The Goonies (MSX Review)

The Goonies
Platform: MSX
Released December 23, 1985 OR Early 1986
Developed by Konami
Released Only in Japan and South America
NEVER BEEN RE-RELEASED

Do you know what sucks about The Goonies for MSX? On the off-chance the NES versions of Goonies 1 & 2 get a re-release (and I think it could happen, either directly from Konami or via a middleman like Limited Run Games) the MSX game will be left in the dust when it has a legitimate claim to being the best game in the series, depending on the type of game you want. Goonies II is one of the best early Metroidvanias, but if you want a quick and dirty retro PC style platformer that plays really well, this could be the best game in the franchise. So, if you enjoy this review, show it to your favorite retro game publishers so the MSX build doesn’t get left behind. My heart already aches for MSX’s lack of modern clout, but licensed games for it are likely never getting a second chance because they’re so far off the radar that I doubt anyone will bother. Let’s change that as a community! Talk about MSX with retro publishers. Talk about how these games aren’t just stripped-down titles, but unique titles with their own gameplay merits. It’s really up to everyone to create awareness of this platform to modern publishers.

Ah, the MSX. I’ve really come to appreciate it for its unique takes on established games. Whether it be an exploration-based version of the original Castlevania or one-off sequels in the Gradius franchise (MSX was arguably the big winner of the 76 game Konami Shoot ‘Em Ups: The Definitive Review), this is a platform that practically demands my attention. So when I found out that its version of The Goonies was heavily modified from the Famicom game, I was intrigued. Technically I don’t have a review of the console version of the Goonies up, but I do have one for its arcade counterpart, Vs. The Goonies, which is essentially the same game, and I wasn’t a fan. The Goonies for MSX seems similar, right? It has almost the same chiptune version of “Goonies R Good Enough,” a similar cave setting, an unsatisfying attack and items that are hidden in arbitrary places. But worry not, because Goonies on the MSX is far and away the superior Goonies 1 video game and one of the best MSX titles I’ve played yet. It doesn’t do a lot and it doesn’t last very long, but it still manages to be basically non-stop fun.

Don’t let the “EXP” meter fool you into thinking this has RPG elements. When you kill an enemy, the EXP meter fills up a little bit. When it fills up all the way, you get a little bit of health back.

The Goonies on MSX is just a lite-on-frills platformer set in a maze. The game is divided into five levels and the object is to collect all seven Goonies in each level and then find an exit. The Goonies are behind locked doors, but keys are just lying around. You don’t have to kill a single enemy to collect one. There’s no bombing doors like in the Famicom version. The catch is you can only hold one key at a time, but that’s not a problem at all. There’s A LOT more keys than there are locked doors. Maybe too many, actually. Even on the fifth and final level there’s literally caches of keys that went almost entirely unused. However, not every locked door has a Goonie. Some will have potions that restore your health, while others might rarely trigger the hidden items. Worst case is a door might be double-locked, but I never had to travel too far to get the second key. The final door on each level is marked with a skull and crossbones, but once you have the seventh Goonie, just return to it and walk through it to beat the level. There’s no bosses, so really this is just a search for the Goonies.

Sadly, caves are the only setting. They usually are either red, blue, and green to make each section distinctive. Exclusively in level four, one of its areas had yellow caves, and I almost fainted from sensory overload.

Notice that giant skull in the above pic? It’ll swap you around to different areas of each level. Every screen is marked with a different “scene” number which is confusing and unhelpful. Thankfully the different areas in each stage are short, making backtracking as non-annoying as I’ve ever seen in any game. The numbering of the scenes might throw you off at first. The first door you encounter in a level could jump you a few scenes ahead of where you would expect to be, but you can always go backwards if you need to. Fans of drawing your own maps will probably really dig this one, and it’s a cinch thanks to the MSX’s limitation that prevents scrolling.

You can see what the final door looks like in the upper-left corner. You might encounter it quite early in a stage. Also, notice those water sprays? They’re practically the chief antagonist of the whole game.

The hidden items are back and some are hidden in arbitrary spots again. Sometimes you might have to jump where a waterfall is, kill X amount of enemies on a specific screen, or punch a specific rock. The items can really nerf the game too, including preventing the Fratellis from attacking you. There’s also hidden items that are actually whammies and do things like make endless ghosts spawn (you REALLY don’t want that one) or increase the attack speed of enemies and the Fratellis. I have no idea why they did that. Some items eventually wear out, too. The first one I found was a helmet, and then halfway through the third level I noticed it was gone. Others are permanent, including the whammies.

There’s so many skulls that levels can feel overwhelming at first, but since each area is pretty small, it’s hard to get lost. Backtracking never ate up more than a minute or two and most areas have multiple pathways to navigate. You also don’t die from falling so you can skip the slower vines and just jump down if you need to.

And that’s really all there is to Goonies MSX. As basic as it is, the level design is actually the highlight of the game. Levels are like labyrinths, but other than the numbering system, they’re not that confusing and it’s actually a lot of fun to clear out each new area. Finding a new Goonie is always satisfying, and if I had to complain, I guess I wish the items were hidden behind locked doors instead of shoved in arbitrary places that require arbitrary actions to unlock. They certainly had places they could have put them, because there’s way too many healing potions behind locks. Since you heal from killing X amount of enemies, I think they could have ditched some of them and replaced them with more logical placements of the items behind locked doors. Hell, they could have also created more reasons to use keys, like placing more locks on the doors that have the overpowered items, like the ones that prevent damage from gunshots or waterfalls. On the other hand, the over abundance of keys did ensure a zippy pace. The game flies by and never has a chance to get boring. I wish there had been a hard mode or a second quest, because I would have done it.

The Fratellis use the Mikey sprite, only painted a single color. It makes them look kind of like Mr. Game & Watch. But they use the same attack patterns as they do in the NES games, including one that shoots music notes at you.

The biggest drawback is the combat still sucks. You have to punch all enemies when they’re right next to you. The punch has limited range and is your only option since you can’t even get a slingshot in this game. Or, if you can, I never found it. Thankfully most enemies have easy-to-clock attack patterns and die from a single punch. The Fratellis work the same way they do in the Famicom games, where they can’t be killed and instead are only knocked out for a few moments. The rats are replaced with skulls, and there’s also bats, skeletons, and spongy-ass ghosts that you’ll want to just run away from since they don’t chase you from screen-to-screen like the Fratellis do and they take multiple hits to kill. ANY variety in the combat would have been welcome, but it’s not a deal breaker. Again, the breakneck pace, unusual for this style of game, voids any frustration with the combat.

As you can see at the bottom of the screen, I had so many items by the end of the game that I didn’t have room for anymore.

Goonies on MSX isn’t going to change your life or anything, but it’s a damn solid waste of an hour or two. It’s a wonderful example of “less is more” because it strips out the tiring need to grind-up bombs like in the Famicom game and just focuses on navigation. Since jumping is done by pressing UP, it took me a little while to get used to the controls, but after that? I guess I just dig this type of exploration-based item hunt. Of course I wish the game offered a bigger variety of settings and music, but as far as stripped-down ports go, this is one of the better ones out there. It’s a simple game, though. I think they could have toned back the amount of keys even if that means having to backtrack more, because the game is probably too easy. But it’s fun, and that’s all I care about. Assuming Konami ever does make a deal to re-release the Goonies titles associated with the NES/Famicom, I know it’s a long shot but I hope they remember this version. As I said in my Tempest 2000 review (in Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story – The Definitive Review), sometimes a +1 is a positive thing. Goonies for MSX would be a marvelous +1 throw-in bonus for a 2 in 1 Goonies pack that’s anchored by the underrated classic Goonies II. And by the way, 2026 is the 40th anniversary of the Famicom original. I’m just saying!
Verdict: YES!