(Originally posted on May, 2017)
(1986, Famicom)
(Though I own the cart, the game was played on an emulator.)
Before establishing his gang of justice with Ebisumaru and the others, Goemon alone put the kibosh on anyone attempting to undermine peaceful Edo Japan. In a manner familiar to anyone who’s played Mystical Ninja on the SNES, in his first console appearance the legendary thief fends off danger from all directions while exploring expansive towns filled with secrets. Typical of a fairly early Famicom title, the gameplay of Ganbare Goemon: Karakuri Douchuu (Go for it, Goemon! Tricky Road) quickly gets straight to the point. Also typical of many an 8-bit game, numerous deaths tend to come about for all the wrong reasons and brutal repetition is your main Sensei. Proceed down this road with caution…
Rather ambitious for the year it was released (1986), Goemon plays not entirely unlike The Legend of Zelda, which hit Japan just a few months prior. The main goal: while staying on time and intact, collect the three checkpoint passes required to progress to the next stage. If you’re unable to find them in the many hidden underground or tucked away in a choppy “3D” maze, they can always be purchased for a steep amount of Ryo. Throughout this birds-eye view fetch quest, you’ll scramble with an onslaught of swift police, thugs and wild animals that never cease to pop up throughout the somewhat confusing towns, farms and sea/mountain-side villages. Each level is packed with buildings to enter; be it residents’ homes, inns, gambling rooms, restaurants or general stores offering plenty of different goods. Besides fortifying your inventory with the usual armor and food, the most notable item is the candle, which shines the light on stairways to the bountiful underground passages which would otherwise have to be stumbled upon.
Today, the graphics might appear as weathered as an Oni’s old loincloth, but are overall quite impressive compared to other Famicom games of the era: a time when crafting large, detailed towns filled with expressive character sprites was no small feat. As in later games, the scenery of the most distance backgrounds impressively arouses one’s curiosity with vivid glimpses of nature and further civilization. Police officers even yell out brief audio samples, which might as well have been recorded with the Konami office cat. Most of the towns feel packed and effectively switch up colors stage to stage. The one part that reaches a bit too far is the remote mountainous areas. The bold attempts at clouds, fog and bamboo turn the scene into a confusing mosaic, offering more work than pleasure for the eyes at a time in which sharp judgment for the narrow bridges and tiny platforms is most needed. From the handful of characteristically cheerful music tracks, the dangerous and compelling vibe when rummaging underground stands out as the best. The “main” level 1 theme, which went on to be used in the Wai Wai World games, is incredibly obnoxious yet forgivable as it fits the heroic, if often impudent Goemon to a tee.
The description so far makes the game sound like a winner, which it is, but only for the first few of the game’s often repeating 100+ levels. Running around solid ground, bopping everything in sight is what the game’s engine is designed for. Once your journey requires landing Goemon’s touchy octagonal jumps from one tiny, baddie infested platform to the next, you’ll be tempted to turn him into the authorities yourself. As the game continues, the briefly telegraphed arrivals of vicious flying fish, swooping Tengu and tumbling boulders offer more agitation than challenge. The urge to push on to see what’s next deflates as levels begin to recycle themes and feel redundant even before the first quest ends. Neglecting to buy a map before entering level 8’s massive maze, for the longest time I was unable to find the gate pass. Settling on just getting out of there, after 10 minutes I couldn’t even reach the exit, prompting me to finally tap out and view levels 9 through 12 on YouTube. The same action extended to more variations of previous stages until reaching the outside and interior of the big castle, decorated by colorful cherry blossoms, moats and huge brick walls…all guarded by a variety of new enemies. Stuck just watching these colorful new scenes, I still felt more relief than disappointment in my choice to end my time with the game.
Tricky Road starts out fun…until the culmination of ever-bloating towns, barely avoidable enemies and overly demanding jumps begin to sour the mood. Even as you’re making progress, the often mindless, grinding nature to the general action and puzzles will quickly have you glancing towards what else could be on the game shelf. During the especially monumental transition period of 80s game design, here Konami couldn’t quite yet find the sweet spot between hyper focused, challenging arcade gameplay and the freedom of constructing worlds to be explored in all directions. I get how the game’s scope turned quite a few heads in 1986, but since then it’s been easily bested; now standing as a curiosity of quickly waning amusement. It didn’t take many deadly leaps of faith or absurd timeclock purchases before I was itching for some LOZ or River City Ransom, which both do NES-era trekking far better. I can only recommend Goemon’s console debut to established fans who want to experience the series’ origins, however briefly they stick around. If you do manage to muster up the obsessive drive required to beat the clunky campaign and all its toughened up extra quests, the game still won’t reveal just how Goemon’s hair eventually turned blue.
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