Mastodawn

#IshambardPresents The Legend of the Mystical Ninja - SNES

Don't be surprised, you knew this was coming.

I wish I played this game as a kid, I would have eaten this up. One part beat-em-up and one part 2D platformer, layer with a co-op mode, coat with minigames and sprinkle with a couple of brutal boss fights and you have The Legend of Mystical Ninja.

Silly anachronistic Japan is probably my favourite Japan, and the series only gets sillier from here.

The game can be downright unfair, punishing sloppy gameplay by downgrading your weapon when you take damage and requiring you to save up nearly 2,000 coins over the course of the adventure.

Graciously, the password system is robust, tracking progress like a save file, and the game retains the last password when reset. A battery save would be better, but I can live with this.

There is way too much to enjoy here that you might forget that it has beaten you up and stolen all your pocket change.

#SNES #GanbareGoemon #RetroGames

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Ishambard 2d ago

#IshambardPresents Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shogun Magginesu (SNES)

Compared to the first game, the strange General Magginesu is, by and large, a straight forward platformer. Towns still feature in the game, but they are more like RPG Towns, with opportunities to restock supplies and talk to NPCs.

Similar rules apply to this game as the original. You can power up your weapon but it de-powers when damage is taken. You can expand your HP in the stage by finding gold cat statues.

Okay, so, all quite familiar. Well the Game has a trick up its sleeve.

During certain stages you will engage in giant mech battles in Goemon Impact. These fights can be incredibly challenging, playing like Punch-Out, relying on a mix of pattern recognition and reflexes. I found these to be more frustrating than enjoyable, let's chalk that up to skill issue

Thankfully the game has infinite continues and even continues from checkpoints, making the lives thing a bit superfluous

2/4

#SNES #GanbareGoemon

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Ishambard 2d ago

#IshambardPresents Ganbare Goemon 3: Shishijūrokubē no Karakuri Manji Gatame (SNES)

Upping the ante even further, Goemon 3 involves time travel! I would have figured space would be the next step, but oh well.

This game plays more like Mystical Ninja on the N64 and if you love that game, I have some great news!

Split between top-down world exploration amd side scrolling dungeons, the gameplay here is almost faultless. I do find the mech suit gameplay (Not Impact) to be a little frustrating in places, especially when mounting and dismounting.

The Impact battles in this game are much easier, but not without challenge, making them significantly more enjoyable than the previous game.

Progression signposting can be a little wonky at times, but thankfully there is a fortune teller who can keep you on track.

Honestly, this is possibly one of the best SNES games I have ever played, combining Zelda-like world map traversal with tried and tested Goemon platforming

#SNES #GanbareGoemon

3/4

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Ishambard

#IshambardPresents Ganbare Goemon Kirakira Douchuu (SNES)

Folks, I don’t want to alarm you, but the zany is off the charts.
Goemon and crew finally go to space, and Impact can speak now!

The Sparkling Journey is similar to Goemon 2, being predominantly stage based, but this time the game is split into numerous planets with each character going to separate ones. Towns have more functionality, usually involving a quest and skills to unlock.

Traditional Impact battles are gone, which for a game where Impact is a main character is a little odd. Instead we get minigames that function as boss battles, such as a Puyo Puyo minigame, or a button mashing track and field like sprint. It's odd, but not in the same charming way as the rest of the series.
There is also a sports theme which kinda overshadows the space setting for the most part.

That being said, the climax of the game is absolutely peak and definitely worth experiencing just for the spectacle alone!

4/4

#SNES #GanbareGoemon