By ZZZ
Of course they are plenty of masterpiece caliber games with absolutely obscene difficulty levels. Robotron, for example, is not only difficult, it's impossible. Yet it remains easily among the greatest video games ever made. Arcade-style games like Robotron or Pac-Man present the entirety of their gameplay at the very beginning, so players of all skill levels can experience everything the game has to offer. Whether arcade-style or linear, what makes any great-yet-nigh-impossible game work, and is also tragically absent from video games in general these days, is guaranteed reward. Anybody should be able to enjoy any video game regardless of how much effort and/or time they put into it. Anything that gets in the way of that is simply dogmatic design philosophy. It needs to be designed in such a way, and executed at such a level, that its difficulty becomes irrelevant and you enjoy the game even while failing miserably.
To demonstrate this point, take a look at Capcom's "Ghosts 'n Goblins" series. It stars a knight named Arthur who always has to rescue his girlfriend, and perpetual kidnapping victim, Princess Prin-Prin from various monsters. The GnG series today is immediately associated with its astronomical difficulty level. Like to the point where they are rightly remembered as being more or less impossible. Relatively few who have played them have ever advanced beyond even the first level, yet amazingly they were relatively popular back in their day and have been able to retain a huge cult following since. So how do games that most people can't never get anywhere in keep people coming back? That's where that whole "guaranteed reward" thing comes in. Its fantastic level designs and weapon systems wouldn't matter at all if its difficulty overwhelmed them. So, by pushing it to the point where it becomes, for all intents and purposes, completely impossible, you accept failure - you accept Arthur's death - as an inevitability. As a result, its difficulty becomes irrelevant and you can focus purely on the joy of simply playing the game. In fact, its challenge level actually works in its favor. By always keeping Arthur on the verge of death, the games gain a level of intensity and urgency that few, if any, other platformers replicate. So they're sort of like the platformer equivalent of Robotron in that respect.
Among the series' many monsters is a gargoyle named Red Arremer, who was popular enough with fans to star in three spin-off games called "Gargoyle's Quest". The series has even inspired a GnG themed entry in the Incredible Machine series, and a series of two "spiritual sequels" called "Maximo". The development teams for four of the five GnG games and all three GQ games were lead by Tokuro Fujiwara. Tokuro Fujiwara was also the chief designer for each NES and SNES installment in Mega Man (at least the games that got released in America), so that should be indication as to the level of skill at designing action-platformers that was behind the series.
Ghosts 'n Goblins (Arcade)
Ghosts 'n Goblins / Makaimura - Arcade / NES / Commodore 64 / Amiga / ZX Spectrum / Amstrad CPC / PC / Atari ST /
Ghosts 'n Goblins begins with our hero, Arthur, having a picnic with his girlfriend, Princess Prin-Prin, in a graveyard in the middle of the night in nothing but his boxers (bad idea). I guess nobody told them to stay out of video game graveyards, because they all have monsters and zombies and crap, and this graveyard isn't an exception. So a big winged demon named Goblin King appears out of nowhere, kidnaps Princess Prin-Prin, and teleports away to wherever. Arthur, of course, is not going to put up with this crap, so he dons his suit of armor (why in the hell wasn't he wearing this to begin with!?) and goes after her, Mario-style.
I doubt that Arthur could have ever guessed that his attempt to save her would land him in the most difficult platformer game ever made. If you haven't played GnG before, I assure you that's not an exaggeration. The first level is REALLY difficult, especially for a beginner, and many people never make it to even the second level. In later levels the difficulty becomes so extreme as to make it, for all intents as purposes, IMPOSSIBLE. Excluding all of you video game playing robots who can beat Battletoads in your sleep, nobody should expect to make any real progress in GnG, because it is NOT going to happen. Ever. GnG is widely considered to be among the most difficult games ever made in any genre, and it has gained an even higher level of infamy due to the game forcing you to replay the last two levels at a higher difficulty level after you beat the game and then beat the final boss with the lowest powered and rarest weapon in the game (!*!%!#@#). Needless to say, Princess Prin-Prin is screwed. As if it wasn't challenging enough, having to beat it twice is extremely frustrating, and couldn't possibly have been intended to do anything other than make an already impossible game even more comedically difficult.
To get you through (not likely) all this craziness are several weapons that can be acquired during play. You begin each game with a lance that takes a straight path across the screen and can have up to two of them on screen at once. There is also a dagger that works pretty much exactly like the lance except that it moves faster, so it's the better of the two weapons. There's a torch that travels with an arc and explodes into a burst of flame after it makes contact with the ground. These are not exactly great for rapid-fire as a result, but they're surprisingly effective against Red Arremer. There is also an axe that keeps going after hitting enemies and travels with an arc like the torch. The last weapon is a shield. Besides throwing it, you can block enemy fire with it, and it's the only weapon that's effective against the final boss. It's also possible to find a suit of armor if you aren't wearing any, and your suit of armor will be replaced after beating a level if you finish any without it.
This particular installment in this series looks great, and has music that's nearly as fantastic as any of its sequels. Like Castlevania, its thematics are very loosely based on European monster mythology, but, as opposed to Castlevania, it takes more of a light hearted approach. Every composition is PERFECT for the tone of the game - spooky without being too dirge-like, exactly like its graphics. Every character has a chibi-ish look that renders even its most gruesome zombies and demons with a look that's more cute than it is creepy. It also introduced fan-favorite Red Arremer. In the GnG series, Red Arremer is also the most challenging villain to deal with in each game, excluding later bosses. Arthur himself is a very memorable character - it's difficult to forget a fiery-haired knight who spends most of the game hauling tail away from zombies in nothing but his boxer shorts. He also has what is easily the most memorable death animation in a video game ever, where he explodes into a heap of bones. Oh, and lastly, try ducking and shooting any tombstone in the first section of the game twenty times. This will cause a weird looking guy to appear and temporarily turn Arthur into a frog.
Whether in spite of or because of its hilariously over the top level of challenge, Ghosts 'n Goblins was pretty popular in the arcade. So Capcom, being as cash-in happy as they are, released a crapload of ports. The ports for ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC are intolerable inaccurate crapola. A Commodore 64 port was released that plays pretty well, but only has the first four levels, with the third and fourth in reverse order, and where you begin with five lives. This version has original music that's fairly popular among C64 fans, and was composed by Mark Cooksey. The port for Amiga is almost arcade perfect, but it lacks music, you begin with six lives, and the hit detection is iffy. The port for Atari ST is pretty good, but it lacks the last two levels.
GnG was also ported to the PC with disastrous results. Its music and graphics are total shit, but whats worse is that the gameplay has been completely slaughtered as well. Rather than the screen actually moving with Arthur, it instantly changes when you reach the end of it. The worst thing about this is that there could be anything at the beginning of the next screen, so if you haven't memorized that section than you could end up falling in a pit or something. Making it even WORSE is that enemies are not initially on the screen when you get there. Instead they appear out of nowhere in predetermined locations. Meaning if you are standing in a spot where enemies can appear at the wrong time than you'll get killed. For absolutely no good reason whatsoever, certain sections of levels will repeat themselves. So it will appear that you have just walked back into the exact same screen. Sometimes this even happens twice. The collision detection couldn't be any worse, and you'll find yourself falling right through platforms. The difficulty is way to easy in certain sections because it is sometimes possible to just walk through a screen before any enemies appear and they can't follow you from screen to screen. The laziness that went into this port is further exemplified by the fact that they didn't even bother to draw to different sprites for weapons, so weapons will always face the same direction regardless of which direction they are thrown. This is about as poor a conversion as possible, and is not worth you time even as a curiosity.
The port that was released for NES is actually how most people have played this game. This version is accurate, gameplay-wise, but has modified graphics and music for the hardware. It also has fantastically horrible translations, especially in the ending. Best of all, it has a level select cheat code (I couldn't find it, sorry). Years later a port was released for Gameboy Color that has its presentation modified for the hardware, but is otherwise among the best platformers for the console. A few years later a port was released for the Gameboy Advance that is based on the version for NES, and is accurate to its source. Years later, arcade perfect version were released for Saturn and PlayStation as part of the compilation "Capcom Generations Vol.2", and for PlayStation 2 and XBOX as part of the compilation "Capcom Classics Collection".
MP3s
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Comparison Screenshots
Ghouls 'n Ghosts / Daimakaimura Arcade / Genesis / Supergrafx / Sega Master System / Commodore 64 / Amstrad CPC / Amiga /
Maybe Arthur figured that saving Princess Prin-Prin was going to be easy this time (not likely). If you assumed that Capcom wasn't going to pull that same bullcrap they did last time, well then you are in for a spirit-destroying disappointment. Ghouls 'n Ghosts is easily the second most difficult platformer ever made, exceeded only by its prequel. You still have to find an ultimate weapon to beat the final boss a second time, but this time you have to beat the ENTIRE GAME TWICE (!!!). I hope you have a sense of humor, because otherwise that might be a bit much. Overall, it's just slightly easier than the first game, but it actually has the more difficult first level of the two, so making any real advancement at all is nigh-impossible. There are slightly more enemies on screen at any given time and they frequently get pretty big, even in the first level. It can be a bit overwhelming to have more foes and obstacles than you could possibly deal with coming at you from all sides for so much of the game, so don't hesitate to avoid enemies entirely and run like crazy instead (A good strategy for the entire series, actually).
Having been made in 1988, when platformers were by far the most popular genre of video games, platforming is more developed and factors more prominently into the gameplay of Ghouls 'n Ghosts than it did with its prequel. Ghouls 'n Ghosts controls identically to its predecessor, except that you can attack directly upward and, while airborne, directly downward. Your arsenal has been greatly expanded via a few minor changes. Each standard weapon from the original game is still available, but the ultimate weapon that you beat the final boss with is different. There are also two original weapons - a spiked discus that hugs the dirt, and a sword that can't be thrown and is only good for attacking at close range. What really makes Ghouls 'n Ghosts' weapon system so exceptional is a gold suit of armor that Arthur can find when he is wearing his standard armor. Gold armor gives Arthur the ability to charge up his weapon for a high powered attack that's completely different from any of his standard shots and varies depending on which weapon he currently has. Weapons and armor are more plentiful, and there are even hidden treasure chests scattered practically EVERYWHERE throughout the game that contain them.
Ghouls 'n Ghosts' presentation exceeds that of its prequel, and was arguably the best looking platformer ever made at that point (In my opinion its designs were rivaled in the genre only by Castlevania as of its release). It has the same basic creepy/cute look as the original, but the details are what really make it better. While its predecessor's backgrounds are a bit static, Ghouls 'n Ghosts gives its backgrounds and foregrounds plenty of animations, like lightning or rain in the first level. The backgrounds themselves look fantastic and are even more light-hearted-ly morbid, with plenty of skeletons and corpses throughout the game. You can't change Arthur into a frog anymore, but there is a wizard that pops out of treasure chests that will change Arthur into a duck (if he's wearing armor) or an elderly man with a cane (if he's just in his boxers). It also has great music composed by Tamayo Kawamoto.
Ghouls 'n Ghosts originated in the arcades, but most people have only played the Genesis port. This version is identical, gameplay-wise, but has the necessary modifications made for the hardware. It has been made the slightest bit easier by giving it more continue points, several difficulty settings, and the ability to continue infinite times. It also has a cheat mode where you can slow down the game, play it in Japanese, make Arthur invulnerable (you will be amazed at how difficult the game is even then), or select which level to begin at. Given that the game is essentially impossible without these cheats, this is easily the best version of the game and arguably the best platformer on the console (Yes, it's THAT good!).
A severely modified port was released for Sega Master System. Certain treasure chests have doors that lead to places where you can acquire different weapons or upgrade Arthur's helmet, chestplate, or boots. Boots will make Arthur run faster and jump higher, and chestplates will allow him to take more damage. Helmets give Arthur access to completely original magic spells that are not reliant on which weapon Arthur has. These range from more powerful versions of the charged up weapons from the arcade version, to temporary invulnerability, to a spell that regenerates Arthur's armor. You can only cast these spells a limited amount of times before a MP meter is depleted, but a few of the doors will take you to places where you can replenish you MP or regenerate Arthur's armor. The sword and torch have been removed and a very powerful fireball weapon has been introduced. Other than a few enemies being eliminated, the levels play pretty much identically, except each is divided into three sections - the first and second are divided by where the continue points are, and the third is where the boss is fought. A few of the bosses have had their attack patterns changed as well. Its music is much more faithful than would be expected given the hardware, but its graphics are pretty poor. This port is by far the easiest version of the game (without cheats), and the many changes that have been made are certainly interesting, but it might be a bit too for certain people. Its controls are also not as good as the arcade or Genesis versions, but it's a decent enough port.
The versions for Commodore 64, Atari ST, and Amiga have music by Tim Follin. The Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum versions are pure crap in every respect. Arcade perfect versions have been released for Saturn and Playstation as part of the compilation "Capcom Generations Vol.2", for Playstation 2 and XBOX as part of the compilation "Capcom Classics Collection", and for Playstation Portable as part of the compilation "Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded".
MP3s
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Arcade)
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Arcade)
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Arcade)
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Arcade)
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Arcade)
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Arcade)
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Arcade)
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Arcade)
Comparison Screenshots
Nobody likes a video game to be frustrating, so exceptionally difficult games are often inaccessible to all but the most skilled players. This is especially a problem in more linear games. If the game doesn't consist of anything other than progressing from point A to point B than it can seem pointless to keep playing it if you never get anywhere. So for a game to get away with a nigh-impossible difficulty level it has to be executed at an extraordinarily high level. Remember Battletoads? You probably stopped playing that game after you realized that you were never going to get past the bike race section in level three, right? If the bike race in Battletoads had been the greatest section of any level in any video game ever made than it wouldn't have mattered how difficult it was. Since there wasn't any reason to play it other than to get past it pretty much everybody just gave up.
Gameboy Advance / Gameboy Color / Saturn / Playstation / Playstation 2 / XBOX (1985)
American Cover
Japanese Cover
Ghosts 'n Goblins (Arcade)
Capcom's "Ghosts 'n Goblins" ("Makaimura" in Japan) hit the arcades just nine days after Super Mario Bros. was released for NES. So while it is a platformer, it doesn't really exhibit the more developed platforming elements that SMB standardized (if not invented) and is instead more about just moving right, jumping over obstacles, and fending off hordes of monsters. No level is too long, and each is genuinely different from the rest and divided into two distinctive sections, so gameplay never gets repetitive.
Atari ST / X68000 / Saturn / Playstation / ZX Spectrum / Playstation 2 / XBOX / Playstation Portable (1988)
American Genesis Cover
American Arcade Flyer
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Arcade)
"Ghouls 'n Ghosts" ("Daimakaimura" in Japan) takes place three years after Ghosts 'n Goblins. While Arthur is away from the castle it gets ambushed by winged gargoyles (or whatever) who take Princess Prin-Prin hostage (damnit). You should be able to see where this is going. Even after all that trouble he went through to rescue her last time, Arthur doesn't even momentarily hesitate to come to her rescue again. He's just that nice a guy. As Arthur and Princess Prin-Prin approach each other in front of what I'm assuming are the castle's walls, a laser beam (or something) strikes Princess Prin-Prin and then VAPORISES ARTHUR'S HORSE (!!!). A giant monster appears above and kidnaps Princess Prin-Prin, and Arthur sets out to rescue her. His quest ends at a castle where he has to defeat a HUGE monster seated in an equally immense throne. This particular giant monster can only be shot in its head, but there are no platforms whatsoever to reach it with. So to accomplish this you have to stand directly below his exposed anatomically incorrect crotch area and fire your weapon straight up. No, that doesn't happen, but you aren't the first to have thought of it (horribly NSFW!)
