Ghosts 'N Goblins Resurrection - Review

From the punishing games of Ghosts’ N Goblin and Ghouls’ N Ghosts, comes the latest iteration of this series, Ghosts’ N Goblins Resurrection! It’s tough not to write and compare, this review in such a personal manner due to nostalgic and childhood memories of playing Arthur through this side scrolling run and gun platformer. So please give me some grace if this review comes across a little too emotional be it positive or negative.

First off, when Nintendo announced they were releasing Ghosts’ N Goblins Resurrection, I jumped for joy in excitement due to the thought of my childhood games, and finally being able to replay this as an adult. The first thought that popped into mind was, “YES! Now that I’m an adult with more coordination, I can finally play and beat this game!”. Well… that couldn’t be further from the truth. My memories playing a Knight named Arthur while struggling to kill and keep up with the undead from the graveyard in the late 80s is exactly the same 30+ years later. This game is so brutal and harsh that the 40-year-old me cannot seem to get past the very first part of the game. Yes, this is something that has completely destroyed my ego as a gaming enthusiast. And just to be clear, we’re not talking about getting past the first ‘zone’.

We’re talking about the VERY first part. Ghosts’ N Goblins Resurrection is true to its predecessors in that they’re a very difficult game with no compromises. This could also be due to the fact that they’ve kept the controls as close to the originals, meaning only a 4-way directional shot (no diagonal shooting), moving left and right at a very slow speed, and the jump mechanics are as stiff as it was in the 80s, meaning you can’t press jump, then move in the direction you want as the character’s foot has left the ground. The input needs to be from the get go. So, Capcom has absolutely left the controls the same as it was created back in the day.

Speaking of honouring its narrative, I feel that Capcom had a huge opportunity to elaborate to the visuals it was playing. They could have included a little more but is as vague as it is in the originals. That said, there’s honestly not much to it as it’s animation opening clearly shows what’s happening. And doing a quick look on Nintendo’s website clearly states the following, which is what you would have expected:

“In a far-off land our tale begins, its beauty matched by none. The knight, Arthur, and the princess there, bathed in midday sun. ...but suddenly something's amiss, the town is up in flames, a cloud of darkness does emerge, the palace it does claim...”

And just the same as its predecessors and being the protagonist known as ‘Arthur’, your mission is to rescue the princess and save the land from the invading evil.

As expected for an updated version of an 80s game, the visual and design of Resurrection has been updated while still keeping its movements, reminiscent of paper craft and shadow puppet animation. In complementary to its updated look, Resurrection has modernised its music score as well as sound effects. This is not to say that they’ve completely changed it, but definitely had an overhaul to a more modern sound, which will leave original fans still basking in nostalgia. To add extra options and settings have had an update as well, such as adding in a difficulty setting prior to starting your game. There are 4 different levels, being Legend, Knight Squire and Page, which you can easily tell difficulty from least to most. I’m still yet to make it easier from Knight as the originals had no options to choose from memory. But if this game is as punishing as it is, I might be forced to downgrade one step to Squire, which can be done as an option if you die multiple times and wanted to restart the level, at a lower difficulty.

The second last major in-game update I wanted to mention apart from lowering difficulty is the option to choose the level you start with. Again, I might be trying to remember from the nostalgic Kool-Aid, but the originals never had an option, in which you started off at the Graveyard. Whereas Ghosts’ N Goblins Resurrection gives players the option to start their zone 1 either at the Graveyard or Execution Grounds. However, this doesn’t change the ridiculous difficulty of the game itself as both areas are just as difficult as each other.

Lastly, the biggest notable in-game inclusion/update is the ability to play co-op. Yup! You read that right. You have the option to have a friend help Arthur traverse through the game. However, be mindful of who you ask to play this game with you as it really does require a lot of coordination. As said previously, the 40-year-old supposedly ‘coordinated’ me is still struggling with this game 30+ years later.

Overall, if you’re a fan of the original or something a little more modern like Cuphead and you enjoy a serious challenge, you won’t be disappointed. Just be mindful as to how difficult this game has kept itself, which is true to its predecessors. Yes, the limitations of the controls are by design to limit player’s movements while sending a horde of undead, crows, knights, ghosts, wizards and more your way. If you’re after a challenge, and love the nostalgic feeling of 80s and 90s games, this is one you definitely don’t want to miss.

The Score

7.0

Review code provided by Capcom

The Pros

+Kept true to its predecessors

+The in-game updates are a welcome, especially co-op

The Cons

-The limitations in movement controls can be frustrating

-Difficulty of the game might put people off