Summary
People will cite games like Splinter Cell and Dino Crisis when they talk about series that were gone too soon, but for me, it’s the Ganbare Goemon franchise. Unapologetically Japanese, Konami killed the franchise in favor of porting it to pachinko machines.
Developers Good-Feel, which features Etsunobu Ebisu, a key member of the Ganbare Goemon team, noticed this glaring gap in the market and developed Otogi Katsugeki Mameda no Bakeru: Oracle Saitarou no Sainan, a spiritual successor released solely on the JapaneseNintendo SwitcheShop. While disappointing for Western fans of the Goemon series, a neweShoplisting confirms the game is being localized.
Otogi Katsugeki Mameda no Bakeru: Oracle Saitarou no Sainan Is Coming West
The listing, which was initially spotted on theAustralian Nintendo eShop, confirms that Bakeru will be released on September 3 for $60 AUD (£31/$40) and has a free demo live now.
Originally revealed in last year’s JuneNintendo Direct, but only in Japan, Bakeru is a linear action-adventure game with clear influences from the beloved Konami series. Wielding a pair of drumsticks as a weapon, the blue-haired protagonist, Bakeru, fights his way across dozens of stages based on different Japanese prefectures, fighting all manner of enemies inspired by the country’s folklore. Much like Mystical Ninja: Starring Goemon, the game also features giant robot fights, a staple of theN64title.
The game “takes place in ‘Fairy Tale Japan,’ a mix of modern Japan and old period dramas, which is divided into more than 50 stages,” with publishers Spike Chunsoft confirming that the Western release will contain two new attacks, Hurricane and Spinning Top, and a brand new enemy, the Lantern Boss.
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is both a home console and a handheld gaming system in one package, with various versions offering better specs for dedicated enthusiasts.
