WaffulSyrup
I kept this game on my radar ever since word spread around it being revealed in a Japanese Nintendo Direct, and after marathoning 6 Goemon games and going through a bit of hell to import it (thanks AMEX Giftcard), This is a really damn fun game and I'm so glad I enjoyed it!
It takes some pages out of Goemon's handbook with it's presentation of Japanese culture and crafting a ton of uniquely fun levels based on real life prefectures of Japan that always had me guessing on what was next. Very pretty looking game with cute character designs overall!
The game controls super well, love how versatile Bakeru is especially with the forms he unlocks. Mecha fights feel like a bit of an evolution of Goemon's where its a 3D boxing-esque 1v1 rather than a first person 1v1. Music is really good too! Bosses are fun, nothing too tricky, but fun!
Collectibles are abundant and satisfying to grab, a fair chunk of them had me scratching my head on where to find them too (those hidden tanookis were nutty)
Biggest issue with this game is definitely the performance. It runs at an uncapped framerate that usually runs fine enough, but when it gets busy it really shows.
Overall, while Mameda no Bakeru isn't as challenging as Goemon's games, I still had a blast blazing through it and I place it pretty high up with other platformers I love. What a damn fine start as Good-Feel's first 3D outing.
Here's hoping it can get localized in some form or fashion or ported on other consoles or PC. Thankfully it has an English fan translation underway!
It takes some pages out of Goemon's handbook with it's presentation of Japanese culture and crafting a ton of uniquely fun levels based on real life prefectures of Japan that always had me guessing on what was next. Very pretty looking game with cute character designs overall!
The game controls super well, love how versatile Bakeru is especially with the forms he unlocks. Mecha fights feel like a bit of an evolution of Goemon's where its a 3D boxing-esque 1v1 rather than a first person 1v1. Music is really good too! Bosses are fun, nothing too tricky, but fun!
Collectibles are abundant and satisfying to grab, a fair chunk of them had me scratching my head on where to find them too (those hidden tanookis were nutty)
Biggest issue with this game is definitely the performance. It runs at an uncapped framerate that usually runs fine enough, but when it gets busy it really shows.
Overall, while Mameda no Bakeru isn't as challenging as Goemon's games, I still had a blast blazing through it and I place it pretty high up with other platformers I love. What a damn fine start as Good-Feel's first 3D outing.
Here's hoping it can get localized in some form or fashion or ported on other consoles or PC. Thankfully it has an English fan translation underway!
2001
My buddies and I had this game as a semi-running joke on a discord server because the boxart, character names, and game name was really funny to us
Eventually, I decided on playing it last night and now I'm sad there wasn't more games with this IP. It's not perfect, getting Moigle's AI to do certain things was a tad annoying, but he mostly cooperated 95% of the time.
The game had the charm of a saturday morning cartoon and I loved the slapstick humor and music that accompanied it. The characters were also really expressive too, definitely a technical marvel at the time it dropped.
Overall, a funny game with a ton of charm. It's a shame it was dealt such a bad hand releasing after the Dreamcast discontinued.
Eventually, I decided on playing it last night and now I'm sad there wasn't more games with this IP. It's not perfect, getting Moigle's AI to do certain things was a tad annoying, but he mostly cooperated 95% of the time.
The game had the charm of a saturday morning cartoon and I loved the slapstick humor and music that accompanied it. The characters were also really expressive too, definitely a technical marvel at the time it dropped.
Overall, a funny game with a ton of charm. It's a shame it was dealt such a bad hand releasing after the Dreamcast discontinued.
1998
Chameleon Twist 2 is a sequel that takes a step forward and a few back. The controls, camera, and presentation were vastly improved. Feels nice to control and everything is so vibrant and full of color. Music is also pretty solid.
I was also a big fan of the tongue having new moves with the levels crafting challenges around that rather than the predecessor where it was kinda there but not really.
Unfortunately, the levels as a whole weren't great when you take out the tongue swinging challenges out of the picture. There's just alot of floating platform waiting room bs inbetween all that. It nixes the pacing. The levels also feel very barren with threats. There's enemies, but you can just avoid them, you're rarely forced to engage with them.
Overall, Chameleon Twist 2 is a bit better than the original but not by much. Short playthrough, 6 levels, not a bad game. Peep it for the novelty and the tongue moveset. I do hope some indie games take that concept and mess with it, the only one to really do so (masterfully imo) is Frogun (love that game so much)
I was also a big fan of the tongue having new moves with the levels crafting challenges around that rather than the predecessor where it was kinda there but not really.
Unfortunately, the levels as a whole weren't great when you take out the tongue swinging challenges out of the picture. There's just alot of floating platform waiting room bs inbetween all that. It nixes the pacing. The levels also feel very barren with threats. There's enemies, but you can just avoid them, you're rarely forced to engage with them.
Overall, Chameleon Twist 2 is a bit better than the original but not by much. Short playthrough, 6 levels, not a bad game. Peep it for the novelty and the tongue moveset. I do hope some indie games take that concept and mess with it, the only one to really do so (masterfully imo) is Frogun (love that game so much)
1997
Chameleon Twist is a painfully fine game that has some neat ideas but doesn't go the full nine yards with it likely due to whatever budget the game had. It's a bit clunky, but its the "huh that's neat" kind of clunky where you can see what the devs were trying to cook with it.
Slurping up a bunch of enemies and spitting em out like a machine gun was really satisfying to pull off and I like how the levels were mostly designed in ways that force you to engage with enemies instead of just walking right by them. Bosses were eh, there were only like 2-3 notable ones that were cool. Presentation is fairly weak, music was alright.
The game ain't long, only 6 levels. It's over before you know it and you're kinda left with the feeling of "man, they had some neat ideas here, wish it could've been fully realized."
Overall Chameleon Twist isn't a waste of time. You can burn through it in less than an hour and it's got chill vibes. I recommend peeping it for that alone, its a fun little novelty and nothing more. Or you can speedrun it, that's fun too!
Slurping up a bunch of enemies and spitting em out like a machine gun was really satisfying to pull off and I like how the levels were mostly designed in ways that force you to engage with enemies instead of just walking right by them. Bosses were eh, there were only like 2-3 notable ones that were cool. Presentation is fairly weak, music was alright.
The game ain't long, only 6 levels. It's over before you know it and you're kinda left with the feeling of "man, they had some neat ideas here, wish it could've been fully realized."
Overall Chameleon Twist isn't a waste of time. You can burn through it in less than an hour and it's got chill vibes. I recommend peeping it for that alone, its a fun little novelty and nothing more. Or you can speedrun it, that's fun too!
Goemon's Great Adventure is a pretty damn good platformer that translates Goemon's 2D platforming action on N64 fairly well. It does have some flaws but I enjoyed it alot!
The presentation is just as great (if not better) than Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon and that's solely due to the real time day & night system the game has where it visually & audibly affects every stage & town in the game. Speaking of audible, the music...Man. My praises might actually be even higher than Mystical Ninja, I don't know what OST I'd prefer because Great Adventure's soundtrack kicks MAJOR ass. Every tune is catchy and jammin while also being dynamic too?? My god. Stellar soundtrack that also doesn't feel compromised on the N64 hardware. The writing is still pretty funny, as a tried and true tradition of the Goemon series not taking itself seriously at all.
The gameplay is pretty damn fun, mech battles are back (I miss the grapple move from Mystical Ninja), but everything is pretty fluid & brisk. Jumps are a bit heavy and not super great at covering distance as there were several times I actually screwed up on what would've been pretty easy point a to point b jumps. It's weird. I also really liked the progression where you collect entry passes to progress. You're rewarded with them by completing levels, finding secret exits, and doing sidequests challenges issued by NPCs within the towns per area. Definitely a more fun implementation of these than Ganbare Goemon 4.
Now for my issues with the game: Character swapping is still here but its been moved to a teahouse in towns & warp pad in levels. I got used to it, but I wasn't super big on the change either. The N64 had enough buttons to allow for character swapping, I don't see what excuse Great Adventure would have because you never use the C-Buttons outside of the mecha battles. It's a shame too because I feel like this change also made Sasuke & Ebisumaru feel less involved where you'll sometimes use them for certain things when they're needed. I mostly played as Yae & Goemon since they had alot of pros to them (Speed & Range) which in turn, made the other two feel obsolete.
The game has fair challenge, but its kinda muddied in spots where enemies are placed, how some level design is executed (towards the end), and the fact that you only have 3 hit points now. You can get an additional (temporary) 3 with armor or a golden cat statue, but you'll be eating a hit or two pretty fast. It also doesn't help that this game is one of those platformers where anything becomes a pit if the camera doesn't show what's below in time. I've taken quite a few deaths because of that and it was a bit annoying.
Overall, Goemon's Great Adventure is another underrated N64 game that I'd definitely recommend. Just be wary of some of it's quirks and you'll be in for a fun time!
The presentation is just as great (if not better) than Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon and that's solely due to the real time day & night system the game has where it visually & audibly affects every stage & town in the game. Speaking of audible, the music...Man. My praises might actually be even higher than Mystical Ninja, I don't know what OST I'd prefer because Great Adventure's soundtrack kicks MAJOR ass. Every tune is catchy and jammin while also being dynamic too?? My god. Stellar soundtrack that also doesn't feel compromised on the N64 hardware. The writing is still pretty funny, as a tried and true tradition of the Goemon series not taking itself seriously at all.
The gameplay is pretty damn fun, mech battles are back (I miss the grapple move from Mystical Ninja), but everything is pretty fluid & brisk. Jumps are a bit heavy and not super great at covering distance as there were several times I actually screwed up on what would've been pretty easy point a to point b jumps. It's weird. I also really liked the progression where you collect entry passes to progress. You're rewarded with them by completing levels, finding secret exits, and doing sidequests challenges issued by NPCs within the towns per area. Definitely a more fun implementation of these than Ganbare Goemon 4.
Now for my issues with the game: Character swapping is still here but its been moved to a teahouse in towns & warp pad in levels. I got used to it, but I wasn't super big on the change either. The N64 had enough buttons to allow for character swapping, I don't see what excuse Great Adventure would have because you never use the C-Buttons outside of the mecha battles. It's a shame too because I feel like this change also made Sasuke & Ebisumaru feel less involved where you'll sometimes use them for certain things when they're needed. I mostly played as Yae & Goemon since they had alot of pros to them (Speed & Range) which in turn, made the other two feel obsolete.
The game has fair challenge, but its kinda muddied in spots where enemies are placed, how some level design is executed (towards the end), and the fact that you only have 3 hit points now. You can get an additional (temporary) 3 with armor or a golden cat statue, but you'll be eating a hit or two pretty fast. It also doesn't help that this game is one of those platformers where anything becomes a pit if the camera doesn't show what's below in time. I've taken quite a few deaths because of that and it was a bit annoying.
Overall, Goemon's Great Adventure is another underrated N64 game that I'd definitely recommend. Just be wary of some of it's quirks and you'll be in for a fun time!
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon is a great game that fired on all cylinders with it's scope, humor, presentation, and variety. it's an awesome translation of Goemon's action oriented gameplay in a 3D environment.
The world is pretty vast and fun to explore and it made me easily see why so many folks hold this game in high regard. The humor was very silly (some of it dated) but when the jokes land, I'm chuckling.
The presentation is astounding. Not only is it one of the best looking games on the N64, it's one of the best sounding games too. I was seriously blown away hearing how rich the music was, it genuinely felt like the N64 hardware didn't compromise it's quality.
The gameplay variety was fun to experience too. The mech battles were a blast (loved grappling and punching them alot), and I loved that they brought back the method of swapping between characters on the fly like Ganbare Goemon 3. No character feels underutilized throughout the entire playthrough; Goemon, Ebisumaru, Sasuke, and Yae all get equal usage and they're all really fun to use too. Mystical Ninja truly feels like what Konami wanted to achieve with Ganbare Goemon 3, something that blended the action platforming with exploration/action rpg-esque mechanics.
My only gripe is the game being a bit cryptic with progression, even if you talk to the NPCs often. You'll eventually find your way around things one way or another but its still a thing I noticed.
Overall, this game was really fun! I can definitely see why its so fondly looked upon by so many folks all these years later. Definitely one of the N64's greatest hits.
The world is pretty vast and fun to explore and it made me easily see why so many folks hold this game in high regard. The humor was very silly (some of it dated) but when the jokes land, I'm chuckling.
The presentation is astounding. Not only is it one of the best looking games on the N64, it's one of the best sounding games too. I was seriously blown away hearing how rich the music was, it genuinely felt like the N64 hardware didn't compromise it's quality.
The gameplay variety was fun to experience too. The mech battles were a blast (loved grappling and punching them alot), and I loved that they brought back the method of swapping between characters on the fly like Ganbare Goemon 3. No character feels underutilized throughout the entire playthrough; Goemon, Ebisumaru, Sasuke, and Yae all get equal usage and they're all really fun to use too. Mystical Ninja truly feels like what Konami wanted to achieve with Ganbare Goemon 3, something that blended the action platforming with exploration/action rpg-esque mechanics.
My only gripe is the game being a bit cryptic with progression, even if you talk to the NPCs often. You'll eventually find your way around things one way or another but its still a thing I noticed.
Overall, this game was really fun! I can definitely see why its so fondly looked upon by so many folks all these years later. Definitely one of the N64's greatest hits.
Played the English Translation patch
The final main entry for Goemon's SNES adventures. It has it's own set of problems, but I enjoyed it alot more than Goemon 3.
Goemon 4 takes alot of pages from Goemon 2, reverting the game back to an action platformer whilst mixing in ideas that I liked from Goemon 3. The game is initially split into 4 worlds per character that can be played in any order, and as you progress, you eventually unlock the ability to swap between characters like Goemon 3, this is where Goemon 4 really cracks open where you can replay levels and access secrets and goodies with the unique abilities each character has. The music and presentation are great, the humor is fun, it felt great playing another action platforming Goemon game again. The levels were also imaginative as well with a surfing level and boxing arena.
Now the flaws, I feel like this game was definitely a bit overtuned with difficulty. Goemon 2, despite the difficulty spike the mecha fights brought, was still a fairly challenging game you can breeze through. Goemon 4 treads those similar beats, but litters itself with some beginner traps that may take you a few tries to eventually overcome the hurdle. It's not as punishing as Goemon 3 since they did bring back Goemon 2's handling of game overs, but it still makes Goemon 4 feel stingy when recovery items and cash are handed out pretty infrequently within the levels.
Bosses were handled in a real odd way. There's only really 2 traditional bosses while the rest opt for being minigames that end up replacing the mecha fights?? One is pretty much guesswork while 2 others are trial and error. They're not really fun, and it unfortunately adds to this game ending off on a bit of a whimper, comical ending aside.
Overall though, despite my issue with the difficulty and minigame emphasis, Goemon 4 was still pretty damn fun. Not as great as Goemon 2, but more enjoyable than 3 & 1.
The final main entry for Goemon's SNES adventures. It has it's own set of problems, but I enjoyed it alot more than Goemon 3.
Goemon 4 takes alot of pages from Goemon 2, reverting the game back to an action platformer whilst mixing in ideas that I liked from Goemon 3. The game is initially split into 4 worlds per character that can be played in any order, and as you progress, you eventually unlock the ability to swap between characters like Goemon 3, this is where Goemon 4 really cracks open where you can replay levels and access secrets and goodies with the unique abilities each character has. The music and presentation are great, the humor is fun, it felt great playing another action platforming Goemon game again. The levels were also imaginative as well with a surfing level and boxing arena.
Now the flaws, I feel like this game was definitely a bit overtuned with difficulty. Goemon 2, despite the difficulty spike the mecha fights brought, was still a fairly challenging game you can breeze through. Goemon 4 treads those similar beats, but litters itself with some beginner traps that may take you a few tries to eventually overcome the hurdle. It's not as punishing as Goemon 3 since they did bring back Goemon 2's handling of game overs, but it still makes Goemon 4 feel stingy when recovery items and cash are handed out pretty infrequently within the levels.
Bosses were handled in a real odd way. There's only really 2 traditional bosses while the rest opt for being minigames that end up replacing the mecha fights?? One is pretty much guesswork while 2 others are trial and error. They're not really fun, and it unfortunately adds to this game ending off on a bit of a whimper, comical ending aside.
Overall though, despite my issue with the difficulty and minigame emphasis, Goemon 4 was still pretty damn fun. Not as great as Goemon 2, but more enjoyable than 3 & 1.
Played the English Translation patch
Man....
This is one of Goemon's most ambitious games on the SNES by far, but the execution ranges from being solid, baffling, or downright bad to the point where the game feels rushed. Konami decided to have the action platforming level to level based gameplay take a bit of a backseat and opted for a more Action RPG-like experience on par with A Link to the Past.
It has neat ideas, I love how you can swap between Goemon, Ebisumaru, Sasuke, and Yae on the fly each with their own set of abilities, I did like some aspects of the overworld exploration, the bosses were fine (the mecha fights were a downgrade from Goemon 2). Music is solid, presentation is nice, and the humor is definitely a hit or miss for me.
As for my issues: The mecha fights are less challenging than they were in the predecessor, the points leading up to the mecha fights themselves are a boring slog, gone are the quick skating levels you done with Impact in Goemon 2. The biggest smoking gun is how punishing this game is with game overs. The 2D levels in this game are LONG (with some exceptions) averaging 20-45 minutes of playtime each. The save feature is present in Inns, but they also moved them to designated signs on the overworld located outside of the levels you'd play through. But if you happen to game over within the level(s) say goodbye to all that progress you initially made, you're back to square one where you last saved. You do get the ability to save in the level only after you beat a boss or enter a section with Impact. It feels really cheap especially with the levels themselves being fairly stingy in handing out recovery items and whatnot too (which can be counteracted by buying armor and recovery items) but you also gotta be careful cause enemy respawning is just a constant thing the series does so you'll be caught off guard in more ways than one.
I was also pretty annoyed with a snippet of the endgame being a convoluted fetchquest that you aren't entirely clued in on unless you talked to alot of NPCs throughout the game. It definitely felt like a last minute "we gotta wrap this game up" pull to have an excuse for getting the last 3 metal plates you need to unlock the finale, a semi-underwhelming finale carried by the heartwarming ending.
Overall, Goemon 3 isn't a bad game, it's more of a mixed bag that had alot of ambition crushed by the weight of it's execution. I'd say it's worth a play to form your own conclusion, but personally, I don't see myself coming back to it even with the knowledge I have now when it comes to getting through it.
Man....
This is one of Goemon's most ambitious games on the SNES by far, but the execution ranges from being solid, baffling, or downright bad to the point where the game feels rushed. Konami decided to have the action platforming level to level based gameplay take a bit of a backseat and opted for a more Action RPG-like experience on par with A Link to the Past.
It has neat ideas, I love how you can swap between Goemon, Ebisumaru, Sasuke, and Yae on the fly each with their own set of abilities, I did like some aspects of the overworld exploration, the bosses were fine (the mecha fights were a downgrade from Goemon 2). Music is solid, presentation is nice, and the humor is definitely a hit or miss for me.
As for my issues: The mecha fights are less challenging than they were in the predecessor, the points leading up to the mecha fights themselves are a boring slog, gone are the quick skating levels you done with Impact in Goemon 2. The biggest smoking gun is how punishing this game is with game overs. The 2D levels in this game are LONG (with some exceptions) averaging 20-45 minutes of playtime each. The save feature is present in Inns, but they also moved them to designated signs on the overworld located outside of the levels you'd play through. But if you happen to game over within the level(s) say goodbye to all that progress you initially made, you're back to square one where you last saved. You do get the ability to save in the level only after you beat a boss or enter a section with Impact. It feels really cheap especially with the levels themselves being fairly stingy in handing out recovery items and whatnot too (which can be counteracted by buying armor and recovery items) but you also gotta be careful cause enemy respawning is just a constant thing the series does so you'll be caught off guard in more ways than one.
I was also pretty annoyed with a snippet of the endgame being a convoluted fetchquest that you aren't entirely clued in on unless you talked to alot of NPCs throughout the game. It definitely felt like a last minute "we gotta wrap this game up" pull to have an excuse for getting the last 3 metal plates you need to unlock the finale, a semi-underwhelming finale carried by the heartwarming ending.
Overall, Goemon 3 isn't a bad game, it's more of a mixed bag that had alot of ambition crushed by the weight of it's execution. I'd say it's worth a play to form your own conclusion, but personally, I don't see myself coming back to it even with the knowledge I have now when it comes to getting through it.
2022
I had this game on my radar for a bit cause it was brought to my attention from SchmupJunkie if I can remember, great channel btw. Despite being a fan of beat em ups, seeing this game in motion didn't entirely sell me on wishlisting it. It wasn't until EGS gave it away as a freebie recently and I played it with a friend and...Man I feel bad getting it for free on EGS this is one of the most enjoyable beatem ups I played in recent years and it might be among my favorites now.
The trailers don't really do it justice at all. Actually playing the game and feeling the movement and control, it felt soooo damn good. There's alot of depth to the game's combat and i love how each character has a varied moveset alongside unlocking more moves for them as the game progresses. You basically have fighting game controls too with parries, supers, cancels, its all here. The music is top notch (they got Johnny Gioeli on the fucking OST) and the visuals are badass. Some of the game's humor (visual & dialoguewise) doesn't land for me but its not enough to harken the experience. The game is fun as hell and I looooved causing so much carnage onscreen. Hell, they even have a mode where you can tag in another character MvC style, that's something I never seen any beat em up do.
My only issue with the game is how deaths work. If you die, there's a lot of waiting inbetween for the other player to hop back-in. Can't sacrifice one of your extra lives to resurrect a pal, or anything. You do come back on the next screen you go to, but you're stuck withe 0 lives and the character you selected. You only get your 2 designated lives back if everyone dies on a level. It feels like a weirdly archaic design choice when alot of beat em ups back then allowed for character switching and a lives reset upon a death with the penalty being a loss of score.
Overall though, Jitsu Squad is a VERY fun beat em up. I implore anyone to check it out if you love the genre, you won't be disappointed.
The trailers don't really do it justice at all. Actually playing the game and feeling the movement and control, it felt soooo damn good. There's alot of depth to the game's combat and i love how each character has a varied moveset alongside unlocking more moves for them as the game progresses. You basically have fighting game controls too with parries, supers, cancels, its all here. The music is top notch (they got Johnny Gioeli on the fucking OST) and the visuals are badass. Some of the game's humor (visual & dialoguewise) doesn't land for me but its not enough to harken the experience. The game is fun as hell and I looooved causing so much carnage onscreen. Hell, they even have a mode where you can tag in another character MvC style, that's something I never seen any beat em up do.
My only issue with the game is how deaths work. If you die, there's a lot of waiting inbetween for the other player to hop back-in. Can't sacrifice one of your extra lives to resurrect a pal, or anything. You do come back on the next screen you go to, but you're stuck withe 0 lives and the character you selected. You only get your 2 designated lives back if everyone dies on a level. It feels like a weirdly archaic design choice when alot of beat em ups back then allowed for character switching and a lives reset upon a death with the penalty being a loss of score.
Overall though, Jitsu Squad is a VERY fun beat em up. I implore anyone to check it out if you love the genre, you won't be disappointed.
Played the English Translation Patch.
My favorite of the SNES Goemon titles and its one I first played a chunk of when I got into emulation when I was a teen (it was also before the game got a translation patch). Never beat it until now and I'm so glad I did.
Goemon 2's level design is super satisfying & imaginative with the Food Castle being my favorite theme having enemies & hazards based off Japanese cuisine and utensils. The humor is solid, alongside the music and presentation blowing the first SNES game out of the water. Goemon 2 is an absolute must play on the SNES library and I'd consider it somewhere in my Top 10 SNES games.
Only nitpick is the mech fights definitely being a difficulty spike later on, but considering how generous the game is with continues & game overs, you'll be zipping back in action in no-time flat.
My favorite of the SNES Goemon titles and its one I first played a chunk of when I got into emulation when I was a teen (it was also before the game got a translation patch). Never beat it until now and I'm so glad I did.
Goemon 2's level design is super satisfying & imaginative with the Food Castle being my favorite theme having enemies & hazards based off Japanese cuisine and utensils. The humor is solid, alongside the music and presentation blowing the first SNES game out of the water. Goemon 2 is an absolute must play on the SNES library and I'd consider it somewhere in my Top 10 SNES games.
Only nitpick is the mech fights definitely being a difficulty spike later on, but considering how generous the game is with continues & game overs, you'll be zipping back in action in no-time flat.
Played the retranslation patch.
This game is a short and solid time that's a bit mean and oddly grindy in two instances which broke the flow for me. Some bosses were also a bit tough mainly due to how precise some maneuvers are to avoid them despite the game not having the movement to back up that precision too much.
It's a solid enough start to Goemon's SNES journey. The music and visuals are nice though, if you ever want to check this out, peep the retranslation patch since it also adds a proper save feature.
This game is a short and solid time that's a bit mean and oddly grindy in two instances which broke the flow for me. Some bosses were also a bit tough mainly due to how precise some maneuvers are to avoid them despite the game not having the movement to back up that precision too much.
It's a solid enough start to Goemon's SNES journey. The music and visuals are nice though, if you ever want to check this out, peep the retranslation patch since it also adds a proper save feature.
A fairly solid licensed game you can burn through in less than an hour without knowing a lick of Japanese, its a breeze of a playthrough. Its got pretty damn good music too.
Not much else I can say on it as I'm unfamiliar with the source material and tokusatsu material in general.
Not much else I can say on it as I'm unfamiliar with the source material and tokusatsu material in general.
2023
I played the original game earlier this year to give it a spin and in preparation for this remake, and yeah, there was a ton of love and care put into this remake and it shows.
Not only is it really damn faithful to the original with how everything looks, controls, sounds, feels, they also introduced some QoL improvements to bring SMRPG up to the standards of most RPGs in the current era. You can carry multiples of the same item, a dedicated fast travel has been implemented, timing hits has an indicator that eventually disappears once you've mastered timing. The post-game content is also really damn nice too. The bosses are tough as hell and I like how there's a gimmick for each of them to have you genuinely think on each of your moves, and the new dialogue for the post-game content is also just as witty as the game's original writing.
Really the only thing I can dock points off the remake for is the odd lack of sound design in the cutscenes. I didn't expect this remake to have voice acting (I mean who honestly did), but its weird that the boss intro cutscenes they made specifically for this game just has no sound effects at all. Outside of like Smithy's but that's only because the wooden stake comes crashing down and Smithy transforming afterward.
Overall, a great remake of an already great game. If you're new to SMRPG, this is definitely the best way to play it.
Not only is it really damn faithful to the original with how everything looks, controls, sounds, feels, they also introduced some QoL improvements to bring SMRPG up to the standards of most RPGs in the current era. You can carry multiples of the same item, a dedicated fast travel has been implemented, timing hits has an indicator that eventually disappears once you've mastered timing. The post-game content is also really damn nice too. The bosses are tough as hell and I like how there's a gimmick for each of them to have you genuinely think on each of your moves, and the new dialogue for the post-game content is also just as witty as the game's original writing.
Really the only thing I can dock points off the remake for is the odd lack of sound design in the cutscenes. I didn't expect this remake to have voice acting (I mean who honestly did), but its weird that the boss intro cutscenes they made specifically for this game just has no sound effects at all. Outside of like Smithy's but that's only because the wooden stake comes crashing down and Smithy transforming afterward.
Overall, a great remake of an already great game. If you're new to SMRPG, this is definitely the best way to play it.
That Crunchium Thief ain't shit bro LMAO
A pretty damn fun romp that was alot shorter than I expected, but was a joy to play nonetheless. I hardly know much about Dragon Ball so I can't really speak on the narrative aspect of the game, but everything else? Music was great, presentation was great, controls are smooth, and I really enjoyed the 1-on-1 fights. Just an overall really cool game that you can knock out over a weekend.