As featured in Retrogaming Times Monthly issue #34, March 2007.

By the mid 1980's Capcom was establishing itself as a powerhouse developer of popular arcade titles with detailed graphics and innovative game play.  Two games were spawned from this era that would later become top franchise titles, leading to even more popular games in the years ahead.  These two games were 1942 and Ghosts 'n Goblins, released in 1984 and 1985 respectively.  While 1942 would be remembered for installing the building blocks for the five sequels that would follow it, Ghosts 'n Goblins would be remembered for another reason - its difficulty.  While initially looking like nothing more than a simple action platformer, the fast pace and hordes of enemies encountered make Ghosts 'n Goblins a workout for even the most experienced player.  Throw in the super strong bosses and precision timing required to defeat them and you have a game that is brutally unforgiving.  With Ghosts 'n Goblins appearing on the NES a few years later, the game everyone loves to complain about but still loves to play, had come home.

The beautiful Princess Prin-Prin has been kidnapped by the demon king Astaroth and it's up to Sir Arthur to rescue her.  Six treacherous levels stand between their reunion, with a powerful guardian at the end of each.  Donning his armor and armed with his trusty lance, Sir Arthur sets off on his long journey through the kingdom to Astaroth's castle.  Arthur's lance can be traded out for one of four other weapons that appear when an enemy carrying one is destroyed.  Only one weapon can be carried at any time and some are better suited for specific areas than others.  Two hits from an enemy attack will kill Arthur, the first stripping him of his armor and the second leading to his demise.  The series would come to be known by this damage mechanic and Arthur running around in his underpants after losing his armor.

For its time Ghosts 'n Goblins was beautifully detailed game, it still looks very nice to this day.  Of course this is the first compromise on the NES hardware.  I will say that a valiant attempt was made to keep the visual style and level design as close as possible to the original.  Visually the entire game is recreated pretty much verbatim, far less detailed, but nearly everything is there or at least close to how it was.  There is a nominal amount of flicker which makes the graphic presentation not as solid as I would have liked it to be, yet the game was released early in the life of the NES so it's excusable.  Control is spot on to the arcade, a little drifty but accurate.  All the music and the majority of the sound effects have been brought over but they fight each other for supremacy.  While this is common with many early NES games it's very disappointing here as Ghosts 'n Goblins had a memorable arcade soundtrack.

The real question here is if the NES version will make someone a better player at the arcade version and vice versa.  Honestly, no - while the games are very similar they are still very different.  The NES version is almost like a miniature rework of the arcade original however it is just as full featured.  Timing is different, distances are different, but most of the enemy locations are the same.  It's the same game just modified to work on the NES hardware.  This raises the question if the NES was ready to handle a game like this at the time it was ported onto the system.  At the end of the day I don't feel it was, which is why we end up with a game of compromises.  It's the same game but in its limited form on the NES it simply doesn't have the charm and drawing power the original had.  Still, anyone that liked the original should try the NES version, it is worth a look at.  Those who grew up with the NES version owe it to themselves to play the arcade original to experience this great game as was intended.  Ghosts 'n Goblins stands as one of the most brutally difficult NES games to ever be released as the challenge from the arcade remains completely intact.
 

"InsaneDavid" also runs a slowly growing gaming site at http://www.classicplastic.net/dvgi

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