Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon is a part of the Ganbare Goemon franchise one of the small number of Ganbare Goemon games released to the U.S. It was released for the Nintendo 64.

Plot
Goemon and his allies, Ebisumaru, Yae, and Sasuke, must save Japan after the Peach Mountain Shogun, a part of the criminal syndicate, the Flake Gang, plot to transform all of Japan into a giant stage for fame.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Humorous and funny storyline.
 * 2) Impressive graphics for the time.
 * 3) Each character can obtain different tools and weapons, some of which are necessary to advance through the game.
 * 4) Three moments where you pilot the giant robot Impact in FP style giant robot boss battles.
 * 5) Large world to explore, making the open world adventure very reminiscent to The Legend of Zelda.
 * 6) Hidden in the game are silver fortune dolls and golden fortune dolls. Collect four silver fortune dolls to upgrade your health and collect one golden fortune doll for the same effect.
 * 7) Each character has a unique ability that can be unlocked through gyms.
 * 8) *Goemon can increase his strength to move metal boxes and deal double damage, though he can also receive double damage.
 * 9) *Ebisumaru can shrink in size to fit through tiny holes.
 * 10) *Yae can transform into a mermaid to explore underwater areas.
 * 11) *Sasuke can reach higher platforms with his rocket jumps.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Extremely stubborn and troublesome camera
 * 2) Getting to a certain place requires a necessary item or weapon, which leads to backtracking
 * 3) While the chain pipe is a very cool weapon, the aiming can be very awkward whenever you try to aim it directly to where you want it to go

Reception
Like The Legend of the Mystical Ninja, Mystical Ninja starring Goemon was critically acclaimed. The game has a 4.16 rating out of 5 at GameFAQS.