Oldschool Arcade Review: Ghosts n' Goblins

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GHOSTS N' GOBLINS (AKA: MAKE YOU CRY FOR MOMMY  )

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Category: Arcade
Copyright: Capcom, Taito & Romstar
Prod. Year: 1985
Programming: Tokuro Fujiwara
Graphics: Unknown
Sound: Unknown



Review:

It would seem to me, however, that at some point in the history of videogames, gamers have just gotten soft.

Why would I say that?

Turn back the clock a few years, 17 years to be precise, to the year 1985. Capcom have just released their latest arcade hit ''Ghosts 'n' Goblins'' - the first in a series of games that spawned several sequels and spin-offs (including Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, Gargoyle's Quest, and Maximo) that is so tough, it has grown men openly weeping in public. It would seem like the word ''hard'' was invented just for this game... this is hardcore.

Ghosts 'n Goblins is one of those games that NES gamers can never really forget, and Arcade owners could never really get a good showing on. With some pretty intense action and plenty of things to shoot at on the screen, while trying not to get your armor knocked off, you have the makings of a classic game that didn't get too much play at the arcades! Taking the role of Aurther, you're charged with saving the Princess from the clutches of Lucifer, head honcho of the Underworld who is basically looking to make your life a living Hell. Snatched from the graveyard where you and your sweety were eating {I have no idea why a graveyard would be romantic{, you're forced to fight your way through a multi-tude of stages that get progressively harder as the game goes on in terms of enemies on the screen! You're given a simple javelin that you can upgrade into other weapons of destruction while trying not to get yourself killed in the process. Sounds fun, right? It is!



Graphics and Sound
Clean and detailed, Ghosts 'n Goblins really shows off the impressive amount of work that went into this game. The bosses are pretty well detailed, and every enemy has a simple level of detail that is just enough to get by on! The stages themselves all reflect detail, and certain mood, from the graveyard with the castle in the distance, to the icy blue caverns that you have to travel through. Even Aurther's boxers look detailed!

As far as sound is concerned, moody and fitting to the game, Ghosts 'n Goblins won't disappoint in this aspect. Each stage is pretty much a looping track, but the theme is catchy, and it doesn't drag on the ears like some action games of this era! The sound effects are a little off, but the unmistakable sound of the red devil swooping down to lay the smack down on your candy ass is a sound that isn't easily dismissed!



Control
Pretty precise considering, you'll have to get the timing of the jumps down, or you'll end up in a watery grave in certain parts of the game! Back and forth and pretty much how you move, and you can climb up ladders and the like, although jumping will be your main focus. To stay alive, you'll have to know when to jump and when to duck, as the enemies come barreling at you in a wave that just doesn't seem to end!



Game Play and Replayability
You spend most of your time traversing through several different areas that range from the graveyard, through an old ghost town, down into a cavern and then into the ivory tower where you face off against Lucifer. While it sounds easy enough to do, it really is difficult, considering that you can only take two hits before you're turned into a pile of bones, and have to start off at the last check point that you passed on your way through! These check points are not marked, although anyone familiar with the game will know just where the mid-way point is. The difficulty level here is way high, in terms of having to deal with constantly regenerating enemies, and if you run too far back, everything that you've killed thus far will return to give you a ton of trouble! Weapons can be upgraded by calling on magicians who will either turn you into a frog, into a zombie, or give you some armor if you can kill them before they hit you with the spell! 


   (Not a good situation to be in)

Final Thoughts
This game is a full-blown classic. Whether you remember it with a nostalgic tear in your eye, or you