One of the Sega Saturn’s primary issues was that it lacked a 3D platformer on the scale of Super Mario 64 and even Crash Bandicoot. There were a few efforts here and there the likes of Bug, Crock and Sonic 3D Blast, but none of these were particularly good and have mostly been forgotten. Developers were smart and instead played on the system’s strengths. That is, the Saturn was a 2D powerhouse and pushed some seriously impressive side scrolling games. Then I heard of a game called Ninpen Manmaru.
This was released only in Japan, but it’s noteworthy for a few reasons. The first of these is that it’s published by Enix which is not a name you would normally associate with the Saturn. Secondly, this game is a 3D platformer in a way that many never thought possible on the console. It’s unfortunate that this title never made it out of Japan because it definitely would have turned some heads, at least, back at the time of release.
Unfortunately I don’t understand Japanese, and therefore I can’t comment on the story here. From what I’ve heard this title is based off of an anime series, and at the beginning and end of it we’re treated to pleasant animated sequences that are fully voiced. In this game you play as a penguin who appears to be a ninja of sorts, and it’s a pretty typical platforming game. From the start you are released in to a 3D environment where your goal is simply to make it from the start to a platform at the end at which point you move to the next area. There’s no gimmicks here; Manmaru (I’m just assuming that’s his name) can only run and jump. You can’t even stomp on enemies heads.
This is sure to turn some gamers off, but this title is best considered an elaborate obstacle course because you’ve no real way to fight back against hazards. Manmaru does have several power-ups at his disposal, but these serve only to increase his speed or the height of his jumps for a set amount of time. They’re useful, but not particularly interesting or unique.
The fact that Ninpen Manmaru isn’t a collectathon (like so many other platformers of this time) is actually pretty refreshing. There are smiley coins distributed in each level, but these serve only to give you extra lives when you collect a hundred of them. As I mentioned earlier your only real objective is to make it from one part of a stage to the next. The levels are generally quite enclosed and allow for little exploration, but the goal is often high in elevation.
This is where the platforming comes in to play. This game features a lot of intricate jumping with both moving and stationary platforms as well as pitfalls that cause an instant death. Things start out easy enough but soon into the adventure enemy placement becomes more detrimental and environmental hazards more abundant. Our penguin hero Manmaru can only take five hits before you lose a life.
To make matters worse whenever you take damage (be it from a hazard, enemy, or projectile) your character is knocked back. This will often lead to either falling to the bottom of a level which can be frustrating or doom by endless pit. It’s really annoying to lose all your progress here. Part of me wishes that the terrain was almost entirely flat just because of this. It feels like you’re always trying to reach a higher ledge which exacerbates this issue.
The level design here is surprisingly open ended leaving a lot of room for shortcuts. As I said earlier your goals are often at the highest point of a stage, and there are multiple ways to do so. Manmaru comes equipped with a triple jump (ala Mario) and I found myself able to bypass areas with this ability simply by timing and spacing it just right. The game is divided up into worlds which all center around different themes and in typical fashion you face off against a boss character at the end of each one. Because Manmaru cannot attack the developers got a little creative here with your objectives; sometimes you have to collect more coins against an A.I. controlled opponent, and in other encounters you must run from and dodge an enemy for a set amount of time.
The boss encounters are mildly entertaining, but the feature I really like is that if you have a game over you can only continue from where you left off by facing off against a special boss character. The biggest detriment to these ‘battles’ as well as the standard gameplay is the controls. Manmaru’s movement is slippery, and you must change the angle of the camera (using the shoulder buttons) to turn. It takes some getting used to especially because holding left or right on the directional pad causes him to run in a circle rather than pivoting. It’s functional, but the learning curve is pretty steep.
Ninpen Manmaru is an absolutely beautiful game, and is far beyond what I thought the Saturn was capable of. Sure, titles such as Panzer Dragoon II, Saga, and Virtua Fighter II might push more polygons and run at a higher resolution, but they aren’t open and explorable like this one. The environments are well composed thanks to the vast number of polygons this title pushes. The framerate is even pretty steady, although, I did notice some lag in input in some of the more graphically intense areas. The enemies are the only weak part here because they’re blocky and generally lack textures. The art style for them is a little weird too; most of the enemies are standard household items like pencils and the like. This is a very zany game presentation-wise.
The music is really well done too. It’s mostly bouncy pop music. The tropical theme they’ve got going here makes it all really memorable. Ninpen Manmaru has music so good that it has no business being in an anime licensed platformer. Because I don’t speak Japanese I can’t comment on the voice acting outside of saying there’s quite a bit here. This is a really good redbook soundtrack.
If you own a Sega Saturn chances are you’re a big import gamer. Sega and its third party developers left so many wonderful titles in the land of the rising sun, but Ninpen Manmaru isn’t one you hear a lot about. It’s surprising too considering that this is one of the untapped genres from the platform, and is the type of game that could have potentially been popular on a worldwide scale.
Unfortunately the control issues really hold it back, as well as the level designs. I know it’s a little much to expect huge stages in a Sega Saturn title, but in some areas you feel like you’re exploring a box. Nowadays that is actually welcome instead of collecting items over a neverending landscape. Back then everyone was hungry for Sega’s answer to Mario though. This certainly is not that. Still, if you’re looking for a decent platformer you could do a lot worse, and Ninpen Manmaru is better than most of the pseudo 3D games released on the system.
