Each world is designed with Japanese styles and themes, and Goemon's Great Adventure continues the series' tradition of offbeat, surreal humor.

[3] Although movement is restricted along a two-dimensional plane, the stages are rendered in three dimensions and frequently wind along the z coordinate—earning the game a 2.5D status similar to Yoshi's Story, Klonoa: Door To Phantomile, and the Super Smash Bros. series.

[3] Goemon's Great Adventure takes place in a fantastical version of Edo period Japan, featuring forests, mountains, dwellings, and underworlds designed with Japanese themes and a touch of science fiction.

In each stage, a bar at the bottom of the screen displays information concerning character health, weapon equipped, lives remaining, and time of day.

Every two to three minutes, a meter in the information bar will slowly turn to evening or morning; the sky in a stage's background will similarly emulate the hues of a sunset or a sunrise.

Within these cities, players can purchase armor (represented by three blue bars), sleep in inns and eat in restaurants to recover strength, and perform miniature quests for entry passes.

Scripted events relating to the game's storyline also take place in dwellings, and occur elsewhere before characters assault dungeons or after these special stages have been completed.

Idolizing James Dean as the ultimate ninja, he can attack enemies with a decorative paddle, a magic megaphone that causes his shouts to turn to stone, and stomach gas.

Bismaru, a cross-dressing nun (who first appeared in Ganbare Goemon 3), steals Wise Man's resurrection machine to revive Dochuki, an ancient prince of the underworld.

Neutral characters include the Wise Man, Omitsu, Edo's Lord, Princess Yuki, and a young cat girl named Suzaku, who assists Goemon and his friends with information.

Specifically, the Old Wise Man (who has appeared in every game in the series) has created a "ghost return machine" that can bring the dead back to life.

Eventually, Goemon and allies reach Tortoise Island and find their final partner, Yae, who provides Sasuke with a "diving device".

In the local town, Goemon meets the Wise Man again, who reveals Bismaru's plan of returning the evil king Dochuki to the human world again.

Nintendo wrote that Goemon seems "at ease roaming a medieval Japan bustling with robots, DJs, space ships and extra-hold mousse".

[11][12] News of an English translation and North American release was first provided by a Konami employee in September 1998,[13] and the finished game appeared at the 1999 Electronic Entertainment Expo, though without the theme song sequence.

[15] To generate interest and incentive for the North American release, Konami included $20 rebates for Goemon's Great Adventure or Castlevania 64 in copies of Hybrid Heaven.

Two performers from that game returned for its sequel; Ichirou Mizuki voiced "I Am Impact"'s music with Sakura Tange and Hironobu Kageyama sang Great Adventure's theme song.

These performances were inexplicably cut from the North American and European releases of the game, leaving the title screen silent and eliminating the Impact battle preparation sequence.

regretted that the space limitations of a compact disc would preclude the appearance of night themes on an official release, and stated that timing the musical changes for the system was a difficult process.

[17]A few songs from earlier titles appear, including Bismaru's theme and the ending music introduced in Ganbare Goemon Kirakira Dōchū: Boku ga Dancer ni Natta Wake.

[17] Goemon's Great Adventure sold over 160,000 copies worldwide[4] and received favorable reviews, earning an 8 out of 10 at IGN, an A at 1UP.com,[18] a 3.5 out of 5 at GamePro,[19] and a metascore of 80% at GameRankings.

[2] The presence of a cooperative mode for two players was considered a huge improvement over the game's predecessor, and brought back memories of "classic Nintendo and Konami sidescrollers.

"[3][21] David Canter of The San Diego Union-Tribune said the "ability to control four diverse characters gives the game a nice touch of variety".

Schneider wrote that they seemed "right out of a Kurosawa movie, complete with both Buddhist and Shinto architecture, temples, shrines, tombstones, cogs, mills, giant frogs, statues and more".

[3] Nintendo lauded the special effects, including "artfully composed cinema sequences...backdrops of glimmering water...and...translucent spirits".

"[2] Nintendo Power wrote that "the story is a weird mix of sci-fi, Japanese culture and superheroes, but it seems perfectly suited to the game...full of action and variety.

"[22] GamePro's conclusion was less favorable, stating that "Goemon's Great Adventure is a bit of a let down...a good attempt at an old-school 2D platformer, but...falls short in many ways.

[25] The now-defunct company Working Designs attempted to bring Bouken Jidai Katsugeki to English audiences as Mystical Ninja Goemon beginning in May, 2002.

Motivated to promote a series "that's never quite received the recognition it deserves here [in the United States]",[26] Working Designs demonstrated the game in its booth at E3 a month later.

[30] The medieval, quirky, Japanese themes were revived on June 23, 2005 with Ganbare Goemon: Tōkai Dōchū Ōedo Tengu ri Kaeshi no Maki for the Nintendo DS.