Bringing an arcade-era favourite back is not always straightforward. For every Streets of Rage 4, there is a Battletoads. The former, a reverent homage that acknowledged the passing of time and the changing of tastes. The latter, a stilted cocktail of half-baked mechanics with a naked contempt for its subject matter and its fans. Thankfully, Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection successfully navigates most of the common problems faced when tackling an arcade-style comeback.
And it does so by transplanting a lot of the original game’s charm in an uncompromised fashion with Capcom choosing to add some mod cons to the game instead of alter the fundamentals.
Back to Basics
Players take the role of Arthur, a knight who sees his girlfriend kidnapped by demons. To rescue his belle, Arthur must travel though the Demon Realm. It was 1985 and that was good enough back then.
Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection features the same core controls as its original title. Arthur is slow while his jumps are deliberate and quite limited. Arthur also stops to fire his main weapon leaving him vulnerable while doing so. Levels are constructed in such a fashion that pixel-perfect jumping and ducking is often demanded from the player. As an old-school arcade platformer, knockback is severe with Arthur often careening to his death after a stern tap from his many foes.
Similarly, each of the eight weapons comes with major strengths and weakness. A player can be completely screwed if they pass a checkpoint with the wrong tool for the job. On one level, the player will see mosquitoes line up on the left of the screen in preparation for a screen-wiping attack but I was lumbered with the short-range potion. Subsequently I couldn’t hit enough of the bugs and took damage at every pass.
Enemy spam is unrelenting. Their patterns are often complementary with enemies seemingly colluding for the sake of hurting a player’s progress (and pride). The range of environmental hazards and the manner in which platforming tests Arthur’s movement to the limit add another layer of challenge to an already brutal game.
Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection is a punishing affair – like it should be.
Art Style
One defining aspect of the original title that hasn’t made the transition is its pixelised graphics. However, Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection replaces that style with something related and somewhat unique. The levels, enemies and Arthur himself are drawn like the cartoon banners of the machines themselves. Those fantastical hand-drawn, hand-coloured elements fired the imagination of a potential coin-mine as they walked by. The in-game art is supported by the scrolling picture book-style of the game’s cutscenes and transitions.
The environments instantly evoke their 1985 counterparts. Even hose too young to have experienced the cruelty of the arcade version will recognise that first Graveyard stage. Being a little too young myself, I can only imagine the shivers it must send up the spines of those who sank months of pocket money into Capcom’s machine back in the day.
Accepts Change
Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection offers some relief to less experienced players. There are four levels of difficulty with the lowest, Page, still offering more challenge than most games made within the last thirty years.
When playing on other settings, the game will offer to temporarily lower the difficulty once a player has perished a few times. On any level, the game will offer encouragement and a tip to finally fell the tricky bosses if you die close to the finish line.
These are about the only concessions made to the challenge of the game. Players cannot change difficulty permanently after starting a game. Any changes to difficulty level are rest once the player has restarted or finished a level.
The other additions add variety to proceedings without overpowering the player. Arthur can carry various charged attacks that are unlocked via an Umbral Tree. These take about three seconds to wind up and faced with frantically respawning spam, this is a few seconds too long. There is a decent variety to the special powers; some add timed shields, some direct powerful attacks around the screen.
Resurrected
Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection takes a franchise too long dormant to excite a huge number of gamers yet treats it with the respect it deserves. Capcom’s careful addition of modifiers like the difficulty settings and the ‘Metronome’ don’t take away from the feeling of accomplishment that comes from a challenge like GnG.
Those pining for something different to the 60-hour cakewalks games have become will appreciate Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection as much as nostalgic 40-somethings. The core mechanics and gameplay may feel a little stiff compared to the like of Super Mario. However, Arthur still stand up to today’s thumbs with his precision and predictability.
