Ghost Battle
| Developer: Interactive Design | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Thalion | Sound: |
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| Year: 1991 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Platformer | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
4/10 | |
In Ghost Battle, you play the role of the hero. You are destined to rescue a beautiful girl that may just fall for you should you succeed in rescueing her.
I’m not the one writing this, it’s from the manual. The uninhibited creativity doesn’t stop at the title of this game, I’ll tell you that!
When I was little, I remember my father getting frustrated seeing me play all day with my Game Boy, not because it was a nice day outside, but because we had an Amiga at home! Ah yes, the family computer was more powerful. The colours, the music … and the quality of the games—shall we talk about that? Especially platformers. The programmers (often very young and inexperienced) had no clue what made a good platformer. Even today, I doubt all the old Amiga enthusiasts have it lodged firmly in their ear.
So, at the risk of sounding like a dyed-in-the-wool dogmatist, not to mention a vinegar-soaked misery guts (too late, it’s done), I’ll attempt to list the criteria that, for me, define a good platformer:
- first and foremost, fast, precise, and enjoyable controls (I’m not talking about the character’s movement speed)
- rhythm (forcing the player to shoot ten times at each enemy tends to slow it down)
- unique and stimulating mechanics
- a minimum of variety over time (new weapons, new enemies, new traps, and not just the neurotic collection of thousands of trinkets to rack up points)
The Japanese firms (Capcom in the lead) had perfectly understood the formula. Their games followed a strict specification, which didn’t stop them from innovating (occasionally). These titles were produced in a controlled environment, by organised teams (programmers, artists, testers, working under a project manager). The obvious result is that, despite the technical limitations, there were far more quality games on consoles than on the Amiga. Games that could keep me hooked for hours, even when they were projected onto a tiny four-colour screen.
Funny contradiction: a few days before writing this page, I praised the “artistic” intent behind Genesia, contrasting it with the more commercial and stereotypical approach of Mr. Nutz. It seems there were times when the young consumer I was simply craved a “good product” that was entertaining.
Ghost Battle (I still can’t get used to that name) is just another specimen from the Amiga ecosystem. A work of art. I appreciate art as much as anyone, but when I walk through a museum, I never spend more than five minutes in front of a painting.
Unless, of course, I’ve brought my Game Boy along…
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