Released in 1986, Ganbare Goemon (GG) for the Nintendo Famicom is considered one of the most popular games from Nintendo's 8-bit console in Japan. In fact, the game was popular enough to warrant a re-release on the Game Boy Advance as part of its "Famicom Mini" series that was released in the early 2000s and was known as the "Classic NES" series in the West. None of the Famicom Goemon games were released in the West. Playing the game, it is somewhat easy to see why.
GG for the Famicom is actually the second game in the series. A little-known arcade game was released earlier in 1986. That game, titled "Mr. Goemon" was quite different from the NES/Famicom game discussed here. In GG, you play as a Goemon Ishikawa, a legendary Japanese folk-hero who uses thieving from baddies as a sort of medieval Japanese Robin Hood figure. The graphics are quite good for a 1986 release, with big sprites and good animation. The backgrounds remind one of a primitive "Okami", heavily influenced by traditional Japanese woodblock paintings.
The music in the game is great. The 8-bit synthesized Japanese soundtrack adds to the ancient Japanese vibe. Very catchy and memorable, you will find yourself humming the feudal tunes for hours after you have put down the controller.
Comparisons between GG and Zelda have obviously been made. The goal of each stage is to collect three "passes" within a tight time-limit. The passes are hidden through the level, and can actually be quite hard to find at times. After each level, Goemon progresses to another province on his way to the final castle. Through his adventure, Goemon can pick up various weapon and equipment upgrades. At times, Goemon will enter a 3-D-like maze gameplay section where he must find his way out to the exit. These sections can be quite a crawl, literally. The choppy animation makes the experience quite slow and sluggish. Despite these sections, the overall gameplay is quite fluid and enjoyable.
Ganbare Goemon was a massive hit for Konami. The series would spawn several Famicom sequels, a revamped series on the Super Famicom, and even N64 games. Some of these games would even make it outside of Japan. However, the 8-bit GG games are largely forgotten outside of Japan. That is a shame, as the 8-bit games are quite enjoyable. Despite a few minor language hurdles (some menus), this title is largely playable for non-Japanese players.
+Great graphics for the time
+Very catchy soundtrack
+The game is very affordable today
-Some language barrier in menus
-Cultural references may be lost to Western audiences
Rating-8.3/10
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