Game:

Ghouls 'n Ghosts (1988)

Duration: 3:40

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OMFG!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

*Head Explodes*

Even with its Japanese name, many overseas gamers know what this Capcom game is all too well, as it's usually just called "One of The Most Agonizingly Brutal Action Platformers Of All Time" instead of "Ghouls 'n Ghosts" anyway. Being the second game in the "Ghosts 'n Goblins" or "Makaimura" series, some people wondered how this series ever got famous to begin with.

When the original game created by Tokuro Fujiwara appeared in Arcades back in 1985 and was later ported to a variety of personal computers and platforms, the game garnered mixed vibes (though it was a commercial success) and people didn't know what to think. On one hand, it was praised for its audio/visuals, but on the other hand, it was cited as one of the cheapest, most difficult side-scrolling action/platformers ever spawned and people still can't decide if it was just made to intentionally give gamers a stroke or if it was difficult within reason and thoroughly thought of in advance or "difficult by design". Not many games, especially as brutal as the Makaimura series, make you beat the game only to give you the middle finger and tell you to do it again and make it HARDER.

Whatever conclusion you draw, the series would nevertheless prove to be one of Capcom's most successful franchises, spawning over half a dozen main titles and a variety of spin-offs and ports. Hardcore gamers (or perhaps sadists) couldn't wait to play sequel after sequel to see all the new ways they could be killed in ten seconds flat. Needless to say, Capcom also lucked out because many games have tried to be both aesthetically pleasing and maddeningly difficult and were dismissed by the general public. Like the previous game, Ghouls 'n Ghosts was ported to many platforms, and the few SuperGrafx owners out there were "lucky" enough to get treated to one of the best ports of this game, which is pretty good even compared to the Genesis/MD version (which was probably the best console port back in the late 80s / early 90s) but also closer in design to the original Arcade release (from limited continues to how Arthur, the hero, controls, as well as enemy scale, level design and other issues).

The game is mostly your typical side-scrolling action game compiled of five levels of hell where you kill loads of enemies, gain a variety of power-ups, and contend with a variety of obstacles while avoiding traps and racing the clock. The story is not much different from the original game. Still starring Sir Arthur, he is once again out to save the life of Princess Prin Prin, but not from "Satan the Demon King" this time, but Lucifer (or Loki in overseas releases) instead. Lucifer has been consuming the souls of innocent living beings and Prin Prin just so happens to be a victim, getting attacked and abducted right before Arthur can embrace the woman, so now you gotta go kill the guy. Awesome. While Ghouls 'n Ghosts is generally "much" easier than its predecessor (simply for adding the ability to attack above or below you and wear magical gold armor with exploits), it still speaks to just how hellish the original game is that this title is still very difficult.

The game features the same two-hit kill system and the four previous main weapons (Javelin, Torch, Axe, and Dagger), but also features new magic spells for the previous weapons as well as two new weapons, the Sword and Discus. Used wisely, even the crappiest weapons can be beneficial as Arthur can now attack above and below and has brief invulnerability when he casts a spell, so use these traits to your advantage. The one thing that hasn't changed, and which still makes the game a nightmare, is Arthur's stiff moves and jumps. Keeping with the Arcade tradition (unlike the Genesis game where controls are modified a bit), you can't turn when jumping and you can't turn while crouching either. With enemies and attacks coming from everywhere, even one misplaced jump can spell doom. I feel that the music in the SuperGrafx version is not quite as Good as the Gen/MD game.

Overall, Dai Makaimura is still a pretty nice game if you're a glutton for punishment and is a pretty faithful Arcade port. Enjoy.

Basic Format: SuperGrafx HuCard