Mitsume ga Tooru is based on the same-titled manga and anime franchise from Osamu Tezuka. You play the role of the bald, three-eyed Hosuke Sharaku, who is supposed to be the last of his kind. The intro shows that another three eyed man named Prince Godaru invaded Sharaku’s city while riding on the ancient tank Gomorrah, Godaru then destroys a large part of the city and kidnaps Sharaku’s friend, Wato Chiyoko. From thereon, you play a sidescrolling/platforming action game similar to Mega Man, using Sharaku’s ability to shoot energy from his third eye and his ability to summon an ancient spear called the Akai Condor, which not only serves as a powerful offensive projectile, but also as an additional platform if you need to jump higher. There’s also a store that you can access at the beginning of each stage where you can buy upgrades for your health, weapons, etc.
Basically, if you enjoy Mega Man, you’ll enjoy Mitsume Ga Tooru. Especially because Mitsume ga Tooru isn’t punishingly difficult. There are a number of things that make it easier than even the least difficult Mega Man game, the most notable being the presence of a health bar, which means you don’t die from one hit. There’s room for mistakes in this game. The controls are fairly responsive and there’s no floatiness so it’s not difficult to do precision jumps despite Sharaku’s limited mobility. Besides, the Akai Condor will help you reach places beyond Sharaku’s jumping ability.
Graphics-wise, it is what you can expect from the Famicom’s limited capabilities. The initial stages are a lot more blue-orangey than what is comfortable, but the stages are varied enough that your eyes won’t get tired of seeing the same colors after an hour or so of play. You’ll see a lot more colors once you get past the second stage. Additionally, the sprites are big and detailed for a Famicom game.
People who have played Astro Boy: Omega Factor on the GBA will be very familiar with Sharaku, as he is one of the main villains in the game (Tezuka reuses characters for different roles in different stories.)
I’m not a collector so I can’t make any recommendations on where you can purchase a copy or what you can expect to shell out. I had an actual copy as a kid (or at least I think it was an actual cart. I don’t remember any manuals so I could have been playing a bootleg. I live in a country where bootlegs are passed off as genuine copies so the eff if I know.)
Thankfully, the NES/Famicom can be easily emulated even by a low-end smartphone these days. Additionally, the game already has a fan translation. Not that it needs one – the game is an action game so you can work it out even without understanding a lick of Japanese.
