Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins
| Developer: Elite | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Elite | Sound: |
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| Year: 1990 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Platformer | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 2 alternating | Rating: |
6/10 | |
Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins features a knight (named Arthur or Lancelot, depending on the version) sprinting through eerie landscapes teeming with zombies and other nightmarish creatures. The objective of his quest, if you can call it that, is—brace yourself—yet another princess, abducted by a lord of the underworld…
Released in 1985 on arcade machines (initially in Japan), it achieved phenomenal success worldwide thanks to its frantic action paired with a cartoonish aesthetic. When Arthur takes his first hit, he loses his armour and is left in his underpants. From then on, no more mistake allowed—at least until you stumble upon another suit of armour.
The difficulty is absurd, so much so that only a tiny fraction of players likely made it past the first level. Believe it or not, there are six levels, and once you’ve completed the sixth, you’re asked to start over! The ending is only granted after a second playthrough.
The mechanics remain rudimentary. The hero can only shoot horizontally and is unable to change direction mid-jump. However, the experience is spiced up by the constant enemy spawns, their unpredictable behaviour, and the occasional discovery of new projectile weapons. There are five (spears, daggers, torches, axes, and crucifixes), distributed randomly and providing unlimited ammunition. In that sense, the game could be considered one of the early examples of the “run and gun” genre, following Commando (1985, top-down) and preceding Contra (1987, side-scrolling).
One question has always bugged me, and I’d be curious to find written accounts on the matter: while the original Japanese version openly embraced its religious references, were the Western versions censored? Could this explain why crucifixes were replaced by those ridiculous “throwing shields”?
Whatever the case, its global success spawned countless adaptations of varying quality across virtually every console and microcomputer of the era (the 1986 NES version is the most famous). The Amiga version, though decently made, arrived so late (five years after the original) that it came off as little more than a passé classic. I did notice some stuttering in the animation. Moreover, joystick controls (“up” to jump) make certain sections infuriatingly tricky (you’ll grow to loathe ladders). And unlike the arcade, shooting backwards mid-jump is no longer possible. At least all six levels are intact (thankfully, there’s no demand to finish them twice).
Nowadays, it’s easy to revisit the original titles through arcade emulation. This is the preferred option for a proper replay.
In addition to the adaptations, various spin-offs followed: Gargoyle’s Quest (Game Boy, 1990), Demon’s Crest (Super Nintendo, 1994), and Maximo: Ghosts to Glory (PlayStation 2, 2001–2002).
As for the inevitable remakes and tributes, I’ll stick to mentioning the most notable: Ultimate Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins (PSP, 2006); Ghosts ‘n’ Demons (PC, 2015), a free fan-made game celebrating the series’ 30th anniversary; and Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins Resurrection (Nintendo Switch, 2021), featuring a “modern” visual style that I like to call “laundry detergent”.
In another vein, with a Metroidvania twist, you might also enjoy: Cathedral (2019).
Do let me know if any of these links stop working, won’t you?
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