I completely missed out on the original release of Ghouls ‘N Ghosts. I knew of the previous installment in the series on the Nintendo Entertainment System, but because I didn’t own any Sega systems until a decade later this one is brand new to me. Most people have probably played the Genesis version of this release seeing as how it only came out on the Master System after the few developers who were supporting it had ceased production on new releases for it. Capcom, as they have proven time and time again, have no problem supporting consoles that have already been replaced, and in this case I’m thankful they did. They knew there was no way to release the game in its full arcade glory and instead of completely downgrading this version they switched around some things here. I can’t say it’s all for the better, but it goes a long way toward giving this port its own identity. The sole reason for playing this port is for the new mechanics, and they alone make it worth playing even if you’ve already experienced a superior version. Let’s dive in… here’s Ghouls ‘N Ghosts.
The story here is pretty much the same as in any installment in the series. You play as Arthur whose princess girlfriend is kidnapped by hordes of undead beasts, and it’s up to him to rescue her. There’s no dialogue in-game except after defeating the final boss where you’re instructed to start from the very beginning all over again. Gameplay is also very similar to the original installment. This is a side scrolling action platformer wherein you make your way from the left side of a stage to the right. Along the way enemies constantly spawn and a touch from these causes you to lose your armor limiting Arthur to just his underwear, and a second strike loses you a life causing you to restart the stage. You can only damage enemies with weapons and magic. You begin armed with a simple lance that is thrown straightforward, but you can acquire others such as the rapid fire dagger and angled axe. Spells must be charged by holding the attack button, but they cause huge effects. Unfortunately these are limited by your magic power. The original Ghosts ‘N Goblins didn’t have the spells, and this is the major gameplay element introduced here.
That’s not to say that there aren’t more additions to the formula because there are. For starters, Arthur can now throw weapons vertically instead of just horizontally. This comes in handy more often than you would think with aerial foes or instances where an enemy is standing where you’re jumping to. In addition you now have more control of your hops, and can alter the direction of your leap midair which is very handy. I suppose this was added because there’s now a bigger emphasis on platforming. The genre was after all in its prime at the time of this release, and Capcom added more moving platforms and intricate jumps for the players to sate this interest. Another significant change is actually exclusive to this Master System edition of the game. You now do not collect weapons from treasure chests. This is a little hard to fathom at first, but the entire upgrade system has been changed. These chests now contain only a wizard that will transform you into a helpless duck for a limited amount of time, or a doorway. These lead you to shops wherein you can choose from one of three upgrades. Most of the time these simply restore your health, but within a select few you can upgrade your armor. You have a choice between boots (which make you jump higher and move faster), armor (which offers additional protection to Arthur) and helmets (these add new weapons to shops you encounter in the future). The only way to get new weapons is with this last accessory, and after changing headgear new offensive items appear in the shops. It’s a very cool and unique addition.
The major problem with Ghouls ‘N Ghosts is that it’s extremely difficult. That’s even considering the fact that it has been toned down since the first title. In most hard games you can simply memorize enemy patterns to get through, but a lot of it is random here. Enemies spawn in places you don’t expect, and you’re often dealing with multiple aerial foes at once while still fighting off ground opponents. You really need to pay attention because one second you’re doing fine and the next Arthur is dead. Without infinite continues there’s just no way I would ever be able to get through this, and I’m just glad I’m not playing it in the arcades because my wallet would be empty. In addition I’m just not as big a fan of the level designs as I was in Goblins and that didn’t exactly raise the bar. Every area of this game just feels a little boring to me. It’s clear that Capcom’s A-team wasn’t behind this release, but the varying weapons and spells manage to save it by keeping things at least a little fresh. I still hate the fact that after playing through your first time you need to re-tread through every single area in order to face off against the final boss. This mechanic should die in a fire in my opinion.
On another note this is by far one of the best looking Master System games I’ve ever seen. This even surpasses a lot of the early Genesis titles (especially the arcade ports) and Capcom should be commended for what they were able to accomplish here. The characters are nicely detailed, and the backgrounds even feature limited animation. This is far more colorful than any game could ever hope to be on the Nintendo Entertainment System. With that said there is one huge issue. The slowdown constantly brings the pace down to single digit frames. Capcom should have toned down the number of on-screen enemies because this is often aggravating and it’s hard to believe it wasn’t dealt with in some fashion. The soundtrack is also a little underwhelming. The music is faithful to the franchise, but it’s just not particularly enjoyable in my opinion. The composers should have tried to take advantage of the system’s sound chip rather than cramming an arcade soundtrack into this release because it’s not particularly enjoyable. The sound effects are okay, but nothing really stands out. More effort could have been applied to this area in my opinion.
It’s historically interesting that Capcom not only released Ghouls ‘N Ghosts on the Sega Master System, but also that they put in extra effort to make up for the graphical parity. This is an absolutely legitimate way to experience this classic, and in some ways I like it more than the Genesis release. It’s still one of the weaker installments in the series, and unless you’re a big fan you shouldn’t feel bad about skipping this release.
