Go! Go! Ackman 3 (Super Famicom) Playthrough

Go! Go! Ackman 3, released by Banpresto for the Super Famicom in 1995, gives Akira Toriyama’s mischievous demon a particularly entertaining final adventure. Developed by Aspect, it builds on the earlier games with playable character switching, shops, and a more varied selection of action sequences. The familiar platforming remains at its heart, but the additions make this feel like a worthwhile sequel and a strong conclusion to the trilogy. Rating: 8/10 Played with an English translation patch The biggest change is Ackman’s unlikely partnership with his longtime rival, Tenshi. With the Angel Police causing trouble, the demon and angel find themselves working together, creating plenty of opportunities for the series’ absurd humour. Their reluctant cooperation gives the story a lively dynamic, and the expressive characters make the cutscenes enjoyable even when the action pauses. You can switch between Ackman and Tenshi at designated points, and their different abilities give that choice a practical purpose. Tenshi can fly, making certain obstacles and routes easier to tackle, while Ackman collects the souls needed to buy supplies. They share health and weapons, so changing characters does not erase your mistakes. Instead, it encourages you to consider whether mobility or collecting resources will be more useful for the next stretch. Combat offers a satisfying mixture of close-range attacks, sliding kicks, bombs, and weapons such as swords, guns, and boomerangs. Stunned enemies can also be carried and thrown, adding another playful way to clear a path. There is enough flexibility to keep ordinary encounters engaging, especially when you start combining movement and attacks rather than stopping to fight every enemy individually. The shop system gives soul collection a clearer role. Spending your earnings on healing, weapons, and useful items adds some preparation to the action, while stocked supplies provide options when a difficult section starts wearing you down. It is a modest addition, but it helps connect combat with progression and makes collecting souls feel more rewarding. Variety is another strength. Alongside the usual side-scrolling stages, the game introduces vehicle sequences, a Mode 7 shooting section, and a brief overhead diversion. These changes of pace give the adventure a broader sense of spectacle without burying the platforming beneath unrelated mini-games. Boss encounters also provide memorable punctuation, although some require patience while you learn their patterns. Visually, the game captures Toriyama’s appeal beautifully. Ackman’s permanently unimpressed expression, ridiculous enemies, and exaggerated reactions give it an identity that carries through both gameplay and story scenes. Colourful environments and lively animation support the cartoon atmosphere, while the energetic soundtrack keeps things moving. There are still rough edges. Some encounters leave limited room for error, and losing a strong weapon setup can make recovery frustrating. The adventure is also fairly short, and much of the underlying action will feel familiar to anyone coming directly from Ackman 2. Even so, the character switching, useful shops, and entertaining set pieces give Go! Go! Ackman 3 enough personality and variety to stand comfortably among the Super Famicom’s more appealing lesser-known action platformers.