#212 The Legend of the Mystical Ninja

Posted: 10th November 2020 by Jeroen in Games
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907th played so far

Genre: Action/Adventure
Platform: SNES
Year of Release: 1991
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami

I think The Legend of the Mystical Ninja is another game that I’ve only heard of because of the list. Sure, it’s had some sequels, but even now this list is the only association I’ve had with it. With it looking like a primitive, for the SNES era, side scrolling brawler, I’m not in high hopes territory today.

Our Thoughts

There are some interesting ideas at play in this game. It’s a game of two halves. Starting the game, you wander through a town area where you beat up other people Double Dragon style, with less fighting options, to get gold and such to upgrade your attacks and get other items. Part of this is exploring the village, getting some background information while looking for the different shops and options – there seem to be a lot of additional mini games later on. It’s clearly the main focus of the game, with a lot of bits that happen in there.

Then the second part is a simpler fighter platformer where you travel tbrough areas, fighting more supernatural enemies and defeat the big boss of the chapter. This part is more standard and boring, similar to other games I don’t enjoy as much, and was difficult enough that I struggled with it from early on. Then again – it’s also the boring half, which makes it more difficult to do the work.

Final Thoughts

There are some nice ideas in this game, with both the cartoon graphics and town options being really appealing. However, the other side are action levels that aren’t nearly as interesting and, as in Actraiser, are really mostly annoying filler.