The Legend of Mystical Ninja is one of my favorite SNES games! My brother bought the game used years ago, and it needs some extra care to start up. Anyhoo, we JUST beat the game, and it's an incredible high! I recommend this game to anyone and everyone!

The Story

Kid Ying and Dr. Yang are on an adventure to save Princess Yuki who has been kidnapped by counterfeiters. By traveling through different Warlock Zones in Japan, Kid Ying and Dr. Yang are faced with crazy enemies and funny bosses. On their quest, they meet strange creatures and shady enemies all over ancient Japan.

Game Play

There are two viewing modes. The first mode is when you're exploring the village. You see everything from the top and either one or two players can play at a time. Both players must be in the same screen, so it requires extra teamwork but double the crime-fighting! The second mode is when you are going through the final stage in one area and it scrolls from left to right. After completing each stage, you get more clues about the Princess' whereabouts.

Every time you club enemies, you can either get coins, weapon upgrades, or scrolls. Coins are used to buy food, armor, and important story items. When needed, coins can serve as ninja stars - very cool and useful! Food replenishes your health, and armor serves as defense. Weapon upgrades give the character more reach to kill enemies. For example, Kid Ying gets an awesome yo-yo and Dr. Yang gets a flute. Scrolls are used to increase your power level.

Each stage has its own feel, and you get to go to a variety of places such as a hotel to rest, the race track, the store, the lottery, the quiz show, the maze, and of course, the houses of the locals where you can learn information! You can write a "logbook entry" at the travel agency, which serves as your save. The one thing I don't like about this game is the tedious manner in which you enter your journal entry. It comprises of 55 symbols that you have to manually enter when you want to continue a saved game at the start screen. If you don't copy the entry correctly, it will not work.

There are a total of nine stages. At the bottom of the screen, you can see your total amount of money, and the items you have such as sandals, pizzas (for rejuvenation), armor, and other story items.

Mini Games

You may also encounter a mini-arcade, which allows you hours of fun. Likes most arcades, it requires money, but you get to play some great classics. You can hit moles, paint, or throw a ball into a top and get prize money. In another place, you can play hockey, gradius, or knock the wall down. These mini-games always have us coming back for more!

The Music

This SNES game has one of the best soundtracks ever! A lot of it is distinctly Japanese and very catchy. It's got quite a rich selection of melodies, and I love to hum along.

The Graphics

Although SNES has 32-bit graphics, Mystical Ninja was very colorful and inventive. From the goofy expressions on their faces to sweet slumber in the hotel, it's all great fun! I especially like the ending scenes after you've beaten a boss. It's a goofy little cartoon about Kid Ying and Dr. Yang's travels to the next world. The characters are very nicely drawn, and quite cute.

Re-playability

Although this is a simple game, it may be hard for beginners. The later stages were especially challenging, which caused us to spend several tries to beat! It's a great game that I would play over and over again. Each boss has unique way of attacking you and it'll have you strategizing its demise. I also enjoy the different game play different than those of many RPG games.

Overall

The Legend of Mystical Ninja is a fun SNES classic although not widely known. The music and characters are very distinct and different from other games! It'll provide hours of entertainment for those rainy days. I definitely recommend it.

Recommended: Yes