The first PS2 title in the Ganbare Goemon series, Goemon: Bōken Jidai Katsugeki aims to re-invent the Goemon series once again by giving the title a stylistic and gameplay makeover. Goemon has been redesigned to resemble a more realistically proportioned (and behaved) teenage warrior, and the game-world and NPCs had most of the wackiness removed to accommodate a more straightforward gaming experience.

The game uses a fully polygonal engine and plays like your average 3D action/RPG title in which you control your character from a 3rd person perspective as you explore the game world, fight monsters and talk with NPCs in order to get quests, buy upgradeable items and weapons, etc. The game also incorporates numerical stats and abilities, and while you get to meet the rest of Goemon's buddies along your adventures, you only get to control Goemon and his pet tiger cub who often aids you with his special abilities.