Ganbare Goemon DS playthrough log part 1/3

Full Title: Ganbare Goemon: Toukai Douchuu Ooedo Tengurigaeshi no Maki

This is the last game in the Goemon series that was ever made. It's more of an adventure style game, like SNES Goemon 3, except it's a lot more puzzle-y. The game controls with the d-pad and buttons, but you also have to use the touch screen to interact with the environment in various ways to get passed obstacles.


Goemon and Ebisumaru get thrown in jail after Omitsu comes and warns them that some imposters dressing up as them have been going around robbing people. Yae busts you out, and then you get a tengu mask from Omitsu which lets you avoid fighting the Edo guards. Then you come to a temple, the first action area of the game. it's very simple, all of the touchable things have a glowing outline around them. The first boss is a walking candle that shoots flames at you, it's very easy to dodge. After that, you find the imposters, they're a couple of fat guys wearing barely passable disguises. They get away.. and then you have to go on a journey chasing them down. Also Goemon gets power gloves allowing him to push/pull big blocks.

Next there's a town where everyone is wearing tengu masks.. and to get passed one of the guards, you need to bring him a pot from the pottery shop, but you have to make the pot yourself in a touchscreen minigame. it's kind of difficult.

We find the wise man locked up in the tengu village prison. He gives us a pass. This gives access to a cave that has Impact's face formed out of rock.. and you find a DS-shaped item that act's as Impact's remote control. Sasuke meets up and joins us on the way there. Next they use the remote control to get Impact to destroy the mind-control tower, and all the villagers take their tengu masks off and return to normal. The wise man gets let out of prison, and then he gives Sasuke a balloon attachment which lets him high jump and float in the air. This ability gives access to a new area.

A bit more exploring, and we eventually find the 2nd boss. It's some masked guy who mostly just stomps around creating shockwaves, and sometimes summons regular enemies... incredibly easy.

I'm kind of enjoying this so far.. It's mostly just an exploration-based action-adventure. It's about as linear and easy a modern Zelda game, but not quite as good obviously because of the lack of an English translation.