Help with Game ID

[AzureKnight]

First off I'd like to thank all of you, I'm just embarking on my life long dream to own my own arcade machine.  I've been lurking here for months reading old posts and learning a ton.  You have all helped me avoid a ton of mistakes I would have made.

Next up, since my interest in older games has flared up I am trying to identify a game I had only managed to play a handful of times.  It had a similar play style as "The Real Ghostbusters" arcade game from Data East in 1987 and was around the same time frame (at least when I played it). 
http://www.gbfans.com/games/real-ghostbusters-arcade/

Only this game had more of a Castlevania / Van Helsing sort of feel to it.  I recall wandering around in spooky forests and such, shooting at monsters.

Any ideas?

[RayB]

So it was top-down view like Ghostbusters?  I can't think of any with that theme. Around the same time there was Alien Syndrome by Sega, and others that were military shooters. I don't remember one with the theme you speak of.

[AzureKnight]

It wasn't Alien Syndrome, as I know that game very well.  It definitely had more of a fantasy vibe to it all.

Oh well, thanks to all who took a look and thought it over.  If I ever find out I'll post the answer!

[severdhed]

i'd go to maws..

http://maws.mameworld.info/maws/

select the category: Shooter/Walking

that is the category that ghostbusters falls into,so if the game is similar it should be in that category.

there are 120 results, look through them and see if one of them is your game.

[DashRendar]

Welcome to the community!

We'll need more information to ID that game.

1) Was it a top-down view?  Side view?  First person view?  Etc

2) Describe the character you controlled.  Was it a wizard, barbarian, knight, etc?

3) Anything special about the game?  Unique monsters you had to fight?  Any steeds or did your character go on foot the whole time?

Any other details you can remember will help us find it for ya.

[smalltownguy]

Was it Ghouls & Ghosts? It was released in 1988...

http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7939

[AzureKnight]

As I stated in the first post, the game is a top down perspective using one of those 3/4 view.  It was very much like the DataEast Ghostbusters game in terms of play style.

As far as characters, I only played it a few times a long time ago so my memory is spotty.  I want to say I recall a character in a long cloak with a broad brimmed hat and perhaps a witch.  It was either a 3 or 4 player cabinet.  The Ghouls and Ghosts theme is right, but like I said it wasn't a side scroller unless my memory is completely faulty.  I don't recall any steeds.

Severedhed,
Thanks for the link, I will go through that list and see if I can find it.

The more I think about it the more compulsive it becomes to figure it out!

[jholman76]

It wasnt Gauntlet was it?

[Hurray Banana]

The only games I can see that would match with the brief description are either

Devil World http://maws.mameworld.info/maws/romset/devilw
Garyo Retsuden Japanese game http://maws.mameworld.info/maws/romset/garyoret
Extermination - http://maws.mameworld.info/maws/romset/extrmatnu

Although there are other games that would fit.

[AzureKnight]

It wasn't Gauntlet    I've actually been in and out of retro gaming a fair amount over the years (lived in arcades as a kid).  I finally found this community because for the first time in my life I have the opportunity (space and money) to create my own cabinet.  The cabinet I am planning has a good chance of ending up with a Gauntlet theme to it!  So good guess on that one.

I checked through that list on mameworld and "Dark Adventure/Devil World" is the only one that even might be right.  It still doesn't seem to fit what I recall so to be honest I don't think that was it either...I'll keep hunting a bit more over there and of course appreciate all other guesses.  If all else fails I'll just say it was Dark Adventure and convince myself my memory is just filtered by time...