Ghouls 'n Ghosts
The knight Arthur stands in a graveyard, the wind drives the clouds and in a single moment a zombie strips him of his armour – he is left in his underwear and runs on. This iconic scene from Ghouls 'n Ghosts perfectly captures why it ranks among the most legendary and hardest action platformers of all time. Capcom took the concept of its arcade hit and brought it to perfection here.
The game is a sequel to Ghosts 'n Goblins and ran on the Capcom CP System board, which at the end of the eighties raised the bar for arcade graphics. Arthur once again sets out to rescue the princess and fight his way through hordes of the undead, demons and monsters. The gameplay stands on merciless difficulty: two hits and it is over, with the first hit stripping your armour and the second meaning death. The creators also added the ability to shoot upward and downward, which broadened the tactical options of combat.
A key element is collecting weapons – lances, daggers, axes or the magic bow – and above all the Golden Armour, which lets Arthur cast devastating spells. Each weapon suits something different and a bad choice before a boss can really torment you. The level design is full of traps, disappearing platforms and enemies coming from all sides, so the game demands memorisation as well as precise timing.
Also notorious is the final twist: to see the true ending, the player must beat the whole game twice and moreover obtain a special weapon, otherwise they are thrown back. This uncompromising philosophy made the series a symbol of arcade toughness and inspired generations of developers. You will find references to Ghouls 'n Ghosts in plenty of modern games that pay tribute to the tradition of demanding titles.
The series continued with Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts on the Super Nintendo and later Arthur appeared even in Capcom's fighting games as a bonus character. Conversions came out on countless home systems from the Mega Drive to the Amiga, and the game still appears in retro collections today. For many players Ghouls 'n Ghosts remains the yardstick of what a real challenge means.
Why play it: If you are looking for an honest, uncompromising action platformer that will test your nerves and reflexes, this is a classic you simply must play.
Game 1 of 29 for Capcom CPS
The same title elsewhere (5)
Capcom's 1988 arcade original ran on CPS hardware with sharp colors and merciless speed that home versions could only try to match. The closest conversion is the Sharp X68000 port, a Japanese computer built close to arcade hardware, so its graphics and pacing come nearest of all. The Mega Drive version ranks among the best home ports, though it had to trim some background detail. The Master System offered a simplified, shorter take with fewer colors. The Amiga and Atari ST struggled with slower scrolling and noticeably choppier animation compared to the arcade machine.
