The gameplay for Ghouls 'n Ghosts is similar to that of Ghosts 'n Goblins. The player controls the knight Arthur, who must advance through a series of eerie levels and defeat a number of undead and demonic creatures in his quest to restore the souls stolen by Lucifer (Loki in the English-language Mega Drive and Sega Master System versions), including the soul of his lover, Princess Prin Prin. Along the way, Arthur can pick up a variety of weapons and armor to help him in his quest. While the core gameplay remains the same as its predecessor, the game now allows Arthur to fire directly upward and directly downward while in mid air. By jumping in certain spots, players can cause a treasure chest to erupt from the ground. By firing his weapon at the chest, players may uncover new weapons, gold armor or an evil magician that changes Arthur into an elderly man or a helpless duck. The gold armor allows players to charge up the weapon to release a powerful magical attack. Each weapon has its own special attack. There are five levels and Lucifer's chamber at the end, considered a sixth level in itself. To defeat the game, Arthur must complete level 1 to 5 twice. Upon completing level's 1 to 5 the first time, Arthur is taken back to level 1 again but this time a special weapon appears during the game. To enter Lucifer's chamber the player must have this special weapon equipped and defeat the penultimate boss.
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Character
Plot-driven, resolved, classical in form and unpretentious.
- character-ledplot-driven
- resolvedopen-ended
- classical in formformally daring
- unpretentiousprestige
- earnestironic
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“Is the nostalgia doing the heavy lifting?”
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“Is this Capcom's best work?”
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About the game
- Platforms
- Arcade, Sharp X68000, Atari ST/STE, Amiga
- Developer
- Capcom, Capcom
- Publisher
- Capcom, U.S. Gold
- Released
- December 1, 1988
- Modes
- Single player
- Perspective
- Side view
IGDB rating 8.1/10 from 75 ratings.
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Curator Co. Other media included when they land close.
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Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins 200677% alikeBoth plot-driven, unpretentious, resolved.
Ninja Gaiden 198877% alikeBoth plot-driven, unpretentious, earnest.
Samurai Shodown II 199477% alikeBoth plot-driven, classical in form, resolved.
Film · Both classical in form, plot-driven, unpretentious.
Where Eagles Dare 196859% alikeFilm · Both plot-driven, classical in form.
Often played with
Similar games per IGDB. Opening one adds it to Curator Co.











