Gargoyle’s Quest: Ghosts 'n Goblins (GB, 1990)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-8 Control-7.5 Challenge-8 Story-6.5
Level Design-7 Frustration-8.5 Fun-7.5 Originality-7
Overall Score-7.5
+
Play as a demon fighting for rulership of the demon realm
Varied locales
Cool bosses (large and detailed sprites)
Successful blend of RPG and platform action
Some interesting mechanics (flight and wall climbing, create platforms on spiked walls)
Good art direction (Ghouls 'n Ghosts universe)
Password save (short)
Some fixed encounters on the world map (which you can also see)
Buy lives with vials you find (can't buy other equipment)
Metroid/zelda 2 style gameplay (gain new powers from questing (new shots, better flight, platform creation on spikes); mixes world map, town and sidescrolling action segments)
+/-
Somewhat slow paced (can't run in TD view segments)
Hidden items (trial & error?)
-
Strange intro
Poor replay value
Some slowdown
Random encounters with somewhat annoying music
Annoying dialogue sfx
Somewhat slow text speed, somewhat dated town interface (dragon warrior style)
Review:
Gargoyle’s Quest is a gloomy action adventure set in the Ghoul Realm, a place inhabited not by humans but by various monsters. It involves fighting your way through legions of evil creatures and their masters, who go by the name Destroyers, building your strength until you are ready to take on the King of Destruction himself and reclaim what was stolen from you - Your birthright as ruler of the demon realm.
You take on the role of the gargoyle Firebrand, who in the beginning of the game is forced to escape from his burning home town and enter the portal to the Ghoul Realm before the Destroyers manage to close it. Right from the get go you’ll have to master wall climbing, limited flight (you can hover slowly for a few seconds before dropping like a stone) and spitting fire at your enemies. Arriving at the portal you’ll face a giant fish that seems unusually resilient for a first boss. This is the first action stage among several, increasingly large and difficult ones on your way to the villains’ castle. When finished, the game switches from a sidescrolling perspective to that of a standard RPG, and after some traveling through barren lands infested by ghosts you arrive in a small village where you can interact with characters, do some shopping and collect a password before setting out to your next destination, the Gremlin Tower.
Gargoyle’s Quest is the start of a series spanning three games (first two released for GB, second one ported to the NES, third for the SNES), each one quite unique and worthwhile in its own right. The first one is still my favourite in the series because of its dark, fantasy themed soundtrack, the novelty of playing as a monster striving only to accomplish his own goals, and of course my fond memories of playing it as a kid; getting my ass handed to me over and over but sticking with it, finding the secrets, typing down pages of passwords and finally beating the game.
The game is an immersive, rewarding experience that is well worth your time. Especially if you are like me and consider the somewhat rare blend of sidescrolling action with RPG one of the finest forms of gaming.
Comment:
This first game is still my favourite in the series because of its dark, fantasy themed soundtrack, the novelty of playing as a monster striving only to accomplish its own goals, and of course my fond memories of playing it as a kid, getting my ass handed to me over and over but sticking with it, finding the secrets, typing down pages of passwords and finally beating the game. Coming back to it as an older kid, I see some flaws. The game is slow, made slower in parts by slowdown, and the random encounters get tiresome after a while. GQ is still a well crafted alternative to Zelda II, and If like me you consider the sub-genre that mixes sidescrolling action with RPG elements one of the finest forms of gaming, it comes highly recommended.
Level Design-7 Frustration-8.5 Fun-7.5 Originality-7
Overall Score-7.5
+
Play as a demon fighting for rulership of the demon realm
Varied locales
Cool bosses (large and detailed sprites)
Successful blend of RPG and platform action
Some interesting mechanics (flight and wall climbing, create platforms on spiked walls)
Good art direction (Ghouls 'n Ghosts universe)
Password save (short)
Some fixed encounters on the world map (which you can also see)
Buy lives with vials you find (can't buy other equipment)
Metroid/zelda 2 style gameplay (gain new powers from questing (new shots, better flight, platform creation on spikes); mixes world map, town and sidescrolling action segments)
+/-
Somewhat slow paced (can't run in TD view segments)
Hidden items (trial & error?)
-
Strange intro
Poor replay value
Some slowdown
Random encounters with somewhat annoying music
Annoying dialogue sfx
Somewhat slow text speed, somewhat dated town interface (dragon warrior style)
Review:
Gargoyle’s Quest is a gloomy action adventure set in the Ghoul Realm, a place inhabited not by humans but by various monsters. It involves fighting your way through legions of evil creatures and their masters, who go by the name Destroyers, building your strength until you are ready to take on the King of Destruction himself and reclaim what was stolen from you - Your birthright as ruler of the demon realm.
You take on the role of the gargoyle Firebrand, who in the beginning of the game is forced to escape from his burning home town and enter the portal to the Ghoul Realm before the Destroyers manage to close it. Right from the get go you’ll have to master wall climbing, limited flight (you can hover slowly for a few seconds before dropping like a stone) and spitting fire at your enemies. Arriving at the portal you’ll face a giant fish that seems unusually resilient for a first boss. This is the first action stage among several, increasingly large and difficult ones on your way to the villains’ castle. When finished, the game switches from a sidescrolling perspective to that of a standard RPG, and after some traveling through barren lands infested by ghosts you arrive in a small village where you can interact with characters, do some shopping and collect a password before setting out to your next destination, the Gremlin Tower.
Gargoyle’s Quest is the start of a series spanning three games (first two released for GB, second one ported to the NES, third for the SNES), each one quite unique and worthwhile in its own right. The first one is still my favourite in the series because of its dark, fantasy themed soundtrack, the novelty of playing as a monster striving only to accomplish his own goals, and of course my fond memories of playing it as a kid; getting my ass handed to me over and over but sticking with it, finding the secrets, typing down pages of passwords and finally beating the game.
The game is an immersive, rewarding experience that is well worth your time. Especially if you are like me and consider the somewhat rare blend of sidescrolling action with RPG one of the finest forms of gaming.
Comment:
This first game is still my favourite in the series because of its dark, fantasy themed soundtrack, the novelty of playing as a monster striving only to accomplish its own goals, and of course my fond memories of playing it as a kid, getting my ass handed to me over and over but sticking with it, finding the secrets, typing down pages of passwords and finally beating the game. Coming back to it as an older kid, I see some flaws. The game is slow, made slower in parts by slowdown, and the random encounters get tiresome after a while. GQ is still a well crafted alternative to Zelda II, and If like me you consider the sub-genre that mixes sidescrolling action with RPG elements one of the finest forms of gaming, it comes highly recommended.