(Originally posted on September, 2014)
(1997, Nintendo 64)
In the early days of the N64, one of my most anticipated titles was the then titled “Mystical Ninja 64”. I thought it was the direct sequel to Legend of the Mystical Ninja for the Super Nintendo, a wonderful culture shock of a game that I frequently rented. I had no idea this particular game was set to be the 17th in the series!
I would go on again to merely rent the game (N64 carts were so expensive!), finally purchasing and completing the US version in 2003, enjoying it quite a bit. Finally feeling decent enough with my Japanese, I was curious to replay it in its mother language, as the Goemon games tend to get stilted (yet still very amusing) English translations. Konami’s American localization team had quite a project on their hands. Besides having to change the more obscure cultural references, some of the running jokes in the original script would not go over well in America, even nearly twenty years ago.
This game starts off even wackier than the SNES version (“Hey! No Close-ups!”), with Goemon and partner Ebisumaru being thrown out of a general store after Ebi’s most objectionable idea of negotiating a discount with a strip tease. Moments later, a giant peach UFO appears over Goemon’s home town, and THAT’S when the game starts to get a little weird!
Goemon can be best described as a less refined hybrid of Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time. More adventure elements and puzzles than the former, yet far more action than the later. While the early 3D open world games of the 90s are definitely showing their age, I have a soft spot for how they were constructed. The spaces in games such as Goemon can often seem too large and empty, but for me that just makes them all the more interesting. The Mt. Fuji area seen early in the game, filled with enemies, ladders and moving platforms is still a delight to ascend. Even if it essentially feels like a lower framerate, somewhat barren and shoddy Mario 64 level, one can still sense the untapped potential in 3D gaming at the time. Much of the game takes place in such large fields, that while not the most efficient in their design, are surprisingly relaxing, inviting to explore, and filled with some of the strangest enemies you’ll ever see, many of which are drawn from Japan’s rich folklore.
Having beaten the other American console releases (Legend of the Mystical Ninja, Goemon’s Great Adventure) and trying bits of some of the Japan only entries, I can tell you the series is tough. Konami seemed to be aware that much of the game’s challenge would occur from the mechanics and camera itself, balancing the difficulty by deliberately designing the levels/enemies to be rather easy. The greatest frustration comes from some of the many one off mini-games. You may get driven nuts by the unreasonable precision needed for the claw game or rotten bridge, but fortunately youtube is always there to show you exactly what to do.
Soon made quick to travel via a warp system, the game takes place over the entirety of Japan. Between the many huge, action heavy outdoor stages and several towns that are easy to get lost in, there are a handful of Zelda inspired dungeons to tackle:
- Transformed Oedo Castle: The pacing of the game feels great at this point. After exploring the town and a couple action areas, one feels like things are finally “getting serious” in the opening dungeon. The design is fairly straight forward: all you have to do is find the keys, survive the enemies/obstacles and keep advancing upwards.
- Ghost Toys Castle: A very dark level which can be tricky to navigate though. Still, it’s fairly short with an amusing, light-hearted ghost theme and music that’s oddly both hilarious and groovy.
- Festival Temple Castle: The first half of this dungeon was the low point of the game for me. You have to make sense of what feels like a maze of disorienting, brightly colored rooms. If you can “ganbare” through that, the action picks up with some fun platforming in a huge room of koi flags, followed by one of the better boss battles in the game, which seems very familiar…
- Gourmet Submarine Castle: A maze of tiny, cramped rooms with bad graphics, this dungeon is still somewhat amusing since it unexplainably doubles as a factory for Japanese cuisine.
- Gorgeous Music Castle: One of the highpoints of the game. Lots of action, brightly colorful textures…and it got so weird that my jaw dropped, even the second time around!
The adventure unfolds while playing as four characters that can be switched at any time, each with their own unique skills. Goemon’s the main man, Ebisumaru’s goofy as usual, while the mini robot Sasuke and female ninja Yae are surprisingly swift and fun to disassemble enemies with. One of most often recalled moments among players; on several occasions you’ll be controlling Goemon’s robot IMPACT as he demolishes whole towns in auto-scrolling stages, just to warm up for the first-person boss fight awaiting him.
Thanks to the gorgeous color saturation and all the wackiness and personality of the world, the game still looks great, if you have a liking for late 90’s 3D. The soundtrack is the highlight of the game: Never feeling repetitive with nearly 100 inspired tracks, the music sounds fantastic, even by N64 standards. While generally upbeat, it can also be deeply relaxing (Zazen Town) or mysterious (Inaba, Bizen, Shuhodo). The dungeon music changes dynamically depending on your progress, and rare for the N64, there’s even several full-blown pre-recorded audio tracks stuffed into the cart! (On more than a few occasions I’ve listened to “I AM IMPACT” while at the gym!)
If you’ve never played a Goemon game, the clunkiness of this one might turn you off before it’s charm can hook you. I’d recommended starting with the excellent N64 sequel (Goemon’s Great Adventure) or The Legend of the Mystical Ninja on the SNES, which are both tough but well-tuned and timeless traditional platformers. Once you’ve been sucked into the wacky world of Goemon, you’ll definitely want to experience this most ambitious entry. It’s not the most refined or replayable game in the series, but will leave tons of great memories. Like Goemon and Ebisumaru themselves, the game is flawed in some goofy ways, but ultimately comes through.
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