The Legend of the Mystical Ninja review - Super Nintendo

At first, Goeman Warrior looks pretty dull. The only thing you have to do is strut around the scrolling levels dishing out staff-related death to the enemy sprites. However, once you've actually got into it a bit, that becomes just a small part of the game. there's platform exploration sections in there as well, along with some brilliant end-of-level bosses. The graphics are tremendous. The Japanese excel at producing cutesy-style games, and Goeman must rank as one of the finest examples yet, with brilliant sprites and varied backdrops. The sound us top-hole too, with some funky Jap tunes to swing your pants to. But it's going to be the vast quest that keeps you glued to the Famicom. You might have completed something like R-Type on your third go, but Goeman offers many days of frustrating (but yet completely addictive) gameplay. Yet another brilliant game for the Super Famicom!

Even though Goeman Warrior has a lot of Japanese text, it doesn't stop it from being incredibly addictive and entertaining. The graphics are absolutely stunning, with beautiful sprites and backgrounds, and the sound is utterly incredible, with the some of the best music I've heard on a console game - the sheer quality and variety is outstanding. It's also great fun to play, with tons of things to discover hidden behind the doors of the houses in the village exploration sections - there's a mole bash game, the entire first level of Nemesis (and it's arcade perfect!), a Breakout game, a horse racing game, a couple of weirdo fruit machines...and that's only on three of the levels I've visited! The arcade platform sections are really superb, with real tests of skill as you battle through all sorts of hazards to reach the wild 'n' wacky end-of-level guardian - the giant floating monkey-clown face is my personal fave. With weeks of potential challenge and enjoyment (and I mean that literally), Goeman Warrior is a must for Super Famicom owners.

I have to admit I didn't see the appeal of this game to start off with - I didn't actually pick it up until the late 90's, and after a few minutes play it left me largely unimpressed. However, you really have to invest some time with it before it reveals the amazing depth that the Mean Machines team spoke of. There are loads of different minigames to play and the platforming action sections are of a stunningly high quality - Konami could really do no wrong when it came to this type of game. The in-jokes and sly nods to other Konami games are brilliant, and it's nice to play a game that doesn't take itself too seriously.

If you can get the Western version then I recommend you go for it - although be warned, the price has jumped since I bought my copy in the late 90's and you can expect to pay a pretty penny for a boxed copy in decent condition. It's worth it though, as there is gameplay literally spilling out of the cartridge!