Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Master System) - NintendoComplete
170A playthrough of Sega's 1990 action-platformer for the Sega Master System, Ghouls 'n Ghosts.
This video shows both loops through the game and the true ending.
Ghouls 'n Ghosts was the second game of Capcom's iconic horror-themed Makaimura series, and the direct sequel to Ghosts 'n Goblins. But, whereas the other ports at the time (on the Genesis and the Supergrafx) were all straightforward conversions of Capcom's original arcade game, the Master System title is quite something else.
This version hides some surprising twists that change the fundamentals of the game significantly, the most notable of which being the upgrade system. There are now hidden doors located throughout the stages that give you access to upgrades for pieces of Arthur's gear, allowing for improvements in weapon strength, maneuverability, and resilience. For anyone that finds the arcade game too difficult, I thought this made an excellent compromise. Allowing you to tweak your strengths and to select magic attacks, along with the welcome addition of a life bar (gasp!) make the game far more accessible to the average player. It's still not an easy game, but the challenge is considerably less brutal here. Because of these thoughtful tweaks, I can easily see how some people would claim this version as their favorite game of the series. Sega didn't compromise the core game. They expanded on it.
Beyond these changes, Ghouls 'n Ghosts does an excellent job of approximating the look of the feel of the arcade title originally built for 16-bit hardware, and it puts the NES port of Ghosts 'n Goblins to absolute shame. The graphics take full advantage of the Master System's graphics capabilities, and most of the areas clearly resemble the originals, though in some cases the layouts have been tweaked. The controls are tight and responsive, and the jumping physics are more forgiving than the series is known for. The rebalanced difficulty level is demanding without being frustrating: even the conditions for the best ending have been adjusted for the better. You automatically head to the final boss so long as you've fully upgraded to gold equipment by the time you reach his door. Granted, you'll have to go through it twice to do this, but power-ups are retained between lives, making progress less of a crap-shoot than it sometimes feels like in the original games.
Overall, I still prefer the challenge afforded by the arcade game, but this "remix" of Ghouls 'n Ghosts is an excellent reimagining that provides a unique enough experience to make it worth playing for fans of the arcade game.
Master System owners got something pretty special with this release, and it's something that would've made NES owners rightfully envious. Great game!
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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