Unlike a children’s game like Yoshi’s Story, Mystical Ninja is styled in traditional anime (Japanese animation) style. Some of the real-time cinemas (and indeed much of the rest of the game as well) are captivating in their unique cultural style. A good portion of my enjoyment of the game stemmed from just how Japanese the game is. From the plot to the characters to the humor to the text, this is the most non-western game I have ever played.

If you’re looking for a standard, meaningful plot, you won’t find it in Mystical Ninja. Instead you’ll find a story so odd and quirky that you’ll play just to see what pops up next. From strolling through town to piloting a giant robot (of course) to fighting on the back of a giant flying dragon, the settings in Mystical Ninja are extremely varied. A lot of people have said that the game is like Mario 64, but aside from the 3D-ness of the game and very similar animation and use of the control stick, I don’t see a huge similarity.

The actual gameplay is a mix of many great games, from Zelda to Mario. Use of the in-game map is definitely required, and the absolutely huge areas to explore manage to perfectly create the sense of discovering previously uncharted territory. The action in the game serves more to lengthen the game than to provide a unique experience. The seven or so different drone-like enemies that roam the game’s worlds don’t offer much of a challenge. The real fun is in the quirky dialogue, the sense of exploration, and the real-time cinemas.

There’s a real sense of comedy present throughout the game. There’s even a laugh track to liven up a few of the jokes. Unfortunately, most of the laugh-track jokes aren’t very funny, and I think that this is because of the straight translation from Japanese. One of the funnier moments of dialog is shown in the screen cap on the cover page of this review. At the point shown, the guards have used your super pass to open a door for you. As shown, talking to the guard after the door is opened causes him to comment on how depressing it is that he must stand there and guard the door until you clear the game. If you don’t find this the least bit funny, then Mystical Ninja is not for you. If, on the other hand, this off-beat, quirky humor is right up your alley, Mystical Ninja could be the most fun you’ve had with your N64 in quite a while.

The game’s control is fair to poor, but the game’s obstacles seem to accommodate this and the whole experience is still highly playable. Despite it’s younger target audience, I played and played Mystical Ninja, eventually getting three-quarters of the way through it in my five day rental period. When I returned the game, I was working my way through the submarine castle that featured impressive fog, giant rice bowls and giant sushi. I definitely plan to rent it again to finish the game, just to see what weird, creative stuff I encounter.

Overall, while I consider Mystical Ninja a must rent game, I can’t be sure how most gamers will feel about it. Unless you like playing games over from the beginning and covering the same ground, there isn’t a good reason to purchase Mystical Ninja. On the other hand, if you like anime and taking your time to enjoy dialogue and explore new areas, definitely give Mystical Ninja a rental. If you’re not sure if you’ll like the game's style, go ahead and give it a rental. You could do a lot worse.