The Goonies (Famicom) Playthrough

A playthrough of Konami's 1986 license-based action game for the Nintendo Famicom, The Goonies.

The Goonies for the Famicom, released in February of 1986 and later reissued as a Famicom Disk System game in 1988, was the first of three games by Konami to be based on the 1985 summer blockbuster film. It was also the only game of the trio to not see an international home release, though it did make its way to North American arcades via Nintendo's Vs. System and PlayChoice-10 platforms.

It was followed by The Goonies for the MSX (   • The Goonies (MSX) Playthrough  ), and a direct sequel on the NES (   • The Goonies II (NES) Playthrough  ).

The story as told by the manual describes how a group of friends, The Goonies, find One-Eyed Willy's treasure map and set off in search of riches, but their adventures are cut short when they're kidnapped by both ghost pirates and the Fratelli Gang. They now sit locked away in a stone prison, and it's the player's job to find and rescue them. The hero, who is referred to as "Player" in the manual, appears to be Mikey given that there are only six Goonies to save, but he is described as "a brave, nice young boy who helps the kidnapped Goonies" (「捕われたグーニーズを助ける勇敢で優しい少年」), implying that the he is not actually part of the crew.

In the first five stages, you'll run around blasting skull doors in hopes of revealing the locations of hidden Goonies and the keys needed to open the stage exits. You can exit a stage before finding its hidden Goonie, but you won't be allowed to proceed to the sixth and final stage, the pirate ship, until you've saved five.

The levels are chock full of respawning animals, traps, and bloodthirsty Fratellis, and though you start with a wimpy kick as your sole means of defense, there are plenty of helpful items kicking around. Collecting a set of diamonds refills your life gauge, the cross grants temporary invincibility, the slightshot can whack bad guys from a distance, and there are several hidden special items that can nullify all damage from specific hazards. The raincoat allows you to walk through waterfalls unscathed, for example, and the helmet will protect your noggin from falling stalactites.

There are also hidden characters that you can find for big score bonuses, including Steven Spielberg (later renamed "Konami Director"), the UFO from Track and Field, Konami Man Taro, Gradius's Vic Viper, Twinbee, and a random old man named Fukutaro.

The gameplay is a fun mix of platforming and item collecting, the relatively open-ended nature of the stage layouts gives you plenty of room to explore and to figure out own your preferred path through each area, the controls are excellent, the difficulty is well balanced, and the chiptune rendition of the Cyndi Lauper theme is quite the toe tapper.

I have no idea why the Famicom version was never released outside of Japan. It wouldn't have required localization since it was already all in English, and I'm sure it would have been a hit given the worldwide popularity of the movie. Perhaps there was an issue with the international licensing rights? Regardless, Konami's The Goonies is a top-notch production that rivals the quality of the biggest and best games of its era - Super Mario Bros. included - and it's a must-play classic for any retro gamer.

(And since the question will undoubtedly be raised in the comments, no, this isn't a response to AVGN's video. It's just a wild coincidence in timing. I've had this week's look at the series on the calendar for a while now.)
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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