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    Ghosts 'N Goblins

    Game » consists of 22 releases. Released Sep 01, 1985

    Ghosts 'N Goblins is the first game in the Ghosts 'N Goblins series. It is widely recognized as being one of the hardest games of all time.

    Short summary describing this game.

    Ghosts 'N Goblins last edited by bacongames on 11/16/19 04:34PM View full history

    Overview

    Sir Arthur with Princess Prin Prin
    Sir Arthur with Princess Prin Prin

    Ghosts 'N Goblins (known in Japan as Makaimura, translated to Hell Village) is a 2D side-scrolling platformer developed and released by Capcom in arcades on September 17, 1985. Players control a knight (named Sir Arthur) who must battle legions of demons, ghosts, and other undead creatures in order to save Princess Prin Prin from Satan, King of the Demon World.

    Known for its unrelenting difficulty, the game was later ported to various systems, including the Nintendo Entertainment System (by Micronics), Commodore 64, Commodore 16, Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, IBM PC compatibles, Sharp X68000, and Game Boy Color. The game received numerous sequels (maintaining the platforming feel of the original) and spinoffs (such as the Gargoyle's Quest and Maximo series).

    Gameplay

    Arthur starts the game with the lance
    Arthur starts the game with the lance

    Ghosts 'N Goblins is a side-scrolling action game with platforming elements. The game has six stages with a boss at the end of each stage. Upon completion of all six stages, the player has to repeat all six stages again with increased difficulty before finally beating the game. There are five weapons in the game: Axe, Dagger, Lance, Torch, and Shield. Sir Arthur starts the game with the lance, but can pick up other weapons as they are dropped by enemies. Enemies include zombies, red demons, dragons, ogres, and other monsters. The shield must be equipped to enter the final stage and complete the game.

    Ghosts 'N Goblins is often regarded as one of the hardest games ever made. It only takes two hits from any attacking foe for Arthur to die, and considering the player's supply of just 3 lives, completing Ghosts 'N Goblins is considered to be very difficult. There are, however, ways of improving both the quality of Arthur's armor and how many extra lives he has. Better armor can be found throughout the game in a few hidden locations. The extra lives are earned by first scoring 20,000 points, then 70,000 points. Thereafter, the player gains a new life for every additional 70,000 points they earn.

    Weapons

    WeaponDescription
    Lance
    Lance
    The Lance is Sir Arthur's starting weapon. It travels in a straight line and will go off the screen unless it connects with an enemy.
    Knife
    Knife
    The Knife works similarly to the lance in the sense that it travels in a straight line and will go off the screen unless it connects with an enemy. The main difference is that it travels at a faster speed than the lance, but is weaker.
    Torch
    Torch
    The Torch, when thrown, travels in an arc and when it strikes the ground fire is emitted that damages enemies who touch it making it a powerful weapon. However, only two can be thrown at a time.
    Axe
    Axe
    The Axe travels in an arc similar to the torch and only two can be thrown at a time. The difference is that it can pass through enemies and doesn't emit fire on the ground. The axe is considered to be the worst weapon in the game due to the awkward throwing arc and its property to pass through enemies is not very useful.
    Shield
    Shield
    The shield travels in a straight line like the lance and knife, but has a very limited range. However, it can destroy any enemy projectiles it collides with making it very useful. This weapon must be equipped to be able to enter the final stage.
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