Lupin Sansei - Densetsu no Hihou o Oe! (Super Famicom)

Don’t let the title and the intro fool you into thinking that this game requires you to understand Japanese - Lupin Sansei - Densetsu no Hihou o Oe! can be enjoyed by people who don’t speak a single word of Japanese. In fact, it can even be played by people who don’t speak a single word of any language. It’s an action platforming game akin to Rolling Thunder.

In Lupin Sansei - Densetsu no Hihou o Oe! you control the infamous thief and womanizer, Lupin. And while the story is lost on someone who can’t understand the pre-level cutscenes, the goal is still fairly obvious – either sneak or fight your way through a level using his ability to punch and kick, jump, crawl, and use a wide variety of tools that include a pistol, a flash bang, a whip, and probably more as the game progresses.



The gameplay is pure retro goodness. It’s not Mega Man by any means, but it will require a little bit of memorization, trial and error, and light puzzle-solving. You could end up frustrated if you’re used to having conveniently placed arrows and maps pointing you towards where you need to go and what you need to do. Thankfully, the game is in 2D so the complexity isn’t bogged down by the 3rd dimension.

Presentation-wise, the game does a good job. The cut-scenes use background scores that greatly mimic the ones you find on the show, and the in-game graphics themselves are well-done, albeit using a slightly SD style.

Whether you’re a fan of the anime series or just a fan of puzzle/action platformers, Lupin Sansei - Densetsu no Hihou o Oe! is a title that you need to check out. Don’t worry about the region locking – everybody knows that the SNES/Sfamicom’s region locking is dependent entirely on a tab that you can snip. The cart doesn't use any special chips either, so you can easily play the game if you wish to go the emulation route.