Passo avanti rispetto al titolo precedente, sotto tutti i punti. I combattimenti rimangono una notevole rottura di coglioni, ma stavolta è richiesto un minimo di strategia. Sono incluse più tipologie di attacco speciale e di elementi di cui tener conto (+ un attacco speciale che coinvolge tutti i membri del party, quando sono 4 e in vita). Lo scheletro di gioco è bene o male identico. Di nuovo, armi e pezzi d'armatura sono per lo più indossabili dai personaggi specifici anziché da tutti. Sono anche più frequenti gli equipaggiamenti con modificatori che influenzano sia l'attacco che la difesa (che la velocità del personaggio), anche in negativo (es.: +5 all'attacco e -10 alla difesa) e alcuni di essi hanno anche effetti particolari (es.: una frusta in grado di avvelenare). Purtroppo, questi ultimi sono pochissimi. Inizia comunque ad allinearsi ai jRPG più noti in Occidente, sotto questo profilo. Di nuovo, purtroppo questo gioco è l'ultimo jRPG del franchise.

Simpatica la presenza di Simon Belmont, che diventa anche momentaneamente membro del party.

Goemon, of all people, has a JRPG, and a relatively neat one at that is something else. While I don't think the game would have particularly sold well in the US, the fact we don't have access to it is certainly a tragedy. Goemon is a fairly interesting franchise, and one that hits that Saturday morning vibe that it be placed right after watching Samurai Pizza Cats.

The fact that this is the second game is a bit lost on me, but apparently they do have some characters come back from the first one as cameos. Either way, the story itself is contained in it's own game, and it's just a fun little race around the world to get all the treasures you can to prove you're the greatest thief in the world! Along the way you meet up with some interesting folks that will stay in your party for a while, including Simon Belmont, and you'll help them solve their problem to some degree. While the party does grow from more than just Goemon and Ebisumaru, largely you never go past having 3 members.

For the most part, the game is a comedy, and while you sometimes get interactions from other party members, it's usually just Goemon bullying Ebisumaru or Goemon being rude. It's very basic comedy, but one that is at least appreciated for the time. As usual with comedy bits, some of them are really out dated and considered offensive for this day and age, but it's never something you can't just look past.

When all is said though, the combat honestly has a pretty robust system on par with the likes of Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest. While I certainly don't think the monster designs are as iconic, they often have their own unique charm to them, and the fact Goemon never shys away from having machinery in old timey Japan makes for some really fun designs and storytelling. This game is particular colorful as well, and is easily one of the better looking Famicon/NES games out there, likely due to being one of the last games on the system.

Overall Ganbare Goemon Gaiden: Treasures of the World is a delightful JRPG that has a little more care and love than you'd expect. As long as you're not expecting too much from this old game; I'm sure many will find it a blast to play through.