Ghouls 'N Ghosts

The Good
Capcom made some great games back in the Eighties, and Ghosts 'n Goblins (魔界村) was no exception. It was an excellent platform game known for its high difficulty. It was also ported to the popular platforms of the day, with the Amiga version being closer to the arcades, as much as it could. It was a huge success that Capcom delivered a sequel three years later running on their CPS-1 hardware and featuring the same mechanics that made the original great while adding new features.

In Ghouls 'n Ghosts (大魔界村), you play as the legendary knight Arthur once again who had a lot of trouble rescuing Princess Prin-Prin in the last game. Three years later, he finds that he must rescue her again. This is done by going through six areas, battling monsters and unlocking gates at the end of each one by defeating a guardian who holds the key to the next area. Once you complete all six areas, you are jettisoned back to area one where you need to find a special weapon needed to defeat Lucifer, the final boss.

Ghouls 'n Ghosts shares a lot of things with the first game in terms of visuals and sound. Both games have you going through a gravesite and village in the first two levels, and the music in area one is an extended version of the same music from Ghosts 'n Goblins. Even some of the enemies from the first game make an appearance, from the gargoyles to the Demon King. But that's where the similarities end.

Some of the areas boast animated backdrops that are just stunning to look at, and an example of this can be seen while you are fighting the guardian in area one, and the guardians themselves are much bigger (with Lucifer being the biggest of them all). Most of the soundtracks in this game really suit the theme of each area. The sound effects blend in with what you are doing.

The new features of the game include the ability to fire upward and downward while in mid-air. This is useful for killing the vultures that sit up on the huge brown tree on level one, and dealing with the gargoyle that dodges your shots. There are also treasure chests that either contain a weapon or a magician that turns you into an elderly man or a duck if the player doesn't immediately take him down. However, the highlight is the gold armor that houses a powerful magic attack that will likely wipe all the monsters on screen, and these attacks vary depending on what weapon you have. It's certainly a great way to deal with the guardians.

The Bad
I didn't like the way the grim reapers rise out of the ground below you in area one, forcing you to jump immediately or complete the area as a skeleton. The only music that I hated in the game is the one played for level two, because I think the piece is so kiddy, and it really doesn't suit the theme of the game.

The Bottom Line
Ghouls 'n' Ghosts shares the same mechanics as its predecessors, while adding new features that make the game even greater. I am sure most people got pissed off because they have to get through the game twice, and I don't understand why Capcom didn't make you get the necessary items that are needed to defeat Lucifer the first time round. Most substandard home ports were available, that change either the music or gameplay. The exception, however, is the Sharp X68000 port, which provides a pixel-accurate conversion of the arcade game.