Hello and welcome to this special instalment of Retro Revival, the series where I cover classic games that have been given a second chance to reach a new audience. Here I discuss HD remasters, emulated ports and compilations, in part or as a whole. This week as part of Halloween Month, I will be covering Ghouls ‘n Ghosts released in arcades and revived via Capcom Arcade Stadium, as well as the Nintendo Switch Online Mega Drive/Genesis Library.
Disclaimer: the games discussed in this feature have been purchased by me, so the opinions given within are all my own. There has been no sponsorship of the content in this feature, with links to the different versions of the game at the bottom where possible. The Mega Drive/Genesis version is also available via the Nintendo Switch Online Classics library, available through the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass Membership.
So with the introductions out of the way, let’s get started. I will be discussing the general gameplay experience for the Arcade version and Mega Drive release, I will then provide additional background details and personal thoughts.
About the game
Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, also known as Dai Makaimura in Japan, is the second game in the Demon Village series, where players fight monsters as Sir Arthur to save Princess Prin-Prin. Following three years after the events of Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Arthur and Prin-Prin are in love, but Arthur must leave the kingdom on a journey. During his return, the kingdom is under attack from Lucifer (Loki in English SEGA versions), capturing the souls of the people and the princess.
Devastated by the loss of his beloved, Sir Arthur takes up arms once again against the legion of the damned, setting off to Loki’s castle to save his Princess. Like the last game, this title is a side scrolling run and gun platformer, with supernatural and horror elements. The player controls Arthur, the heroic knight who must use his weapons to fight the minions of Lucifer.
Taking place across six stages, the player must run, jump and use his weapon to attack the hordes of evil. The stages are split into three segments, with the action stage split into two halves and the boss battle at the end. As Arthur journeys through the different areas, they must jump across deadly gaps, onto platforms and even over deadly traps. If Arthur takes damage, he will lose his armor, being left in just his underwear, one more hit from death.
To fight the monstrous minions of the demon world, Arthur has a selection of weapons that he can deploy in battle. The starting weapon for Arthur is the Lance, which is the most all round weapon that there is. Arthur can throw the weapon in four different directions, allowing for the player to defend from foes on all sides. If the player presses down on the ground they can crouch attack, if done while jumping they will attack below.
During the stages, enemies holding baskets will appear, dropping them if they are destroyed. These baskets will hold point items, increasing the players score, but they may also contain weapons to pick up. Collecting a new weapon will replace the current one, with some of them being better than others. These include the blue flame, which spreads across the ground, the sword which is melee only and the dagger, which is fast and deadly.
The different weapons that Arthur can collect may make the challenges easier, or harder, depending on the effects that the weapons have. Finding the right weapon is the key to making it through the stages, as some of them will not be able to reach certain foes. There will also be chests that pop up, activated by hitting hidden triggers. Inside the chests, will be various things, including the Magician, a demonic monster that will curse Arthur unless they are defeated.
If the curse hits Arthur, he will be transformed into a more vulnerable state, turning into a duck if he is wearing armor or an old man is he is unprotected. This will last for a short time, but can end prematurely if the player is hit by an enemy. After opening the first chest, additional chests will contain armor, with silver if Arthur is in his underwear or gold if he has not been hurt. The gold armor is special as it allows for special magic attacks to be used.
If the player breaks two chests, a third and even forth chest can provide players with weapons, increasing the chaos of the action. As carelessly breaking a chest with a weapon in it can replace the one the player wants. In the event that Arthur is killed, the player will be returned to a checkpoint, which can be at the start, the mid point of the stage. Depending on the version, the player may be allowed to respawn at the boss battle for the stage.
At the end of each stage, the player will need to fight a powerful boss, with the flaming Cerberus, cloudy Gassuto and the lord of flies Beelzebub. Defeating each of the bosses yields a key to the next stage, opening a gate for Arthur to progress, if timed correctly the player can catch the key. After defeating the fifth boss for the first time, the player will get a cutscene and then be sent back to the first stage again, needing to journey back to the final gate.
During the second loop of the game, the stages will be much more challenging, with increased enemy presence, hazards and risks to the player. While traversing through the stage the second time, Arthur will need to collect the power of the goddess, which will power him up with the Psycho Cannon. This is obtained from breaking open a chest while wearing the golden armor, empowering Arthur with the ability to reach Lucifer and destroy him.
Other weapons can be collected during the course of the second loop, but the Psycho Cannon must be equipped by the time the player reaches the Beelzebub. If Arthur doesn’t have the weapon, he will be sent back to the second half of the stage, needing to get the weapon again. Once Beelzebub is defeated with the Psycho Cannon, the player can challenge Lucifer, defeating him will release the souls of the dead and the princess will be revived.
In the Arcade Stadium release, the player will be able to access both the English and Japanese roms for the game, allowing them to play either version. There is full dipswitch access, allowing players to adjust the settings freely to get the experience they want. This allows for changing the number of lives, difficulty and more. The Mega Drive/Genesis version has limited settings, with two different difficulty options to select from, practice and professional.
Personal Thoughts
I played Ghouls ‘n Ghosts as a kid on the Mega Drive as a kid, but not being able to beat it cause of how tough the series is. Over the years, I played different ports of the arcade version, like the Capcom Generations series, as well as the Capcom Classic collection. My favourite way to play the arcade version was via the SEGA Saturn, through Capcom Generation 2, which also included the first and third game, making it the best experience at the time.
As I got older, I played the different releases via emulators and roms, as the releases were few and far between. The release on the PSP was a nice way to enjoy this, as it allowed for handheld and on the go play of the arcade version for the first time. The Mega Drive version was portable, but to do so you needed to own a SEGA Nomad, which were very expensive for the time. The SEGA home version was also released on a plug and play system.
That was how I beat the game for the first time, playing it on a battery powered plug and play, sitting in my room and spending hours just grinding at it to learn all the secrets. Ghouls ‘n Ghosts has always had a soft spot with me, so when SEGA released the Mega Drive/Genesis Mini system, I was excited to see the game included. Then Capcom released the Arcade Stadium series of games, with this one included as part of the line-up.
Nintendo then launched the Mega Drive classics library, as part of the Nintendo Switch online Expansion Pack, which also included this game. With this library being launched, as well as the arcade version being made available, players on all platforms will be able to experience this legendary platformer. The game can be purchased individually for the Capcom Arcade Stadium launcher, or as part of a whole bundle full of games.
With the Arcade Stadium version, there will also be the option for challenges, which lets players challenge others across the world. There are several options for players to challenge, with score and time based challenges to play. Players can also take on special challenges like the turbo challenge, where the entire game is sped up, leading to pure chaos on screen. These are fun bonus options for players to challenge themselves, aiming for the top spot.
The Mega Drive version of the game is extremely close to the arcade original, being reworked internally by SEGA for their system by Sonic Team member Yuji Naka. There are however some concessions that were made for this, reducing some of the background graphics and color. There are also translation mistakes and changes, like Lucifer becoming Loki and St. Michael becoming Valkyr, but this doesn’t impact the gameplay experience.
As an extremely early release on the system, the SEGA version does feel faithful to the original. This makes it a great choice for players who already have access to the Nintendo Switch Library, being able to play the game anywhere. The same can also be said for the Capcom Arcade Stadium collection, which is available on the Nintendo Switch and is also supported on Steam Deck. No matter how you like to play, there is an option for you.
I am lucky enough to be able to have both versions of this game, but the arcade version is often available at a discount, either on its own or in the big bundle. I cannot recommend this game enough, and I am so happy that it is available in a form that is easy to pick up and play. The game is renowned for how difficult it is, with the double completion requirement and challenging bosses. So you will definitely get your money’s worth from this game.
If you have enjoyed this feature, then take a look at the other content available and see what catches your eye. There are reviews, sometimes news and features that cover a variety of games. There is the lost gems series, special Gaming Oddities and more coming in the future. So stick around for a while and check out the other content.
Link to Nintendo Switch Version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
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