Played the English Translation patch
The final main entry for Goemon's SNES adventures. It has it's own set of problems, but I enjoyed it alot more than Goemon 3.
Goemon 4 takes alot of pages from Goemon 2, reverting the game back to an action platformer whilst mixing in ideas that I liked from Goemon 3. The game is initially split into 4 worlds per character that can be played in any order, and as you progress, you eventually unlock the ability to swap between characters like Goemon 3, this is where Goemon 4 really cracks open where you can replay levels and access secrets and goodies with the unique abilities each character has. The music and presentation are great, the humor is fun, it felt great playing another action platforming Goemon game again. The levels were also imaginative as well with a surfing level and boxing arena.
Now the flaws, I feel like this game was definitely a bit overtuned with difficulty. Goemon 2, despite the difficulty spike the mecha fights brought, was still a fairly challenging game you can breeze through. Goemon 4 treads those similar beats, but litters itself with some beginner traps that may take you a few tries to eventually overcome the hurdle. It's not as punishing as Goemon 3 since they did bring back Goemon 2's handling of game overs, but it still makes Goemon 4 feel stingy when recovery items and cash are handed out pretty infrequently within the levels.
Bosses were handled in a real odd way. There's only really 2 traditional bosses while the rest opt for being minigames that end up replacing the mecha fights?? One is pretty much guesswork while 2 others are trial and error. They're not really fun, and it unfortunately adds to this game ending off on a bit of a whimper, comical ending aside.
Overall though, despite my issue with the difficulty and minigame emphasis, Goemon 4 was still pretty damn fun. Not as great as Goemon 2, but more enjoyable than 3 & 1.
The final main entry for Goemon's SNES adventures. It has it's own set of problems, but I enjoyed it alot more than Goemon 3.
Goemon 4 takes alot of pages from Goemon 2, reverting the game back to an action platformer whilst mixing in ideas that I liked from Goemon 3. The game is initially split into 4 worlds per character that can be played in any order, and as you progress, you eventually unlock the ability to swap between characters like Goemon 3, this is where Goemon 4 really cracks open where you can replay levels and access secrets and goodies with the unique abilities each character has. The music and presentation are great, the humor is fun, it felt great playing another action platforming Goemon game again. The levels were also imaginative as well with a surfing level and boxing arena.
Now the flaws, I feel like this game was definitely a bit overtuned with difficulty. Goemon 2, despite the difficulty spike the mecha fights brought, was still a fairly challenging game you can breeze through. Goemon 4 treads those similar beats, but litters itself with some beginner traps that may take you a few tries to eventually overcome the hurdle. It's not as punishing as Goemon 3 since they did bring back Goemon 2's handling of game overs, but it still makes Goemon 4 feel stingy when recovery items and cash are handed out pretty infrequently within the levels.
Bosses were handled in a real odd way. There's only really 2 traditional bosses while the rest opt for being minigames that end up replacing the mecha fights?? One is pretty much guesswork while 2 others are trial and error. They're not really fun, and it unfortunately adds to this game ending off on a bit of a whimper, comical ending aside.
Overall though, despite my issue with the difficulty and minigame emphasis, Goemon 4 was still pretty damn fun. Not as great as Goemon 2, but more enjoyable than 3 & 1.