Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts Review

I've recently rummaged through my old games and found this dust-encrusted gem: Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts. After giving the cartridge a quick wipe, I promptly plugged in my Super Nintendo, and was swiftly transported to the good ol' 16-bit realms.

Now follow my inquisition all the way
                                                          down
                                                                         into the Ultimate Demon World Village.

Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts was first released in 1991 for the SNES, and is a follow up to its predecessor Ghouls 'n Ghosts for the arcade & Sega Genesis. In this ghoul-infested title, you adorn the garb of Sir Arthur: a royal knight tasked with saving his betrothed from the clutches of evil.

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The game's controls consist of two buttons: jump and shoot - simple. But the demon resides in the decals, as Sir Arthur's ample ironclad body is capable of double jumping. I'm not sure how an armoured knight is able to jump at all, but he can. It must be all that magical Holly Grail mead.

Navigating each of the seven stages demands killer 2-D gaming super skills. The double jump seems like an amazing feature, but trust me, you'll die often by miss-timing the second button press. It will take some practice before you understand the trajectory of Arthur's airborne acrobatics: press a button too soon, land on an enemy; press a button too late, fall into a chasm.

Once mastered, timed jumping becomes second-nature and unravels plenty of fiendish ways of traversing. And travel you will, because this classic action platformer has plenty of darkly, side-scrolling vistas, and monster mayhem to get through. You'll slay fiends in graveyards, sunken ships, inferno flooded dungeons, twisted fortresses, and even infiltrate a ghastly livid garden.

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My all-time favourite levels are the scrolling wreaked towers, churning inside a demonic garden, and navigating snowy mountain peaks while avoiding avalanche clouds, frosted giants, and starved wolves - plenty of fun to be had in these demonic lands.

Each stage is filled with, not only ghouls and ghost, but numerous other fiends: merman, fire-spouting plants, wolves, demonic executioners, and good ol' Firebrand demons. Luckily, Arthur can find armour upgrades that power-up his weapon(s). By finding a blue armour upgrade a simple throwing lance can become a piercing missile. Find the gold armour, which allows you to charge up, and your missile can be a lightning strike.

Get hit once, and off your armour goes leaving Arthur in his briefs. One more hit in those and it's a trip to the bone yard for our brave knight.

Wanna hug?

There's plenty of upgradeable weapons to find--daggers, axes, torches, crossbows and sickles--you only need to jump around to reveal the hidden chests containing those bounties. Yes, you make chests appear not by digging but by jumping in specific areas. Don't fear the reaper, the rip-rolling, chip-tune, organ-infused, soundtrack will have you bouncing ghastly-time. 

Pacing is important because of, well you know, the time that ticks away as you progress. And each stage ends with a large guardian blocking your path. Ever seen a possessed caterpillar, or a frosted levitating demon, or a dastardly three-headed dragon offspring? You will, if you're dedicated enough. I hope you'll take this spooky themed romp through the Demon Village. Now allow me to dissipate into the void murmuring "They don't make them like they used to."

                        jumping
Have fun double            and don't forget to "Take a key for coming in!"

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Platform: SNES, PS1, PS2, Xbox (Capcom Classics Collection Vol 1)

Released: 1991

Genre: Action-Adventure