"goemon's great adventure" is a side scrolling platform game in which players navigate stages. gameplay in "great adventure" more closely resembles that of the "ganbare goemon" series' super famicom entries, and abandons the free-roaming style of "mystical ninja starring goemon". 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", "" and the "super smash bros." series. the game begins on a world map upon which several circles are placed indicating stages. players must complete certain stages to open up paths to others, and each world map generally features one town and one dungeon. completing a dungeon allows travel to a new world map, but the player must collect several entry passes to gain access to these structures. passes are rewarded for completing stages and performing tasks for non-player characters in cities. though the game is linear like its 16-bit predecessors, certain non-linear elements exist—such as a secret village and multiple paths through a world map.