paid off, as just one smack with my pipe rewarded me with a variety of prizes. Gold coins, scrolls, and cats that somehow upgraded my weapon. After purchasing some sandals that dramatically improved my mobility, I ventured upwards. A girl in a red robe immediately warns me of a fog coming from the forest, only to seconds later vanish, as the entire block is covered with a purple hue and numerous transparent clouds. Villagers transform into ghosts and monsters, and a melody invoking mystery and dread starts to play. Noticing the bamboo forest right behind the buildings, I knew my mission. Still, thoroughly startled, I retreat to the lower part of the village, only to find it has been affected by evil as well. The local fortune teller is predicting the end of the world, but offers me hope with a vague hint on how to defeat the main ghost.
After ensuring I was properly equipped and buying pizza of all foods to revive me, should my life meter empty, I enter the forest. A tanuki man, more frightening than any actual enemies within the game, warns me of the danger ahead. Despite his warnings, I slightly relax, as this portion of the game finally brings some familiarity, with gameplay mechanics now in platforming territory. I become even more drawn within the game. I've never been in a level so detailed, a huge bamboo forest filled with hills and pitfalls. Strange enemies float down from the sky, rise from the ground, and even fly out of the decaying architecture. In the background lurks more spirits and buildings frozen in time. The scenery, stretching miles away, shows mountains, lakes and more forestry covered in a dense fog and an unsettling blood colored hue. Discovering hidden underground pathways and secrets within the level, I eventually reach the boss; a ghost woman, completely transparent, attacking with neon colored dishes. After defeating her, I quickly become aware of my next mission, and exit the temple to find my town back to normal. Villagers congratulated me, previously closed businesses were now open. That was all it took. Never before in a game have I been more immersed, believing I was actually in a virtual world. The Adventure of Link accomplished many of the same gameplay elements years ago, but without the connection and magic Mystical Ninja brought me.
What you just read is the basic formula of the game. Town level, action level, boss, repeat, all with gorgeous detail and music. The further you get into the game, the more difficult and complex things get. Bigger towns, more people to talk to, martial arts skills to learn, more mini-games (Including the first level from Gradius), and action stages which become downright brutal by the second half. How Konami implemented certain aspects of the difficulty is where Mystical Ninja fails. A relatively liberal, but still bothersome time limit counts down even during the town stages, one of which is gargantuan. Additional time and lives can be purchased, but the clock has no place in a game that emphasizes exploration. The towns are tightly packed and poorly suited for action. Some of the enemies roaming the area launch projectiles which are excessively difficult to avoid. Be ready to play the game with precise timing and skill, otherwise the act of fighting villagers to upgrade your character will leave you chasing your own tail. The saving system is based on recording bloated passwords. You can save your progress, money, and inventory within any later town, but this requires writing down dozens of characters only to slowly re-enter them later. If you choose not to save on a particular level and receive a game over, you can still continue from the latest stage, minus all of your money, skills and inventory.
Surprisingly, Legend of the Mystical Ninja managed to retain it's bizarrely presented foreign content in an era where such games rarely left Japan. Few modifications beyond cleaning up the toilet humor and simpler to pronounce, yet contextually awkward name changes were made. Very bizarre monsters clash well with the unusually realistic yet interesting stages, from graveyards to huge bridges suspended above the ocean. Despite some sumo-sized problems I have with parts of the game, Legend of the Mystical Ninja is a must play, one of the first console action titles to include enough variety and detail to be mistaken for a small world within a cartridge. Quite an upgrade from the NES.
