Note: This work is mine exclusively. I've spent several hours writing it. If
you don't believe me, try writing one yourself. Anyway, if you need to contact
me, just send me an e-mail. E-mails have 3 main criteria. First of all, they
need a subject line that tells me that the message is about my walkthrough.
Another important criterion is that it needs to be suggestions about the
walkthrough. I don't appreciate invitations to blogs, invites to chat rooms,
flaming, or anything like that. Your suggestions can be anything from spelling
and grammatical errors to new sections you think I should add. The only other
reason you should be writing to me is to ask me to use this guide on your
website. You cannot do so without my consent as it is illegal. All you need
to do is ask and it is highly unlikely that I will deny you the use of this
guide. You also have to give me credit for writing this. Failure to do so is
plagiarism. I appreciate your cooperation. Thanks for choosing this guide.
~Kojiro
=================
Table of Contents
=================
I. Intro
II. Thanks
III. Stages
A. Seaside
B. Snowy Mountains
C. Central Area
D. Underworld
E. Moon
IV. Fortune Dolls by Sequence
V. Fortune Dolls by Stage
A. Seaside
B. Snowy Mountains
C. Central Area
D. Underworld
E. Moon
VI. Fortune Dolls by Color
A. Gold
B. White
C. Black
VII. Conclusion
========
I. Intro
========
For the uninitiated, the Ganbare Goemon games are mainly Platformers set in
Feudal Japan, packed with its trademark crazy humor. I first fell in love with
the series when I played Legend of the Mystical Ninja on the SNES, less for its
humor, and more for its beautiful scenery, as well as the fact that I was going
through a Japanese culture phase at the time. This game - no exception to the
standard for beautiful scenery - is more along the lines of Ganbare Goemon 2,
in that it is a simple map-based Platformer. It is far from the best Goemon
game, but is still very solid. When it comes to portable Goemon, this is an
outstanding entry, and one of the best looking Game Boy Color games around.
While the game is very straightforward, there are 25 Fortune Dolls to collect,
and some are hidden in fairly obscure places; at the time of this writing, the
only guide that I can find does not detail all of their locations. Fear not,
for the wait is over; Mama K to the rescue! My first time through the game, I
was unable to find 2 of the Gold Fortune Dolls, and I felt like I had looked
everywhere. I had to start over from the very beginning in order to find them
all, and decided to write this guide, so that nobody else has to do that. I
have organized them several ways in this guide for your convenience.
So, what do the Fortune Dolls actually do, and why collect them? There are
three varieties: gold, white, and black. Every 5 Gold Fortune Dolls, of which
there are a total of 15, will give you an extra bar for your health meter.
Collecting all of the White Fortune Dolls will double the power of Goemon's
pipe, as well as allow it to destroy stone walls. Collecting all of the Black
Fortune Dolls will allow Ebisumaru to shrink down (technically, it creates a
third playable character named Mini-Ebi) and enter small passages. Perhaps most
importantly is that if you collect all 25 Fortune Dolls and beat the final boss,
you will unlock 2 secret stages. They're not really a big deal, but you can't
put a price on the sake of completion.
==========
II. Thanks
==========
Konami for developing and publishing this game.
Nintendo for licensing this game and making the Game Boy Color to play it on.
My lady (as always) for making me happy.
YOU for reading this guide and this section.
===========
III. Stages
===========
This game never made it Stateside, or to any English-speaking country, for that
matter. I cannot read Japanese, so I have no idea what the real names of these
stages happen to be. The purpose of this section is to totally fabricate names
for these stages, so that you know to which stage I am referring in the actual
guide. They will be separated by region, and a brief description will be given
for each. They are in the order in which they appear in the game, as well,
assuming that you begin with Goemon. If you begin with Ebisumaru, then just
switch sections A and B.
A. Seaside
==========
This is the area that Goemon traverses on his way to the Meeting Point.
1. Seaside Path
---------------
Goemon's very first stage. This area is a nice seaside plain with palm trees
and some rock ledges.
2. Seaside Village
------------------
This is the village stage in Goemon's first area. This is your ordinary sunny
day town; most any game with towns has at least one of these.
3. Bridge
---------
Goemon's second action stage, right after the first village. Here, you cross
bridges with a lovely sunset in the background. Some of the gaps between
bridges have a strong updraft that prevents you from falling.
4. Festival Castle
------------------
Goemon's first castle, where his first boss appears. There are several carnival
elements here, such as ferris wheels.
5. Desert
---------
Technically in the Central Area, but it appears before the Meeting Point, so I
have it here. This is the only desert stage in the game.
B. Snowy Mountains
==================
This is the area that Ebisumaru traverses on his way to the Meeting Point.
1. Snowy Plains
---------------
This is Ebisumaru's very first stage. The first half is covered in snow, and
the second half takes place undergound.
2. Snowy Village
----------------
This is Ebisumaru's first village. This village is easily identified by the
snow covering everything.
3. Glacier
----------
This is Ebisumaru's second stage, right after the first village. It is covered
almost entirely in ice, and features a staircase going both up and down.
4. Ice Castle
-------------
This is Ebisumaru's first castle, where his first boss appears. It looks like
a pretty standard ice castle, though it also looks vaguely like a hockey rink.
5. Forest
---------
Technically in the Central Area, but it appears before the Meeting Point, so I
have it here. Particularly of note is the large waterfall at the end of this
stage.
C. Central Area
===============
Really creative name, I know, but this is at the center of the overall map.
0. Meeting Point
----------------
This is not really a stage; once Goemon and Ebisumaru both reach this area, they
will join up, and you can switch between them at any time during a stage by
pausing the game and pressing left or right. There is also a store that sells
food here, but that's all that there is to it!
1. Mountain Slope
-----------------
A long, zigzagging descent to the bottom of a mountain.
2. Mecha Town
-------------
Despite the name, this is an action stage. Everything looks mechanical, even
the trees. There are many houses here, the rooves of which are traversable.
There is also a boss at the end of this stage.
D. Underworld
=============
This area is at the very bottom of the map, and is filled with lava.
1. Descent
----------
This area begins with a zigzag path, and ends up on top of a moving train.
2. Underworld Village
---------------------
This is the only village in the underworld. It is also where many of the
minigames can be played, though they will only earn you money.
3. Lava Cavern
--------------
In here, lava rises and falls rhythmically. Later in the stage, you will ascend
an elevator, followed by a set of girders in the sky.
4. Flying Fortress
------------------
This area resembles the inside of a flying ship, not entirely unlike Flying
Battery Zone from Sonic & Knuckles. The interior looks very industrial, but
there are outside sections, as well. This is where you fight the first Impact
boss. This is technically in the Central Area, but after the Underworld.
E. Moon
=======
It's the moon, identifiable by the fact that you're in space.
1. Lunar Path
-------------
This is a completely straight run from right to left. The gravity here is
lessened quite a bit, but this is true of nowhere else on the moon, for some
reason.
2. Moon Village
---------------
This is the final village, populated mostly by rabbits and aliens.
3. Moon Ruins
-------------
This stage has several different areas that all look different. My favorite
section is the part made up of red-and-white checkerboard stone.
4. Moon Base
------------
The final stage, which even has its very own map screen. This is where you
fight the final boss, obviously.
*There are also 2 secret stages that are unlocked by beating the game with all
25 Fortune Dolls, but if you need them in a guide made specifically for finding
said Fortune Dolls... well, I don't know HOW you did that!
=============================
IV. Fortune Dolls by Sequence
=============================
This section is the most like a traditional walkthrough; here, I detail the
locations of each of the fortune dolls in the order in which you can first
acquire them. This assumes that you have chosen to play as Goemon first. If
have chosen Ebisumaru first, then begin at Snowy Plains (Black), and return to
the top of the list after you pass Forest (Black).
Bridge (White) - At the very beginning of the stage, there is a gap between the
bridges. Wait for the updraft to die down, and then jump into the hole,
steering yourself under the bridge to the left.
Festival Castle (Gold) - In the first area, go to the right until a you reach
a platform moving up and town. Take it up to the next level, and then keep
going left until you reach a dead end.
Festival Castle (White) - In the area with the ferris wheels, jump to the third
one, and ride it to the upper-right, where you will see a series of stationary
platforms. Cross the platforms to find this one.
Desert (White) - Just after the red antlion, you will see platforms in the air.
Climb them to reach this Fortune Doll.
Desert (Gold) - After defeating the blue antlion, climb up the slope until you
see some cattle skulls to the left. These are actually platforms; jump across
them to their end.
Snowy Plains (Black) - Once you reach the underground portion of the stage, keep
going right until you enter a small alcove.
Glacier (Gold) - At the beginning, when you see the icy stairs, go left, instead
of climbing them.
Ice Castle (Gold) - In the first area, take the second upper path, which is near
the end.
Forest (Black) - When you reach the platforms ascending the tree, climb them,
and follow them left to the very end.
Mountain Slope (White) - While descending the first rightward slope, leap to the
platforms in the upper-right.
Mecha Town (Gold) - After going up and down the red hill that resembles part of
a roller coaster, climb to the top roof of the 2-level house, and jump to the
platform at its right end.
************* You should now have 4 bars of health in your meter. **************
Mecha Town (Black) - When you reach the first ladder in this stage, climb it to
the top, and you'll find this one on top of a shrine.
Descent (White) - In the first area, keep going down until you cannot go right
anymore; this will be in the corner in plain sight.
******** At this point, you should have all of the White Fortune Dolls. ********
*** Now, you can return to previous stages to acquire a few more gold dolls. ***
Glacier (Gold) - When you reach the ice stairs going downward, descend them, and
you'll reach a stone wall. Smash it with Goemon's powered-up pipe.
Forest (Gold) - In the waterfall section, climb up the left side until you reach
a stone wall, and smash it with Goemon's powered-up pipe.
Mecha Town (Gold) - Toward the end of the stage, there is a long stretch of
floating platforms. Take the upper path when it splits, and smash the stone
wall with Goemon's powered-up pipe.
Lava Cavern (Black) - At the very beginning, stay toward the top until you find
an area above you that goes back to the left. At the end, smash the stone wall
with Goemon's powered-up pipe.
Lava Cavern (Gold) - On your first trip, take note of this one behind two cables
during Sasuke's flying section. On all subsequent trips, you will be jumping in
this section, and the cables will no longer impede your progress.
Flying Fortress (Black) - In the first area, the path will split; follow the
bottom path to its end.
Flying Fortress (Gold) - In the section with the conveyors belts, go all the way
to the right, take the platforms up to the next level, and head left.
******** At this point, you should have all of the Black Fortune Dolls. ********
*** Now, you can return to previous stages to acquire a few more gold dolls. ***
************* You should now have 5 bars of health in your meter. **************
Seaside Path (Gold) - In the second lower area, head to the left to see a small
tunnel. Switch to Mini-Ebi and go inside for this one.
Forest (Gold) - Do not climb the platforms ascending the tree, and at the end,
you will see a small tunnel, which leads you to a small alcove. Switch to
Mini-Ebi to get inside.
Lava Cavern (Gold) - Right after the first fire pillar erupting from the lava,
stay toward the top and look for a small passage. Switch to Mini-Ebi, and go
through.
Moon Ruins (Gold) - In the third area, you will find moving platforms that
travel in an arc. Take the first one upward to a stone wall, and smash it with
Goemon's powered-up pipe.
Moon Base (Gold) - In the room with the appearing/disappearing paw blocks, fall
to the bottom and go left to the next room. Switch to Mini-Ebi and follow the
tunnels, and you will eventually come to this fortune doll.
=========================
V. Fortune Dolls by Stage
=========================
Perhaps you're trying to find a specific doll, and you remember the stages well.
This section organizes the dolls by where they are in each stage. What each
stage contains is cited in parentheses next to its name. They appear here in
the same order in which they appear in the stage.
A. Seaside (3 Gold, 3 White)
==========
1. Seaside Path (1 Gold)
---------------
Gold - In the second lower area, head to the left to see a small tunnel. Switch
to Mini-Ebi and go inside for this one. Switch to Mini-Ebi to get inside.
2. Seaside Village (None)
------------------
There are no Fortune Dolls here.
3. Bridge (1 White)
---------
White - In the very beginning of the stage, there is a gap between the bridges.
Wait for the updraft to die down, and then jump into the hole, steering yourself
under the bridge to the left.
4. Festival Castle (1 Gold, 1 White)
------------------
Gold - In the first area, go to the right until a you reach a platform moving up
and town. Take it up to the next level, and then keep going left until you
reach a dead end.
White - In the area with the ferris wheels, jump to the third one, and ride it
to the upper-right, where you will see a series of platforms. Climb the
platforms to find this one.
5. Desert (1 Gold, 1 White)
---------
White - Just before the blue antlion, you will see platforms in the air. Climb
them to reach this Fortune Doll.
Gold - After defeating the blue antlion, climb up the slope until you see some
cattle skulls behind you. These are actually platforms; jump across them to
their end.
B. Snowy Mountains (5 Gold, 2 Black)
==================
1. Snowy Plains (1 Black)
---------------
Black - Once you reach the underground portion of the stage, keep going right
until you enter a small alcove.
2. Snowy Village (None)
----------------
There are no Fortune Dolls here.
3. Glacier (2 Gold)
----------
Gold - At the beginning, when you see the icy stairs, go left, instead of
climbing them.
Gold - When you reach the ice stairs going downward, descend them, and you'll
reach a stone wall. Smash it with Goemon's powered-up pipe.
4. Ice Castle (1 Gold)
-------------
Gold - In the first area, take the second upper path, which is near the end.
5. Forest (2 Gold, 1 Black)
---------
Gold - Do not climb the platforms ascending the tree, and at the end, you will
see a small tunnel, which leads you to a small alcove.
Black - When you reach the platforms ascending the tree, climb them, and follow
them left to the very end.
Gold - In the waterfall section, climb up the left side until you reach a stone
wall, and smash it with Goemon's powered-up pipe.
C. Central Area (2 Gold, 1 White, 1 Black)
===============
0. Meeting Point (None)
----------------
There are no Fortune Dolls here.
1. Mountain Slope (1 White)
-----------------
White - While descending the first rightward slope, leap to the platforms in
the upper-right.
2. Mecha Town (2 Gold, 1 Black)
-------------
Gold - After going up and down the red hill that resembles part of a roller
coaster, climb to the top roof of the 2-level house, and jump to the platform at
the right end.
Black - When you reach the first ladder in this stage, climb it to the top, and
you'll find this one on top of a shrine.
Gold - Toward the end of the stage, there is a long stretch of floating
platforms. Take the upper path when it splits, and smash the stone wall with
Goemon's powered-up pipe.
D. Underworld (3 Gold, 1 White, 2 Black)
=============
1. Descent (1 White)
----------
White - In the first area, keep going down until you cannot go right anymore;
this will be in the corner in plain sight.
2. Underworld Village (None)
---------------------
There are no Fortune Dolls here.
3. Lava Cavern (2 Gold, 1 Black)
--------------
Black - At the very beginning, stay toward the top until you find an area going
back to the left. At the end, smash the stone wall with Goemon's powered-up
pipe.
Gold - Right after the first fire pillar erupting from the lava, stay toward the
top and look for a small passage. Switch to Mini-Ebi, and go through.
Gold - On your first trip, take note of this one behind two cables during
Sasuke's flying section. On your second trip, you will be jumping in this
section, and the cables will no longer impede your progress.
4. Flying Fortress (1 Gold, 1 Black)
------------------
Black - In the first area, the path will split; follow the bottom path to its
end.
Gold - In the section with the conveyors belts, go all the way to the right,
take the platforms up to the next level, and head left.
E. Moon (2 Gold)
=======
1. Lunar Path (None)
-------------
There are no Fortune Dolls here.
2. Moon Village (None)
---------------
There are no Fortune Dolls here.
3. Moon Ruins (1 Gold)
-------------
Gold - In the third area, you will find moving platforms that travel in an arc.
Take the first one upward to a stone wall, and smash it with Goemon's powered-
up pipe.
4. Moon Base (1 Gold)
------------
Gold - In the room with the appearing/disappearing paw blocks, fall to the
bottom and go left to the next room. Switch to Mini-Ebi and follow the
tunnels, and you will eventually come to this fortune doll.
==========================
VI. Fortune Dolls by Color
==========================
If you're looking for a specific color of Fortune Doll, then this is the section
to use. Again, these are sorted by the order in which they appear in the
stages, and the stages are in the order in which they appear on the map, if you
started with Goemon. If you started with Ebisumaru, then begin at Glacier, and
return to the top of the list after Forest.
A. Gold
=======
The Gold Fortune Dolls will make your health meter larger; you receive 1 bar for
every 5 that you collect. Collect all 15!
Seaside Path - In the second lower area, head to the left to see a small tunnel.
Switch to Mini-Ebi and go inside for this one. Switch to Mini-Ebi to get
inside.
Festival Castle - In the first area, go to the right until a you reach a
platform moving up and town. Take it up to the next level, and then keep going
left until you reach a dead end.
Desert - After defeating the blue antlion, climb up the slope until you see some
cattle skulls behind you. These are actually platforms; jump across them to
their end.
Glacier - At the beginning, when you see the icy stairs, go left, instead of
climbing them.
Glacier - When you reach the ice stairs going downward, descend them, and you'll
reach a stone wall. Smash it with Goemon's powered-up pipe.
Ice Castle - In the first area, take the second upper path, which is near the
end.
Forest - Do not climb the platforms ascending the tree, and at the end, you will
see a small tunnel, which leads you to a small alcove.
Forest - In the waterfall section, climb up the left side until you reach a
stone wall, and smash it with Goemon's powered-up pipe.
Mecha Town - After going up and down the red hill that resembles part of a
roller coaster, climb to the top roof of the 2-level house, and jump to the
platform at the right end.
Mecha Town - Toward the end of the stage, there is a long stretch of floating
platforms. Take the upper path when it splits, and smash the stone wall with
Goemon's powered-up pipe.
Lava Cavern - Right after the first fire pillar erupting from the lava, stay
toward the top and look for a small passage. Switch to Mini-Ebi, and go
through.
Lava Cavern - On your first trip, take note of this one behind two cables during
Sasuke's flying section. On your second trip, you will be jumping in this
section, and the cables will no longer impede your progress.
Flying Fortress - In the section with the conveyors belts, go all the way to the
right, take the platforms up to the next level, and head left.
Moon Ruins - In the third area, you will find moving platforms that travel in an
arc. Take the first one upward to a stone wall, and smash it with Goemon's
powered-up pipe.
Moon Base - In the room with the appearing/disappearing paw blocks, fall to the
bottom and go left to the next room. Switch to Mini-Ebi and follow the tunnels,
and you will eventually come to this fortune doll.
B. White
========
The White Fortune Dolls power up Goemon's pipe, making it deal twice the damage,
and allowing him to smash stone walls.
Bridge - In the very beginning of the stage, there is a gap between the bridges.
Wait for the updraft to die down, and then jump into the hole, steering yourself
under the bridge to the left.
Festival Castle - In the area with the ferris wheels, jump to the third one, and
ride it to the upper-right, where you will see a series of platforms. Climb the
platforms to find this one.
Desert - Just before the blue antlion, you will see platforms in the air. Climb
them to reach this Fortune Doll.
Mountain Slope - While descending the first rightward slope, leap to the
platforms in the upper-right.
Descent - In the first area, keep going down until you cannot go right anymore;
this will be in the corner in plain sight.
C. Black
========
The Black Fortune Dolls allow Ebisumaru to shrink (technically, they unlock a
third playable character named Mini-Ebi in the menu), so that he can enter small
passageways.
Snowy Plains - Once you reach the underground portion of the stage, keep going
right until you enter a small alcove.
Forest - When you reach the platforms ascending the tree, climb them, and follow
them left to the very end.
Mecha Town - When you reach the first ladder in this stage, climb it to the top,
and you'll find this one on top of a shrine.
Lava Cavern - At the very beginning, stay toward the top until you find an area
going back to the left. At the end, smash the stone wall with Goemon's
powered-up pipe.
Flying Fortress - In the first area, the path will split; follow the bottom path
to its end.
===============
VII. Conclusion
===============
At long last, all 25 Fortune Dolls in a comprehensive list. Once you have them
all, battle the final boss. If you already have, then do it again; it is the
only boss in the game that can be fought in its stage more than once. Once the
credits have rolled, open up your save file - it should have a star and a... cat
face(?) next to it - and you will notice 2 new stages on the map. These are
short stages with houses that allow you to battle the bosses of the game again.
I hope that this guide was helpful to you, and that you enjoyed the game.
