Ghosts ’N Goblins Resurrection
Taking you back to old-school days
Being bitten by a zombie is a shock to the system in any game, but Chris Redfield never shed his clothes and continued fighting in his grundies after one of the undead tried to chew on his shins. Sir Arthur, however, is made of sterner stuff.
Ghosts ’N Goblins has a reputation of being one of videogaming’s toughest challenges, and for good reason. As a kid I nearly lost my tiny mind trying to beat the game. Ghosts ’N Goblins Resurrection embraces the legendary difficulty curve but massages it into a variety of ways to play. On its easiest setting, Page, you’ll be able to play with unlimited lives and instant restarts.
Ratchet up the difficulty levels and enemies become faster and hit harder. The skill tree – you use bees hidden in the levels to unlock perks and magical powers – is limited at first but on higher difficulties unlocks more abilities.
LANCE A LOT
Regardless of the challenge, the basics of what you do remain consistent across all the stages. Sir Arthur is on a mission to rescue the princess and save the kingdom from demonic forces. The levels are imaginative in a way only 1980s games could be – ogres pull off their own heads to get a better shot, skeleton warriors are adorably dangerous, and even a harmless-looking boulder can sprout legs and try to take a bite.
These arcade sensibilities filter into the power-up system. Find hidden chests and you’re rewarded with new weapons (a lance, double arrows, daggers, and more) while the elusive golden armour powers your basic attacks up. It’s worth keeping an eye out for these as the game is balanced to offer the ideal weapon you need for the challenge just ahead.
The levels evolve as you play, with sandy platforms falling away under Arthur’s feet and ice causing him to slip and slide. You’ll even need to fight your way out of a toothy cavern – or is that a creature’s gloopy innards? On the harder settings it can get too much, a nearimpossible task that’s rewarded with reworked ‘shadow’ levels that add new enemies and ramp up the speed of attacks.
For all the adherence to the original, GNG Resurrection can feel stilted and hamstrung by some design choices. The cutout storybook visuals can make it hard to judge platform edges
You’ll fight your way out of a toothy cavern – or is that a creature’s gloopy innards?
and enemy patterns are too random. The originals are built on remembering patterns with room for improvised expression. Not so this remake. With both original games available in Capcom Arcade Stadium, with new difficulty options, that’s how we’d recommend you replay this Arthurian legend.