Ghouls 'n Ghosts
A knight who, after a single hit, is left standing in nothing but his underwear – if there's one image that sums up the merciless difficulty of the old school, this is it. Capcom's Ghouls 'n Ghosts became synonymous with an unforgiving challenge in 1989, and its home port on the SEGA Mega Drive was among the best players could have wished for at the time.
In the role of the knight Arthur you fight your way through hordes of the undead, demons and all manner of vermin toward saving the world. Your armor withstands a single hit; after a second one Arthur falls – this dual durability became cult and is still recalled by anyone who encountered the game for the first time. Various weapons come into play, from spears to shield-throwing projectiles, and choosing the right one often decides survival.
The difficulty is downright legendary. The game demands memorizing enemy placement, precision and nerves of steel, and even finishing it usually requires a repeated playthrough. It is the classic arcade school, where every death teaches and every bit of progress is a well-earned reward.
The home conversion for the Mega Drive was, for its time, an impressive showcase of the console's power. The port came very faithfully close to its arcade original, animated smoothly and displayed detailed backgrounds and enemies – for many it was one of the first proofs that the 16-bit SEGA could bring a genuine arcade experience right into the home.
The Ghosts 'n Goblins series to which this game belongs remains a legend to this day precisely for its combination of atmospheric horror design and brutal difficulty. For players seeking a pure old-school challenge, Ghouls 'n Ghosts remains one of the defining titles of the genre.
Why play it: Mercilessly demanding arcade action with the iconic knight in his undies and an excellent period port that showed off the power of the Mega Drive.
Game 24 of 151 for SEGA Mega Drive
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.
