Ghosts 'N Goblins

Overview

Sir Arthur with Princess Prin Prin

Ghosts 'N Goblins is a side-scrolling platform game by Capcom released in arcades on September 19, 1985. It was later ported to several consoles including the NES. The player controls a knight named Sir Arthur who must battle demons, ghosts, and other undead creatures in order to save Princess Prin Prin from Satan.

Gameplay

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

Weapon	Description
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	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	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	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	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.