Ghosts 'N Goblins is a Wicked and Terrible Experience
NES Catalog #034
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Ghosts ‘N Goblins
PUBLISHER: Capcom
DEVELOPER: Capcom (port by Micronics)
RELEASE DATE: June 13th, 1986 (JP), Nov. 1986 (US), March 23rd, 1989 (EU)
ALSO AVAILABLE ON: Arcade, Amiga, Android, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, iOS, Mobile, PC, NEC PC88, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum
If Ghosts ‘N Goblins teaches us nothing else, it’s that going up against hordes of demons in only your underwear is a terrible idea.
You control Sir Arthur, a knight who can’t seem to keep his armor on. His beloved Princess Prin-Prin has been kidnapped by the devil himself, and it’s up to Arthur to fight through legions of hellspawn to get her back.
Arthur’s descent into darkness takes him through graveyards, abandoned towns, caves, and eventually, the devil’s very own castle. He’s initially armed with a javelin that can be thrown repeatedly, but flames, axes, daggers, and crosses also make their appearance as you progress. Some weapons, like the flame and axe, can only be launched two at a time and make you more vulnerable. Proceed with caution.
Our good knight means well, but he’s a wisp of a thing. One hit, and his armor falls off, revealing a bare-chested man in his underwear. One hit more, and he’s a pile of bones. Two hits before death wasn’t an uncommon thing in 1986, but Ghosts ‘N Goblins’ extreme difficulty makes you pine for a life bar. Enemies are faster and stronger than you, and their attack patterns are all over the place. Lives are sparse, death is plentiful, and restarting from level 1 after you’ve spent all your continues is inevitable.
This busted Micronics port doesn’t make Ghosts ‘N Goblins any easier. Stuttering frame rate and sticky controls make Arthur’s movements an absolute chore. Hyper pixelated graphics can be charming, but here, the enemies and their projectiles often blend in with the environments causing unnecessary death.
To add insult to injury, you must beat Ghosts ‘N Goblins twice to actually rescue the princess. Prin-Prin’s probably a sweet girl, but only the steeliest warriors will enter this abominable hellscape more than once to free her from her prin-prison.
D
Straight From the Arcade
Other Versions
AMIGA
DOS
GAME BOY COLOR
PC-88
ZX Spectrum
*thanks to Arcade Marquee, Rocket Launcher Forums, Vintage Arcade Superstore, and MobyGames for the amazing images
Agree with all of it!
I owned this one from early on (not sure why) and tried over the years to trade away many times, as I did with many of my crappier games. But I couldn't find a place that would take it or trade for it at any price. Too many copies in inventory. It might have been the #1 most-dumped NES game. After playing it a time or two, none of my friends had the least interest in it either.
Even by the standards of Nintendo Hard, I thought this one was never fun, and it seemed like everyone agreed with me. I think in my best runs I might have made it to Level 3, but I never heard about having to beat the game twice because beating it once was practically impossible and it wasn't fun enough to keep me coming back. I was surprised to learn it was a cult classic later in life. Though I'll be honest the level 1 music still triggers mixed emotions for me.
This is the first I'm learning of all the PC ports though. And for PCs on three continents, no less! That seems like an unusually broad range of ports for a game like this, almost on the scale of a Pac-Man.
The GnG games are fun but every time I play them I have to set the expectation that I won’t get very far in them. I suppose I could practice (“git gud”) but I don’t like the games enough to play them that frequently.
In lots of other “Nintendo hard” games you feel that your player character is well equipped to handle anything that comes your way. In these games though Arthur seems underpowered, I guess that’s the running gag though… lol