Really great game. I feel like it's a bit of an improvement over Zelda 1 in terms of gameplay and mechanics. The power ups and items are fun to use and discover. The castle levels are fun to navigate and I adore the soundtrack. Game still does lack in level variety (until the last level) and the game can be pretty cheap with enemy placement and some of the enemy patterns. Final boss oddly felt too easy in comparison to the fourth boss, which was really irritating. Some of the items feel a bit useless too (like the invincibility helmet). The exploration also lacked a bit which I'll admit Zelda 1 did a bit better, due to its "open-world" layout. This game was more straightforward with a few dead end paths. I feel like if a new game were ever made they should definitely expand upon the level design and exploration as it would do it wonders. Zelda 2 still excels in this regard. The saving feature and not having to start over are also a godsends lol. This was my first Famicom Disk System game that actually really wow'ed me. Really cool and novel game and a great part of Nintendo's history. 8.5/10

This game is awesome. It’s very fun and action-packed with just one button to attack. It has everything good from The Legend of Zelda but without that game’s pitfalls (It’s got the combat down but without the obtuse overworld secrets). Fun combat, though it can get VERY difficult at times and occasionally too much so. It is the unsung hero of the Famicom/NES library, definitely give it a play, at least with save states if the difficulty is too much for you. I would have loved to see this series iterated upon and expanded, a remake at least.

For some reason, the universe is being really nice to Mysterious Murasame Castle fans of all people. Between the NSO release, and someone uploading the movie online, it's kind of insane how good things are looking for us.
So of course in celebration, I went back to play MMC again, and... well, it's clear this was made with NES/Famicom controllers in mind, and not fucking Switch D-pads. I'm not sponsored by them or anything, but if you don't have an NES Classic, and are sensible enough to not buy the $60 NES controllers, you should play this with an 8bitdo SN30 Pro if you're playing an emulated version.
...uhhh, and if you want my actual thoughts on the game, you can watch this haha :) https://youtu.be/KGeUj_fIO5o

I wanted to like this game. I really did. Unfortunately, Takamaru is stuck with the durability of tissue paper in a game swarming with enemies. The gameplay feels almost like an 8-bit hack-and-slash, but with way less of the power-trip fun that such games are famous for. You will die, and die, and die, because the game doesn't feel inclined to give you much if any breathing room. This game could've been really fun, but its more interesting elements (its powerups and exploration elements, for example) get overshadowed by the issue of its difficulty.

Game Review - originally written by ???

You’re a samurai. You throw a lot of things though, which to me would make you more akin to a ninja. Maybe you’re a samurai-ninja hybrid. Or! You’re a ninja, disguised as a samurai! Very clever, those ninjas! There’s no real plot, so you’re just fighting for no reason. Maybe you’re out to reclaim your ninja clan from the evil hand of your rival. Maybe you’re out to avenge the death of your entire clan by your twin brother in your rival clan. Ooh, or maybe your master was killed! And you have to avenge his death! My my, I love ninjas.

Anyways, you fight, like, thousands of other ninjas, and you can throw things, like shurikens, or knives, or some kind of fire thing, at them. And if you get close enough, you can attack them with your sword. You can even deflect most projectiles with your sword! Pretty damn badass! The first part of the stages consists of you fighting in the countryside. The second part is in the castle, where you fight even more ninjas, kill the boss and, I assume, liberate the surrounding area.

Ummm, that’s pretty much it.