Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
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| Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts | |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Designer(s) | Game Design Tatsuya Minami Kimio Yamazoe Producer Tokuro Fujiwara |
| Composer(s) | Mari Yamaguchi |
| Platform(s) | SFC/SNES, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, Virtual Console, PlayStation 3 |
| Release date(s) | SNES version JP October 4, 1991 NA November 1991 EU December 10, 1992 GBA version JP July 19, 2002 NA September 23, 2002 EU September 27, 2002 Virtual Console JP February 20, 2007 NA March 5, 2007 EU March 9, 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Action/platform game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone (GBA version) |
| Media | Cartridge, Direct download (Virtual Console) |
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (超魔界村 Chō Makaimura, lit. "Super Demon World Village") is a platform game developed by Capcom and initially released for the Super NES console in 1991.
It was later ported to the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation Portable, and the Virtual Console. It is the sequel to the arcade games Ghosts 'n Goblins and Ghouls 'n Ghosts.
The game has since gained an almost cult status for what many find to be an incredible difficulty.[1][2]
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The game is set four years after Arthur rescued Princess Guinevere (Prin Prin) from the demon Loki. They are engaged, and are about to get married. While spending a quiet moment together Guinevere is suddenly kidnapped by a Red Guard.
Players once again control the Knight Arthur in his effort to save his bride Princess Guinevere from the Ghoul Realm. This time, the ruler of the Ghoul Realm is the Demon Emperor Sardius (Samael in the Japanese version).
[edit] GamePlay
The game is traditional 2D side-scrolling platformer, primarily based on Ghouls 'n Ghosts, in which Arthur must run, jump, and shoot his way through huge swarms of enemies and traps, before rescuing the princess.
Arthur starts the game with an ordinary suit of armor, which may then be upgraded up to three times. No matter how upgraded, all Arthur's armors will break and fall off with a single touch of an enemy, leaving Arthur defenseless and clad only in his underwear, at which point he will die if hit again. Arthur can always get his defenses back by finding new armor, which is in hidden treasure chests throughout the game. The first upgrade from the ordinary starting armor is to the bronze armor, which allows Arthur to use the more powerful, magical versions of his weapons. From the bronze, Arthur can upgrade again to the golden armor, which allows him to unleash special magical attacks unique to each weapon by charging with the attack button. The golden armor also comes with a sun shield, which may be used to block one projectile before breaking. The final upgrade comes in the form of a moon shield, which, in addition to blocking up to three projectiles, reduces the time needed to charge Arthur's magic attacks. Ironically, projectiles cannot be blocked while Arthur is moving, so in order to use the shields for defense, the player must stop and wait to be hit while facing the correct direction. For expert players, this means that aside from the reduction of charge time granted by the moon version, the shields are virtually worthless except in certain key situations (such as the boss of the sea level), as it is usually much easier and practical to dodge incoming attacks.
Weapons also have a huge role in gameplay, as they determine not only the speed, trajectory, amount, and damage of Arthur's attacks, but also the specific "magic attack" that can be charged and unleashed with the possession of the golden armor. As with armor, weapons can be found in various hidden treasure chests throughout the game, and can additionally appear as a random drop from enemies. All weapons come with unlimited ammo, which is useful as most areas of the game feature unlimited waves of re-spawning monsters. Experienced players will find that all weapons are not created equal, and while some are generally good all the time (such as the dagger or its magical iteration), others are at best unwieldy and at worst practically unusable, depending on the situation. However, balancing that to some degree is the fact that some of the better charged magic attacks are linked to the more unpopular weapons, making them a viable alternative assuming the player has the golden armor.
Another key feature of Super Ghouls and Ghosts is the infamous "Double Jump", which allows Arthur to leap into the air, and then leap again. The unique feature that makes this double jump different from its more common iterations is the fact the the player has no direct control of Arthur's movement once in the air. The second jump can change direction, but that is the only control players have. This adds greatly to the difficulty and challenge of the game, as it essentially affords no second chances or last minute adjustments. While aggravating to many novice players who view it strictly as a frustrating control flaw, more experienced players and fans of the game find the quirk to be an enjoyable, challenging layer to the gameplay that can be overcome and even exploited with practice.
Lastly, a system of hidden treasure chests add a unique twist to the game. Arthur is dependent on these chests for all his armor needs (weapons can be picked up from chests or enemies), and as the upgraded armors in turn provide the most powerful weapons and magic, finding the hidden chests becomes very important survival. The unique aspect of the treasure chest system is that they are hidden and can only be accessed by moving through certain specific areas of the screen, which causes them to appear. This can make discovering the chests a challenge, as frequently the key to making a chest appear involves a unnecessarily reckless and difficult leap or movement through a dangerous area that might otherwise be completely avoided. Additionally, chests can be unearthed using the charge magic of the crossbow, which, instead of dealing damage to enemies, causes any hidden chests on the current screen to reveal themselves.
The treasure chests, when opened, may contain one of seven weapons: a lance, a dagger, a crossbow, a flame, a scythe, an axe, or a tri-blade. However, they may also contain a bear trap or an evil magician who, if the energy ball he releases hits Arthur, can turn him into either a baby (no armor), a seal (Steel Armor), a hornet (Bronze Armor), or a female peasant (Golden Armor), for five seconds.
Sticking with tradition, players have to beat Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts twice in a row, the second time with a special weapon (The Goddess' Bracelet, which only appears on a second playthrough), before being treated to the true ending. At the true ending the evil boss Sardius is confronted, resembling a huge humanoid in golden armor. Sardius fires laser projectiles in an 8 way direction, and is frustratingly difficult for even the most skilled players.
The game was featured often on the popular Nickelodeon game show Nick Arcade, in the Video Challenge portion of the show. Unfortunately, this game was not a judicious choice for contestants, due to certain technicalities in the game.
[edit] Censorship
The crosses in the game were modified from the Japanese version, where they resemble church crosses, but in the international versions, they were modified into the Ankh symbol.[3] The final boss was also renamed from Samael to Sardius.
[edit] Ports
The PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions are found on the Capcom Generation Vol. 2 arcade compilation. Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox versions are included on the Capcom Classics Collection and PlayStation Portable version are also included on the Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded.
While these versions are strictly ports, the Game Boy Advance version has an "Arrange" Mode. This new Arrange Mode includes a new map that enables the player to pick from redesigned levels and bosses taken from Ghosts 'n Goblins and Ghouls 'n Ghosts, based on their success in keeping the bronze armor, or a higher difficulty tier of the standard level set upon keeping the golden armor. also, in the arrange mode, the golden bracelet weapon required to beat the game can be obtained on the first playthrough.
The SNES version of the game was released on the Virtual Console on March 5, 2007 in North America.
[edit] References
- ^ Listed as one of the hardest games ever
- ^ Review citing game difficulty
- ^ Game Trivia for Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts
[edit] External links
- Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts at MobyGames
- The Ghosts'n Goblins Series Online
- Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts SNES review from Mean Machines Archive
- Chohmakaimura (Super Famicom) at Video Game Den
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