Ghouls ‘N Ghosts is the lone Sega Genesis entry in the Makaimura (as it’s known in Japan) series of horror themed video games. This is a home port of the arcade game and is a sequel to Ghosts ‘N Goblins which was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The franchise is known for its unforgiving difficulty, fun themes, and addictive memorization based level design. Does this Sega Genesis installment stand with the rest of the bunch? You bet!
What we have here is a sequel to the original game. Princess Prin Prin has been kidnapped again and it’s up to our armored hero Arthur to come to her rescue. It’s easier said than done because an army of the undead stand between him and his true love. Fortunately he’s not hitting the streets with just his good intentions. Arthur comes armed with a variety of different weapons with which he can slay the undead monstrocities that lay before him.
Like the previous game in the series this too is a side scrolling platformer and action hybrid. Gameplay is strictly side view as you walk, jump and attack with your currently equipped weapon. Monsters both spawn from the ground and lay in wait becoming active only when you draw near. In typical fashion Arthur can jump unrealistically high but you have no control over his momentum once you leave the ground. Your armor is basically your life bar. You start with the standard steel armor which has no added abilities. The gold armor is the only upgrade to this and it allows you to use a magic spell based on the current weapon you have equipped.
Speaking of weapons you have a fair selection here. You have six different items at your disposal all of which can be used in all four directions (down only if you’re mid-air). The problem is you don’t really have much choice in what you’re going to use. Items are dropped by enemies but what’s left is at random. You begin with the standard lance that is thrown but slow moving but you’ll find a powerful throwing axe, discus, fast moving dagger, and fire water that causes flames to erupt from the floor. The sword is the only weapon that isn’t a projectile, and it’s one of the worst ones because of that fact. The axe and dagger are by far the best but most of the time I was stuck with something else. Sometimes you just can’t dodge the new weapon laying on the ground.
Stage designs are… well… they’re somewhat of a mixed bag. On one hand there’s an excellent amount of variety. Enemies are always your main concern but the environmental hazards are thoughtful and well designed. Unfortunately everything is just so darn unfair. You can’t change your momentum while in the air and enemies love popping up in areas you didn’t see them coming. You’ll be forced to do precision platforming while dodging projectiles and several enemies at once. Most of the time one hit spells instant death as you’re knocked back when you lose your armor.
This is a franchise that has always befitted from home releases. The key to success in Ghouls ‘N Ghosts is repetition. Enemy patterns and locations must be memorized to stand even the smallest chance. That’s just not something that an arcade setting is conducive to. That is, unless you have an endless supply of quarters. Most of the time enemies appear without warning and with attack patterns that are hard to dodge unless you’re in just the right spot. Ghouls ‘N Ghosts is pure memorization. Thankfully you’re given infinite continues in order to figure out how to progress.
Ghouls ‘N Ghosts is fun, but in a rather devilish painful sort of way. You will die, a lot. The game is unforgiving and constantly throws new elements and enemies that you won’t be able to figure out until it’s too late. There’s far too much going on at once in just about every stage. When the play field isn’t populated with monsters and hazards you know you’re about to encounter a boss, and these encounters are also really well done. These monsters are huge and offer a lot of variety between them. While the game is largely frustrating it’s highly rewarding when you finally figure it out.
This is an early Genesis game, but it fares really well. Capcom ported this one almost perfectly straight from the arcades, and it’s obvious that a lot of tender love was put into this version. Yuji Naka himself even did the programming for this version! The enemies look amazing with great sprite detail and many different frames of animation. Environmental effects are amazing with things like wind and rain that take proper advantage of the Genesis hardware. The only complaint I have is that the backgrounds tend to be bland. When I say they’re simple, I mean they’re barely a step above what you would see on the original Nintendo.
The soundtrack doesn’t quite measure up. The music is very one dimensional and has that typical ‘tinny’ sound that many Sega Genesis titles suffer from. It takes a lot away from the atmosphere and keeps the creepy music from being just that. There are a few tracks that stand above the others but there’s nothing in particular that I would care to listen to outside of playing the game. You can play this one with the volume down and you won’t be missing out on too much.
Ghouls ‘N Ghosts is a very good port of a fun arcade game. As I mentioned earlier I feel this one is actually better played at home because of the immense difficulty and focus on memorization. There’s going to be a lot of trial and error if you decide to give this one a go. Patience is not just a virtue, but an actual requirement to get anywhere in Ghouls ‘N Ghosts. I found myself frequently frustrated, and that’s even as a long time fan of the franchise. One thing worth noting is that the Sega Master System actually has features this release does not, but the graphics are far better here. I recommend going with the Genesis release personally.
