Game:

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection (2021)

Duration: 0:00

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Originally recorded: April 6, 2025
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I've said it before, but I doubt I'll have much opportunity to say it again: when it comes right down to it, I vastly prefer the Gargoyle's Quest trilogy over the mainline GnG games. Honestly, it's to the point where I really wish that Capcom had greenlit a fourth game in that series as opposed to the (relatively) recent Ghosts 'n Goblins: Resurrection. Granted, I never really gave the Maximo series that much of a chance. Maybe someday. A remaster would definitely make that easier.

I beat the original Gargoyle's Quest on the 3DS Virtual Console years ago and I finally tackled the second one on livestream last year, so now it's time to finally give the final entry its time in the limelight. This isn't the first time I've tried playing this one, but I never really took it that seriously back then. More importantly, since I want to go for the true ending -- which requires collecting most (if not all) of the power-ups in the game -- I've had to resort to a guide just to make sure I don't miss anything. According to KI, gating the final boss like that is the game's only real major flaw. They even decided to just do a standard run on their own and use a password to reach the true final boss on their own recent playthrough... as opposed to tracking down all of the items again.

I might be crazy, but something about this game reminds me of ActRaiser. KI seems to think it's the overworld map... and while that does look similar, I think it has more to do with the game's tone and some of the level design. To a much lesser extent, I guess some of the boss designs might also have something to do with it, but from a mechanical standpoint, they feel completely different if only because Firebrand relies on projectile attacks while "The Master" was strictly limited to close-range combat.

I have to admit, considering the horror stories I've heard about a late-game difficulty spike in Demon's Crest, I was never under the impression that I'd beat this one in a single session. I'd just rather not get stuck in a situation where I'm basically stuck against a seemingly impossible final fight until 3 AM... for a second time this year. Like I said, going straight into the GnG streams after Little Ralph seemed like it was a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, these games have been far more manageable than the batch from last year. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to approach the original Ghosts 'n Goblins, including whether or not I'd like to stream this second attempt. But I figure if I do, I know exactly what I'd pair it up with.