Barely a year after Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon became an N64 cult classic with its ambitious foray into 3D, Goemon's Great Adventure returned to the series' 2D roots while retaining the polygons. Packing as much personality and soul as the console's most legendary titles, the game cycles between fast paced platforming, relaxing 360° town exploration, and even day and night itself, as the Goemon gang journeys delightful locations ranging from the dank, dark underworld to the misty heavens.
Of the four interchangeable characters, Goemon provides the easiest playthrough with his double jump. Yae and Sasuke wield flashy weapons but require more methodical handling. Ebisumaru functions much like Mario USA's Luigi with an unwieldy, high-flying butt bounce and pronounced goofiness. Long, action-packed platforming stages turn slightly spooky and more treacherous at night, though fiercer enemies pay out more Ryo to throw, or spend on gear and gyoza in town. Besides a couple low points such as an awkward race against Ebisumaru's doppelganger and the tendency for lurking enemies to ambush you during vertical segments, the game's escalating challenge is sweat-inducing, yet remarkably fair. Within the ultimate objective of collecting 44 passes to unlock extra costumes and a hidden town, there's a meditative quality to exploring the branching stage paths while bashing enemies for their spoils like pinatas. Unlike other entries, rarely does a time limit spoil the fun.
Each world's castle stage is an even lengthier 15-25 minutes; effectively crescendoing the tension as life restoring dango dumplings appear frequently enough to stave off frustration. Upon defeating an initial absurd, comical boss making splendid use of the background and foreground, you'll board Goemon Impact for a first person perspective boxing match. Since these segments are as offbeat as the game's jokes, you're given unlimited retries to topple your towering opponent. Cozy towns offer upgrades, hints and requests to visit remixed stages, including helping another Konami character recover his DJ equipment and shooing away a murder of troublesome Crow Tengu. These retreads are filler, but manage to be forgivable due to GGA's pervasive charm and level replayability.
The steady framerate, entrancing fog and lighting, and an emphasis on colorful, cartoony characters allowed the highly competent graphics to age like barreled sake. You'll long to personally walk the pleasing diorama world maps, scale a blazing Japanese castle or dive underwater within a gorgeous Chinese aquatic palace. The nearly two hour soundtrack is effortlessly playful and funky with a distinctly Japanese flair, plus a splash of other genres.
Released just a week after the Dreamcast, the arguably regressive approach of Goemon's Great Adventure was easy to overlook in 1999, but is now one of the most timeless titles from the awkward early-3D era. Possessing a rare charm, after turning it off, you'll still imagine the world and its inhabitants going about their business, one even seeking to be reunited with his distant relative James Dean. With how crazy some characters get, it's best they remain locked inside the cart, especially during the Game Over screen...
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