Difference between revisions of "Ghosts 'N Goblins"

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'''''Ghosts 'N Goblins''''' is a Gothic [[fantasy]]-themed [[platform shooter]] video game developed and published by [[Capcom]] originally for the [[arcade]] on 1985-09-19, and then later ported to about a dozen platforms. In the game, you control Arthur who must rescue princess Prin Prin who has been kidnapped by demons.
+
[[Image:Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Taito.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Arcade cabinet (Taito version).]]
 +
 
 +
'''''Ghosts 'N Goblins''''' is a Gothic [[fantasy]]-themed [[platform shooter]] video game developed and published by [[Capcom]] originally for the [[arcade]] on 1985-09-19 as the first game in the [[Ghosts 'N Goblins (universe)|''Ghosts 'N Goblins'' series]]. As it is a pioneer in the genre, the game became quite popular and was ported to about a dozen other platforms. In ''Ghosts 'N Goblins'', you control Arthur who must rescue princess Prin Prin who has been kidnapped by demons. The NES port was made by [[Micronics]] who made a weaker, but faithful, conversion, which is a shame because, shortly after its release, Capcom discovered it's far better to retool their arcade games to better suit home platforms.
 +
 
 +
==Personal==
 +
I learned about ''Ghosts 'N Goblins'' because of its inclusion in ''[[The Official Nintendo Player's Guide]]'', but I never played the game in its heyday, not in the arcade or on home consoles. Looking back, I'm glad I didn't spend any money on it because it is so obscenely difficult it would only cause me frustration. I have tried my skill at the arcade and NES ports of this game a couple of times, but I always get frustrated and give up. The game has never been that important to me personally, however, I do have to give the game credit for being so influential, both to platform shooters and Gothic fantasy.
  
 
==Status==
 
==Status==
I own this game for the NES.
+
I own this game for the NES, but I have not beat any version.
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
{{Video Game Review|8|8|6|6|8|72%|NES}}
+
{{Video Game Review|4|4|6|6|3|Arcade}}
 +
 
 
{{Spoilers}}
 
{{Spoilers}}
 +
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
 +
* For 1985, the game has really good graphics and sound.
 +
* I like the Gothic fantasy theme.
 +
* Though it has many faults, this is one of the first platform shooters, and it pioneered a lot of elements of the genre.
 +
* Having Arthur's armor shatter to reveal his boxers underneath is a good gag, and the death animation is great.
 +
* The NES port thankfully gives you unlimited continues.
 +
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
 +
* Being able to only take two hits before dying is not nearly enough for such a difficult game. This could be forgiven if the game was more liberal in rewarding replacement armor, but it's stingy.
 +
* The weapons are not very evenly matched. The dagger is objectively better than the lance, and the torch and axe are pretty awful.
 +
* Most ground-based enemies are allowed to walk through solid walls, which hurts the immersion.
 +
* The game has terrible engrish.
 +
* The NES port is pretty buggy.
 +
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
 +
* The game is stupid difficult; partly because enemies move way too fast, suffer very little knock back, and attack at odd angles, partly because the player is slow and unresponsive. Even on it's easiest setting, the game is very hard, and, if you're good enough to beat it, it unlocks harder modes which are even more ridiculous!
 +
* Punishing players for keeping the best weapon in the game to the final level by sending them back two levels is very mean.
 +
* Requiring players to beat the game twice in order to see the proper ending is cruel.
 +
* The home computer ports are especially terrible, and some of them cut out large portions of the game.
  
 
==Media==
 
==Media==
 
===Box Art===
 
===Box Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Marquee - Romstar.jpg|Arcade marquee, Romstar.
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Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Taito.jpg|Arcade cabinet, Taito.
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Marquee - Taito.jpg|Arcade marquee, Taito.
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Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Marquee - Romstar.jpg|Arcade marquee, Romstar. A bit childish, but effective.
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Marquee - Alt.jpg|Arcade marquee, alternate.
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Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Marquee - Taito.jpg|Arcade marquee, Taito. Even more childish, and doesn't even show Arthur.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Marquee - Alt.jpg|Arcade marquee, alternate. Very dull.
 
Ghosts 'N Goblins - NES - Japan.jpg|Japanese Famicom. A cute painting of Arthur protecting Prin Prin from monsters. Great art, but it makes the game out to be for kids, which it certainly is not.
 
Ghosts 'N Goblins - NES - Japan.jpg|Japanese Famicom. A cute painting of Arthur protecting Prin Prin from monsters. Great art, but it makes the game out to be for kids, which it certainly is not.
Ghosts 'N Goblins - NES - USA.jpg|Use for most US releases. Great painting! Has Arthur and many of the baddies, with Prin Prin held in Astorath's hand. Only problem, Arthur seems to be running away!
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Ghosts 'N Goblins - NES - USA.jpg|Used for most US releases. Great painting, and my favorite art! Has Arthur and many of the baddies, with Prin Prin held in Astorath's hand. But why is Arthur facing away from all of them?
Ghosts 'N Goblins - C64 - EU.jpg|European computers used this strange painting. It has the graveyard, zombies, and even I don't quite understand the eyeball plant, but what's up with the fuzzy cape-clad monster? Is that supposed to be the Red Guard?
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Ghosts 'N Goblins - C64 - EU.jpg|European computers used this strange painting. It has the graveyard, zombies, and the eyeball plant, but what's up with the fuzzy cape-clad monster? Is that supposed to be the Red Guard?
Ghosts 'N Goblins - GBC - USA.jpg|Game Boy Color, USA. Great cartoon, but I don't know why they switched the typeface to [[Serpentine]].
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Ghosts 'N Goblins - GBC - USA.jpg|Game Boy Color, USA. Great cartoon, my second favorite. I don't know why they switched the typeface to [[Serpentine]].
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
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Ghosts 'N Goblins - EU - Manual - Elite 8-bit.pdf|Manual, Europe, 8-bit computers.
 
Ghosts 'N Goblins - EU - Manual - Elite 8-bit.pdf|Manual, Europe, 8-bit computers.
 
Ghosts 'N Goblins - EU - Manual - Elite 16-bit.pdf|Manual, Europe, 16-bit computers.
 
Ghosts 'N Goblins - EU - Manual - Elite 16-bit.pdf|Manual, Europe, 16-bit computers.
 +
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 035.jpg|''[[The Official Nintendo Player's Guide]]'', part 1.
 +
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 036.jpg|''The Official Nintendo Player's Guide'', part 2.
 +
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 037.jpg|''The Official Nintendo Player's Guide'', part 3.
 +
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 038.jpg|''The Official Nintendo Player's Guide'', part 4.
 
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Flyer - Capcom - Art.jpg|Arcade flyer, Capcom.
 
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Flyer - Capcom - Art.jpg|Arcade flyer, Capcom.
 
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Flyer - Capcom - Screenshots.jpg|Arcade flyer, Capcom.
 
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Flyer - Capcom - Screenshots.jpg|Arcade flyer, Capcom.
 
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Flyer - Taito.jpg|Arcade flyer, Taito.
 
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - USA - Flyer - Taito.jpg|Arcade flyer, Taito.
 +
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 141.jpg|''The Official Nintendo Player's Guide'', blurb.
 +
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Maps===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - Map - Overview.png|Arcade, overview.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - Map - Stage 1.png|Arcade, stage 1.
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Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - Map - Stage 2.png|Arcade, stage 2.
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Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - Map - Stage 3.png|Arcade, stage 3.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - Map - Stage 4.png|Arcade, stage 4.
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Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - Map - Stage 5.png|Arcade, stage 5.
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Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - Map - Stage 6.png|Arcade, stage 6.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - Map - Stage 7.png|Arcade, stage 7.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - NES - Map - Overview.png|NES, overview.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - NES - Map - Stage 1.png|NES, stage 1.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - NES - Map - Stage 2.png|NES, stage 2.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - NES - Map - Stage 3.png|NES, stage 3.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - NES - Map - Stage 4.png|NES, stage 4.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - NES - Map - Stage 5.png|NES, stage 5.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - NES - Map - Stage 6.png|NES, stage 6.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - NES - Map - Stage 7.png|NES, stage 7.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - C64 - Map - Stage 1.png|Commodore 64, stage 1.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - C64 - Map - Stage 2.png|Commodore 64, stage 2.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - C64 - Map - Stage 3.png|Commodore 64, stage 3.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - C64 - Map - Stage 4.png|Commodore 64, stage 4.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - CPC - Maps.png|Amstrad CPC.
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ZXS - Maps.png|ZX Spectrum.
 +
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Graphics===
 +
* [https://www.spriters-resource.com/arcade/gng spriters-resource.com/arcade/gng] - Arcade.
 +
* [https://www.spriters-resource.com/nes/ghostsngoblins spriters-resource.com/nes/ghostsngoblins] - NES.
 +
* [https://www.spriters-resource.com/amstrad_cpc/ghostsngoblins spriters-resource.com/amstrad_cpc/ghostsngoblins] - Amstrad CPC.
 +
 +
===Screenshots===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Ghosts 'N Goblins - ARC - Screenshot - Stage 1.png|Arcade, stage 1.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
Line 40: Line 105:
 
Ghosts 'N Goblins - Fan Art - Deimon-Remus - Monsters.jpg|Fan art by Deimon-Remus.
 
Ghosts 'N Goblins - Fan Art - Deimon-Remus - Monsters.jpg|Fan art by Deimon-Remus.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Videos===
 +
{{#ev:youtube|94Y6y1MOoEo|256|inline|Angry Video Game Nerd.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|ERtkhZx0f-A|256|inline|Longplay, Amiga.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|tIlTIzvyiBc|256|inline|Longplay, Amstrad CPC.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|4sb6UKXG2S0|256|inline|Longplay, arcade (Japan), all difficulties.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|SugLAqaPhqA|256|inline|Longplay, arcade (USA).|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|wB8Jw6OW9-c|256|inline|Longplay, Atari ST.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|WC809188Pss|256|inline|Longplay, Game Boy Color.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|KP15wQERQxg|256|inline|Longplay, DOS.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|5ZgqugtReso|256|inline|Longplay, NES.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|OwxhxbkFjic|256|inline|Longplay, Commodore 64.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|5ZiVwbJni4k|256|inline|Longplay, ZX Spectrum.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|YRkN4Rl36ek|256|inline|Game play, Commodore 16.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|xTXXiGubsGs|256|inline|Game play, PC-8801.|frame}}
  
 
==Titles==
 
==Titles==
Line 64: Line 144:
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
 +
[[Category: 1985 Video Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Action, Adventure, Strategy]]
 
[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Action, Adventure, Strategy]]
 +
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Platformer]]
 +
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Platform Shooter]]
 +
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Shooter]]
 
[[Category: Game Mechanic - Unlockable Difficulty Levels]]
 
[[Category: Game Mechanic - Unlockable Difficulty Levels]]
 +
[[Category: Media Theme - Fantasy]]
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[[Category: Media Theme - Horror]]
 +
[[Category: Amiga Games]]
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[[Category: Amstrad CPC Games]]
 
[[Category: Arcade Games]]
 
[[Category: Arcade Games]]
 +
[[Category: Atari ST Games]]
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[[Category: BREW Games]]
 +
[[Category: Commodore 16 Games]]
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[[Category: Commodore 64 Games]]
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[[Category: DoJa Games]]
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[[Category: DOS Games]]
 +
[[Category: FM-7 Games]]
 
[[Category: NES Games]]
 
[[Category: NES Games]]
[[Category: PlayChoice-10 Games]]
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[[Category: PC-8800 Games]]
[[Category: VS. System Games]]
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[[Category: ZX Spectrum Games]]
[[Category: Action]]
 
[[Category: Platformer]]
 
[[Category: Fantasy]]
 
 
[[Category: Trope - Damsel In Distress]]
 
[[Category: Trope - Damsel In Distress]]
 +
[[Category: Trope - Women As Reward]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player]]
 +
[[Category: Video Games I Haven't Beaten]]

Revision as of 16:18, 14 September 2020

Arcade cabinet (Taito version).

Ghosts 'N Goblins is a Gothic fantasy-themed platform shooter video game developed and published by Capcom originally for the arcade on 1985-09-19 as the first game in the Ghosts 'N Goblins series. As it is a pioneer in the genre, the game became quite popular and was ported to about a dozen other platforms. In Ghosts 'N Goblins, you control Arthur who must rescue princess Prin Prin who has been kidnapped by demons. The NES port was made by Micronics who made a weaker, but faithful, conversion, which is a shame because, shortly after its release, Capcom discovered it's far better to retool their arcade games to better suit home platforms.

Personal

I learned about Ghosts 'N Goblins because of its inclusion in The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, but I never played the game in its heyday, not in the arcade or on home consoles. Looking back, I'm glad I didn't spend any money on it because it is so obscenely difficult it would only cause me frustration. I have tried my skill at the arcade and NES ports of this game a couple of times, but I always get frustrated and give up. The game has never been that important to me personally, however, I do have to give the game credit for being so influential, both to platform shooters and Gothic fantasy.

Status

I own this game for the NES, but I have not beat any version.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
4 4 6 6 3

Best Version: Arcade

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • For 1985, the game has really good graphics and sound.
  • I like the Gothic fantasy theme.
  • Though it has many faults, this is one of the first platform shooters, and it pioneered a lot of elements of the genre.
  • Having Arthur's armor shatter to reveal his boxers underneath is a good gag, and the death animation is great.
  • The NES port thankfully gives you unlimited continues.

Bad

  • Being able to only take two hits before dying is not nearly enough for such a difficult game. This could be forgiven if the game was more liberal in rewarding replacement armor, but it's stingy.
  • The weapons are not very evenly matched. The dagger is objectively better than the lance, and the torch and axe are pretty awful.
  • Most ground-based enemies are allowed to walk through solid walls, which hurts the immersion.
  • The game has terrible engrish.
  • The NES port is pretty buggy.

Ugly

  • The game is stupid difficult; partly because enemies move way too fast, suffer very little knock back, and attack at odd angles, partly because the player is slow and unresponsive. Even on it's easiest setting, the game is very hard, and, if you're good enough to beat it, it unlocks harder modes which are even more ridiculous!
  • Punishing players for keeping the best weapon in the game to the final level by sending them back two levels is very mean.
  • Requiring players to beat the game twice in order to see the proper ending is cruel.
  • The home computer ports are especially terrible, and some of them cut out large portions of the game.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Graphics

Screenshots

Fan Art

Videos

Angry Video Game Nerd.
Longplay, Amiga.
Longplay, Amstrad CPC.
Longplay, arcade (Japan), all difficulties.
Longplay, arcade (USA).
Longplay, Atari ST.
Longplay, Game Boy Color.
Longplay, DOS.
Longplay, NES.
Longplay, Commodore 64.
Longplay, ZX Spectrum.
Game play, Commodore 16.
Game play, PC-8801.

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English Ghosts 'N Goblins
Japanese 魔界村 Makai Mura Demon World Village

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-StrategyWiki.png  Link-VGMPF.png  64x64px  Link-TCRF.png  Link-TVTropes.png