Software:The Legend of the Mystical Ninja

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Short description: 1991 video game
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
North American SNES cover art
Developer(s)Konami
Publisher(s)Konami
Designer(s)Shigeharu Umezaki
Programmer(s)Nobuhiro Matsuoka
Yasuo Okuda
Toshinori Shimono
Koji Yoshida
Artist(s)Takeshi Fujimoto
Setsu Muraki
Kumiko Ogawa
Takeo Yakushiji
Composer(s)Kazuhiko Uehara
Harumi Ueko
SeriesGanbare Goemon
Platform(s)Super NES, Game Boy Advance
ReleaseSuper NES
Game Boy Advance
  • JP: April 21, 2005
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist. is a 1991 action-adventure game released by Konami for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was also ported to the Game Boy Advance along with Software:Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shōgun McGuiness in 2005 only in Japan.

It is the first game in the Japanese video game series Ganbare Goemon to have a western release and the fifth mainline game overall. It has also been released for the Wii Virtual Console in 2007, the Wii U Virtual Console in 2013 (2014 in Europe and Australia), and the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in 2016. The game is set to be re-released in 2026 via the Ganbare Goemon! Daishūgō compilation.[2]

Gameplay

Although both characters have different weapons and learn different attacks, they are functionally identical. Their primary short-range weapons have three levels and are improved in range by acquiring grey cats left by defeated enemies. Both characters are also equipped with thrown weapons from the beginning (which decreases money as the player uses it) and can acquire bombs by purchasing them in stores or by winning them in mini-games.

Goemon fighting on the first level

Each character can learn four Judo abilities which are functionally identical between the two characters. Level 1 Judo provides an animal companion for the character which they ride and can use to ram into enemies. Level 2 Judo releases an attack that can damage all enemies on the screen. Level 3 Judo gives the characters the ability to fly temporarily. Level 4 Judo unleashes a powerful repetitive attack.

Most stages (known as "Warlock Zones") are separated into two sections. The first section is centered on town exploration where players gather information, buy items, learn special Judo attacks, play minigames, earn money, etc. One of the most notable mini-games available is a recreation of the first level in Gradius, but also includes games such as air hockey, trivia, dice games, and even a lottery.

The second section of each stage is a platforming section where the players fight through minor enemies until they reach the end and defeat a boss. In two-player mode, the characters can work together by having one ride the other piggy-back style. The character riding controls the attacks, while the character being ridden controls the movement and jumping. This can simplify areas with large or awkward jumps as it only requires one player to land successfully. After each stage is completed, a small scene occurs furthering the mostly simple and lighthearted plot, and the next stage is revealed.

Plot

The players control Goemon (loosely inspired by the historical Goemon) and Ebisumaru (the two are called Kid Ying and Dr. Yang respectively in all non-Japanese releases of this game).

After noticing some odd occurrences in their hometown of Oedo, involving a Ghost Woman at the local temple and ghost animals that come from the temple at night, Goemon and Ebisumaru decide to investigate. After defeating the Ghost Woman, she reveals herself to be Kurobei, a ninja cat. She explains that she was looking for strong people to help her, then offers the duo money and tells them to search for her boss, Koban, on Shikoku Island. Upon arrival, they find Hyotoko dancers in town during a festival, of whom some of the townspeople are suspicious. After finding and defeating the Lantern Man, leader of the evil dancers, they rescue Koban, who informs them that Princess Yuki, daughter of the Emperor, is believed to have been kidnapped by an odd group of mimes and clowns counterfeiters known as the Otafu Army. His clan of ninja cats were unable to investigate further because of devices the army has that disable their shapeshifting powers. He then directs the duo to nearby Awaji Island, where Goemon and Ebisumaru find that the army has set up a bizarre, anachronistic amusement park. The pair then make their way across the park to the nearby town of Yamato, where they discover that the army has been recruiting the townspeople. Upon invading the Otafu HQ and defeating its leaders, they free Yae, the ninja. She tells them that the Otafu Army never had Yuki, but that a wise man in Iga may be able to help them. The Old Wise Man's palace in Iga is guarded by an army of robotic clockwork ninjas, and the pair fight through the palace and its leader, Sasuke, to get to the old man's chamber. The Old Wise Man tells them that the White Mirror in the Dragon Pond of faraway Izumo can find what they seek. He uses his "Miracle Transport Machine" (which is only a cannon) to shoot them there. To save the princess, the protagonists must travel through different regions of Japan to find clues about the army and the location of the princess.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CVG93/100[3]
EGM8/10, 8/10,
9/10, 8/10[4]
Eurogamer6/10[5]
Famitsu7/10, 7/10,
7/10, 6/10[6]
Game Informer9/10[7]
GameSpot6.6/10[8]
IGN8.5/10[10]
Nintendo Life8/10[11]
7/10[12]
ONM92/100[13]
Game Boy4/5, 4/5, 4/5,
5/5, 4/5[16]
Mean Machines
N-Force95%[17]
Nintendo Game Zone93/100[18]
90/100[19]
SNES Force92/100[20]
Super Action70%[21]
Super Gamer89%[22]
Super Pro89/100[23]

According to Famitsu, The Legend of the Mystical Ninja sold 51,680 copies in its first week on the market and 521,205 copies during its lifetime in Japan.[24] The Japanese publication Micom BASIC Magazine ranked the game ninth in popularity in its October 1991 issue, and it received a 24.78/30 score in a 1993 readers' poll conducted by Super Famicom Magazine, ranking among Super Famicom titles at the number 10 spot.[25][26] It also garnered generally favorable reception from critics.[27][28]

In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.[29] GamesRadar ranked it as the 45th best SNES game for its "stellar ancient Japan-inspired soundtrack, beautiful graphics alive with color, and just enough challenge to make it a very addictive affair. It's not breaking down any barriers for platforming or RPGs, but it's definitely one of the top games on the SNES."[30] In 1995, Total! rated the game 79th on their Top 100 SNES Games writing: "It's a mixture of arcade action and role playing and what's more it's a right bloody good laugh."[31] IGN listed the game 32nd in its "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time."[32]

According to Electronic Gaming Monthly, the game "didn't catch on too much in the U.S." but was popular in Japan.[33]

Legacy

Three direct sequels were released for the Super Famicom: Software:Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shōgun McGuiness in 1993, Ganbare Goemon 3: Shishi Jūrokubē no Karakuri Manjigatame in 1994, and Ganbare Goemon Kirakira Dōchū: Boku ga Dancer ni Natta Wake in 1995.

The Legend of the Mystical Ninja was released for the Wii Virtual Console service in 2007 in Japan on March 13, Europe and Australia on March 30,[34] and North America on April 30.[35] It was also released six years later for the Wii U Virtual Console service in 2013 in Japan on September 4,[36] North America on December 5,[37] and Europe and Australia the following year on January 16, 2014.[38] The New 3DS Virtual Console service received the game in 2016 in Japan on June 4, North America on July 7,[39] and Europe and Australia on August 25.[40] The Legend of the Mystical Ninja was also made available exclusively in Japan as part of the Super Famicom Mini console's lineup alongside its release on October 5, 2017.[41]

Notes

References

  1. ↑ "Super NES Games". https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/snes_games.pdf. 
  2. ↑ Romano, Sal (February 5, 2026). "Ganbare Goemon Daishuugo! collection announced for PS5, Switch, and PC". https://www.gematsu.com/2026/02/ganbare-goemon-daishuugo-collection-announced-for-ps5-switch-and-pc. 
  3. ↑ Rand, Paul; Boone, Tim (October 1991). "Review: Geoman the Warrior (Famicom)". Computer and Video Games (EMAP) (119): 16–18. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Video_Games_Issue_119_1991-10_EMAP_Publishing_GB/page/n15/mode/2up. 
  4. ↑ Quartermann; Alessi, Martin; Semrad, Ed; Harris, Steve (November 1991). "Super NES Review Crew: Legend of the Mystical Ninja". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Sendai Publishing) (28): 166. https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_28/page/n133/mode/1up. 
  5. ↑ Whitehead, Dan (June 15, 2007). "Virtual Console Roundup Review: F-Zero X, Bonk, Mystical Ninja and friends". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/vcroundup_150607. 
  6. ↑ "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: がんばれゴエモン 〜ゆき姫救出絵巻〜" (in ja). Famitsu (ASCII Corporation) (142): 37. September 6, 1991. https://archive.org/details/famitsu-0142/page/37/mode/1up. 
  7. ↑ "Classic GI". Game Informer (Sunrise Publications) (74): 78. June 1999. https://archive.org/details/game-informer-issue-74-june-1999/page/n83/mode/1up. 
  8. ↑ Davis, Ryan (May 2, 2007). "Legend of the Mystical Ninja Review for Wii". GameSpot. CNET Networks. http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/legendofthemysticalninja/review.html. 
  9. ↑ "Console Connexions: Geoman the Warrior (Super Famicom)". Games-X (Europress) (18): 39. August 22–28, 1991. https://archive.org/details/games-x-uk-18/page/n38/mode/1up. 
  10. ↑ Thomas, Lucas M. (April 30, 2007). "The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Virtual Console) Review". IGN. IGN Entertainment. http://wii.ign.com/articles/784/784539p1.html. 
  11. ↑ McFerran, Damien (March 31, 2007). "The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo) Review". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2007/03/legend_of_the_mystical_ninja_virtual_console. 
  12. ↑ Bowling, Steve (September 28, 2016). "Review: The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (3DS eShop / SNES)". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/the_legend_of_the_mystical_ninja_snes. 
  13. ↑ McVittie, Andy; Davies, Paul (January 1994). "Review: Legend of The Mystical Ninja". Nintendo Magazine System (EMAP) (16): 82–84. https://archive.org/details/nms16/page/n79/mode/2up. 
  14. ↑ Davies, Jonathan (January 1994). "UK Review: The Legend Of The Mystical Ninja". Super Play (Future Publishing) (15): 60. 
  15. ↑ Wen, Howard H. (February 1992). "Video-Game Reviews: The Legend of the Mystical Ninja". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (Larry Flynt Publications) (37): 52–54. https://archive.org/details/video-games-computer-entertainment-issue-37-february-1992/page/52/mode/2up. 
  16. ↑ "The・New・Soft・Review: がんばれゴエモン 〜ゆき姫救出絵巻〜" (in ja). Game Boy (Tokuma Shoten) 6 (9): 24–25. September 1991. https://archive.org/details/game-boy-september-1991-09-600dpi-ozidual/Game%20Boy%201991%2009%20%28J%20OCR%29/page/n23/mode/2up. 
  17. ↑ Rowley, Carl; Roberts, Nick (July 1992). "Reviewed! The Legend of the Mystical Ninja". N-Force (Impact Magazines) (1): 70–71. https://archive.org/details/nforce-magazine-01/page/n69/mode/2up. 
  18. ↑ McCarthy, Patrick (January 1993). "Review: The Legend of the Mystical Ninja". Nintendo Game Zone (Dennis Publishing) (3): 44–46. https://archive.org/details/nintendo-game-zone-03/page/44/mode/2up. 
  19. ↑ Nash, Jonathan (January 1994). "Review: The Legend of the Mystical Ninja". Nintendo Game Zone (Dennis Publishing) (15): 56–57. https://archive.org/details/nintendo-game-zone-15/page/n55/mode/2up. 
  20. ↑ Hayward, Chris; Rice, Chris (January 1994). "Review: The Legend of the Mystical Ninja". SNES Force (Impact Magazines) (8): 58–60. https://archive.org/details/snes-nforce-magazine-08/page/n57/mode/2up. 
  21. ↑ Goodyear, Dave (February 1994). "Official Review: The Legend of The Mystical Ninja". Super Action (Europress) (18): 36–37. https://archive.org/details/super-action-18/page/36/mode/2up. 
  22. ↑ "A-Z of Games - Nintendo Games Index: Super NES". Super Gamer (Paragon Publishing) (1): 122–124. April 1994. https://archive.org/details/super-gamer-01/page/n122/mode/1up. 
  23. ↑ Hickman, Sam (January 1994). "Official Review: The Legend of the Mystical Ninja". Super Pro (Paragon Publishing) (14): 50–51. https://archive.org/details/super-pro-14/page/50/mode/2up. 
  24. ↑ "Game Search". https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search. 
  25. ↑ Tezuka, Ichirō (October 1991). "Super Soft Hot Information: Super Famicom" (in ja). Micom BASIC Magazine (ja) (The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation (ja)) (112): 250. https://archive.org/details/micomBASIC_1991-10/page/n241/mode/1up. 
  26. ↑ Super Famicom Magazine (August 1, 1993). "ゲーム通信簿" (in ja). 90年11月から'93年6月21日発売までの323本を収録!! スーパーファミコンオールカタログ'93 (special supplement). Tokuma Shoten. p. 9. 
  27. ↑ Taylor, Matt (January 1992). "Super NES Pro Review: The Legend of the Mystical Ninja". GamePro (IDG) (30): 78. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_030_January_1992/page/n81/mode/1up. 
  28. ↑ "The Graveyard". GameFan (DieHard Gamers Club) 1 (8): 86–87. July 1993. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_1_Issue_08/page/n85/mode/2up. 
  29. ↑ Mott, Tony (2010). 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die. London: Quintessence Editions Ltd.. p. 212. ISBN 978-1-74173-076-0. 
  30. ↑ "The best SNES games of all time | GamesRadar+". 19 April 2017. https://www.gamesradar.com/best-snes-games-all-time/. 
  31. ↑ "Top 100 SNES Games". Total! (43): 47. July 1995. https://archive.org/details/total-43/page/n45/mode/2up. Retrieved February 25, 2022. 
  32. ↑ (in en) Top 100 SNES Games of All Time - IGN.com, https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-snes-games, retrieved 2022-09-05 
  33. ↑ "Ganbare Goemon: The Legend Continues...". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (100): 44. November 1997. 
  34. ↑ Orland, Kyle (March 30, 2007). "Europe gets Punch Out, other virtual console classics first". https://money.yahoo.com/2007-03-30-europe-gets-classic-games-first-for-once.html. 
  35. ↑ Grant, Christopher (April 30, 2007). "Castlevania, Mystical Ninja, Shockman whip Virtual Console". https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2007-04-30-castlevania-mystical-ninja-shockman-whip-virtual-console.html. 
  36. ↑ Brian (August 27, 2013). "Twinbee, The Legend of the Mystical Ninja hitting the Japanese Wii U VC next week". https://nintendoeverything.com/twinbee-the-legend-of-the-mystical-ninja-hitting-the-japanese-wii-u-vc-next-week/. 
  37. ↑ Kubba, Sinan (December 5, 2013). "New Nintendo eShop Releases: 3D Sonic, 3D Altered Beast, Donkey Kong sale". https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/2013-12-05-new-nintendo-eshop-releases-3d-sonic-3d-altered-beast-donkey.html. 
  38. ↑ Gander, Matt (January 16, 2014). "Dr. Luigi offers a decent dose of nostalgia". https://www.gamesasylum.com/2014/01/16/dr-luigi-offers-a-decent-dose-of-nostalgia/. 
  39. ↑ Lada, Jenni (July 7, 2016). "North American Virtual Console Gets The Mystical Ninja, Secret Scrolls, And Baseball" (in en-US). https://www.siliconera.com/north-american-virtual-console-gets-mystical-ninja-secret-scrolls-baseball/. 
  40. ↑ Theriault, Donald (August 25, 2016). "Nintendo Downloads". https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/43245/nintendo-downloads-august-25-2016. 
  41. ↑ Theriault, Donald (June 26, 2017). "Japan To Receive Super Famicom Mini In Early October". https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/44915/japan-to-receive-super-famicom-mini-in-early-october. 
  • Legend of the Mystical Ninja SNES review at Mean Machines Archive
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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