Ganbare Goemon Gaiden 2: Tenka no Zaihō
| Ganbare Goemon Gaiden 2: Tenka no Zaihō | |
|---|---|
 Cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Konami[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Konami[1] |
| Composer(s) |
Yuichi Sakakura[2] Yukie Morimoto[2] |
| Platform(s) | Family Computer[1] |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Role-playing video game[1] |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Ganbare Goemon Gaiden 2: Tenka no Zaihō (Japanese: がんばれゴエモン外伝２ 天下の財宝) is a Ganbare Goemon game released for the Family Computer on January 3, 1992 in Japan.[2]
This is a sequel to the first Ganbare Goemon Gaiden role-playing game; which is a side story in the entire Goemon series.[2] Goemon, a cunning thief and an avid treasure hunter, has nothing to do and sits in his house being bored.[2] But his trusty friend Ebisumaru has good news: there is a big treasure to find somewhere in a big city across the sea.[2] Of course the treasure will not be just given to Goemon: he will have to perform a dangerous mission before he can acquire it.[2] The two friends board a ship and thus the journey begins...[2]
Gameplay
This game is the first title that really defined the Goemon (Legend of the Mystical Ninja) series. It is a virtual atmosphere of a Japan where every myth and legend that ever came to exist are brought to life in this game, be it amazing clockwork machinery, ice spirits that are out to haunt the player, or a trip down to hell for harming the Ojisan statues.
Like its predecessor, the general goal of the game is to progress from territory to territory by getting to the gate while collecting three passes. Finding these passes is no easy task, as you must hunt out secret passages and traverse complex mazes to obtain them. So just like the previous title, it's an Easter Egg hunt. Don't make the mistake to assume this game is exactly like the original, as the player will find it far more fine tuned. There are fewer randomly hidden passages in this title, which allows him to enjoy exploring the stage more. The player will have plenty of time to enjoy the many diversions as he goes along his way, be it fighting off police and stray rabbits, buying video game cartridges, or trying to sneak into the woman's onsen. And to clear the difficulty of getting lost in towns, new signs have been added to help you keep track of where the player is going. Also, just about every stage also offers a store or two that will sell the player's passes in case he is burnt out from all the searching.
The game diverges from the original as we have more pure action stages where the goal is as simple as finding the end bosses, and stages themselves offer greater mazes and challenges. And how can one mention this game without talking about its two player cooperation mode? During the two-player mode of the game, it is critical that the players work together in tandem, as one player's action directly influences the other. Both money and items are shared in this mode, as well as the effects of items collected on screen. It can make things difficult on stages that require a lot of movement, but overall a fun and welcome addition.