Ganbare Goemon 2

"The search for a secret treasure!"

Ganbare Goemon 2 is developed by Konami. It is intended to be played on the Famicom.

The game is played in an overworld-like setting, in which you play the role of a feudal japanese thief called Goemon (Player 2 can play as Ebisumaru, Goemon's partner-in-crime). The player runs around in a town, overcoming enemies and other wild things. The objective of each level is to either defeat the boss or collect 3 passes in order to open up the gate to the next level. You run, jump and whack enemies as you run around towns collecting passes.

Also, there are caves in which work like labyrinths. It is viewed in 1st person. It's neatly done, as it gives a three dimensional feeling for a Famicom game. Alas, you can get lost easily in there, too.

Your weapon can be leveled up twice by collecting fortune cats. Once you pick up a third one, you can change back to the second one by collecting another one.

The levels can be rather large, so it's easy to get lost, perhaps be a bit too frustrating, as they become harder and harder to find. A second player can join in and play co-operatively with you.

In this installment, famous, notorious thief Goemon is captured and locked in prison. In there, he meets Ebisumaru, another thief who was locked up. He explains to Goemon over a secret treasure within Japan. Intrigued, Ebisumaru and Goemon decided to break out and look out for this treasure.

The graphics are very nice. Everything is in a traditional Japanese theme, and the enemies are well drawn. Your character looks nice, too.

The music for this game is pretty simple, yet fits the situation well, what how you're always running around, let it be searching for passes or just running your way around. The controls are pretty simple and responsive, nothing too hard to handle.

Overall, it is a pretty neat sequel to the primary Ganbare Goemon: Karakuri Douchuu!. If you liked that game, you will like this one alot. It is worth a try.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/16/06