Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (MD, 1989)
Graphics-8 Sound-7 Control-7 Challenge-8.5
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-9 Fun-8 Originality-7
Overall Score-8
+
Great spooky atmosphere
Varied and intense action
Shoot in 4 directions
Fun weapons and specials (get golden armor for a charge attack)
Unlimited continues (optional)
Awesome victory pose, difficulty options, good bosses overall (large and intimidating; the cloud in stage 3 is an exception), pretty fast paced, memorable set pieces, great art direction
+/-
Respawning enemies
You only have 2 HP
Chests work like solid objects (cheap section in stage 3)
Final boss is easier than the second to final one (considering the hard work needed to get there it's not much of an issue)
Need to finish the game carrying the golden armor to get the right weapon quickly on the second run (first stage)
-
Heavy trial & error (fast flying enemies, floor traps, bosses, platforming section and rising floor in stage 3)
Having to replay (the exact same game) to actually beat it
Unbalanced weapons (get stuck with the torch later on and the game gets a lot harder)
Somewhat primitive control (can't jump onto/off of ladders, can't shoot while climbing a ladder, can't change direction during a jump, no crouching movement, Arthur falls straight down when walking off a ledge)
Weapon drops are somewhat random and you need to go far back in the stage to make an unwanted weapon disappear (sometimes they drop where you can't dodge them)
The soundtrack doesn't make full use of the hardware (no PSG or DAC, some grating instruments), some annoying sound effects
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-9 Fun-8 Originality-7
Overall Score-8
+
Great spooky atmosphere
Varied and intense action
Shoot in 4 directions
Fun weapons and specials (get golden armor for a charge attack)
Unlimited continues (optional)
Awesome victory pose, difficulty options, good bosses overall (large and intimidating; the cloud in stage 3 is an exception), pretty fast paced, memorable set pieces, great art direction
+/-
Respawning enemies
You only have 2 HP
Chests work like solid objects (cheap section in stage 3)
Final boss is easier than the second to final one (considering the hard work needed to get there it's not much of an issue)
Need to finish the game carrying the golden armor to get the right weapon quickly on the second run (first stage)
-
Heavy trial & error (fast flying enemies, floor traps, bosses, platforming section and rising floor in stage 3)
Having to replay (the exact same game) to actually beat it
Unbalanced weapons (get stuck with the torch later on and the game gets a lot harder)
Somewhat primitive control (can't jump onto/off of ladders, can't shoot while climbing a ladder, can't change direction during a jump, no crouching movement, Arthur falls straight down when walking off a ledge)
Weapon drops are somewhat random and you need to go far back in the stage to make an unwanted weapon disappear (sometimes they drop where you can't dodge them)
The soundtrack doesn't make full use of the hardware (no PSG or DAC, some grating instruments), some annoying sound effects
