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Developed and published by Capcom in 1985

Foreword: I intended for this to be a Halloween-related video but the built-in video recorder kept corrupting the output so it took me longer than expected to upload. Be sure to watch in HD at 60 fps!

Originally released in 1985, Ghosts 'n Goblins clearly demonstrates that the arcade was the place to be if you wanted to experience the latest in cutting edge graphics and gameplay. The game features stunning graphics, animation and audio for it's time and possesses a sense of flair and style that distinguished the game from it's counterparts.

The games story begins with Sir Arthur, the bold and valiant knight , enjoying some quality time with his beloved Princess Prin Prin. Arthur clearly thinks he's about to get to second base as he's just stripped down to his underwear when the evil Satan, king of the underworld, appears and whisks Prin Prin away to some demonic fortress. Arthur quickly dons his armour and sets off on hot pursuit.

The game itself is a scrolling platform game/shooter that is renowned for it's difficulty. Arthur must defeat numerous horror-themed enemies including zombies, bats and all manner of phantasmic ghoulies.

Arthur is protected from harm by his suit of plate armour. However, touching an enemy or being hit by a projectile results in the armour shattering, leaving the knight naked apart from his underpants; a subsequent hit results in death and the loss of a life.

As befitting a knight of the realm, Arthur begins his quest armed with a lance that can be hurled at enemies. The lance is a balanced weapon with decent range, power and will see you through most of the game. Other weapons can be found by killing enemies carrying large earthenware pots; the dagger is one of the better weapons whilst the torch is next to useless and will more than likely get you killed due to it's limited range and fire arc. A shield can also be found on later levels, but more on that later...

While the game starts out relatively easy, the difficulty curve spikes considerably when you encounter your first "Red Arremer".

The Arremer is a red flying demon that exhibits one of the most frustrating and almost random attack patterns you will encounter. Not only does it try to dive-bomb Arthur, it also shoots projectiles which makes it even tougher to defeat. It's clear that, by this point, you're going to need a lot of coins to beat this game.

Each level culminates with a boss fight that must be defeated to reach the next level. The bosses range from giant Cyclops to flying dragons and require quick reflexes and much button-mashing to defeat. Once downed, a key appears (accompanied by some text informing the player to "take a key for coming in") that unlocks the next level

It isn't until level 6 that it becomes clear that the game reveals just how hard and unforgiving the developers made the game. The level is bone-crushingly hard and, should you make it past the waves of monsters and the pair of Cyclops, you're reward is a showdown against a pair of Satan demons! However, unless you are armed with the shield, the game pops up a screen and states (in broken English) that your weapon is ineffective and then sends you back to the beginning of level 5 in search of a shield.

So, assuming that you have both a sack of unlimited money, time and patience and you manage to find a shield, beat levels 5 and 6 for a second time, you will then face a further boss fight against Astaroth, a giant demon wearing a red robe, curly-toed boots and possessing a massive pair of eyes and mouth in his chest that can spit fireballs.

Considering that it's highly likely that the game has already sucker-punched you once over the shield, the developers deliver the knock-out blow by proclaiming that, upon defeating Astaroth, that the room was nothing more than an illusion and that you must now defeat the game a second time if you actually want to see the proper ending!

I don't know about you, but I can't imagine that many people would have had the time or money to invest to even have a remote chance of beating the game a first time, let alone a second. It's true enough that these games were designed to lure gamers into pumping money into the slot, but GnG seems unnecessarily brutal, even when compared with other coin-op games.

Should you somehow have have the necessary skills and patience to beat the game a second time, you are greeted to a final screen where Arthur finally rescues his beloved Prin Prin and is greeted by some classic gaming "Engrish":

This game is happy end!

Being the wise and courageous knight that you are, you feel strongth (sic) welling inside your body.

It looks like Arthur might reach second base after all...
#retrogaming

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