Collection essentials #196: Ganbare Goemon Kirakira Dōchū: Boku ga Dancer ni Natta Wake / Let's Go! Goemon: The Twinkling Journey - The Reason I Became a Dancer (SNES)

Konami’s last major Goemon game on the SNES, and they made sure it was a memorable one. There’s no number in the title, but many fans call it Goemon 4 for short as that’s what number Konami would have given it had they continued that naming convention.

The last two games featured a giant robot named Impact piloted by our heroes. This game starts with a twist: Impact is a sentient being! He informs the main characters that he was born on another planet, and that he’s going there to aid his people who are under attack. Goemon and his friends volunteer to join him and help out. The villain on the offensive is an athlete named “Seppukumaru”. In case you don’t know, seppuku is a form of ritual suicide practiced by samurai in Japan. That sounds dark, but it’s played for comedic effect here.

Gameplay-wise, this game is closer to Ganbare Goemon 2 on SNES rather than the previous game, ditching the adventure style, going back to side-scrolling platforming and some towns. There’s a world map with a level select again. In fact, at the start of the game, each of the four playable characters have a set of their own levels that they have to clear. Oddly, the first-person impact battles are gone, and in their place are a variety of mini games depending on which boss you’re facing. The game is pretty tough, more so than the first two games, and I certainly died a lot when I played through it.

Konami tried to make this game feature-rich and technically impressive in the graphics and audio department. As a result this game is one of the largest games (in terms of file size) on the system that’s not an RPG. And the quality presentation sure is welcome in a series like Goemon where the style is part of the appeal. There’s even multiplayer outside of the main game co-op, as friends can compete against one another in minigames. 

What did I think of Goemon 4? I liked it a lot and found it memorable. I did feel like it was a bit flawed, and some parts were more frustrating than they needed to be, but punishment for death is fairly light, so this doesn’t ruin the game, but I don’t quite feel it matches up with the top platformers on the console like the Mario or Donkey Kong games. The ending, though, is truly memorable and hilarious, which helped the game leave a good lasting impression. How does it stack up to the previous Goemon games on the system? It’s tough to say, I feel like they’re close in terms of quality and I would probably have to replay them to give a solid opinion. Either way, this one is definitely another essential Goemon game, and it’s not the last you’ll be seeing of that blue-haired ninja in this series.