Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first mistake is treating Arthur like a hero who can absorb a few knocks. One hit takes his armor away. The next costs a life. You spend much of Ghosts ‘n Goblins watching the space immediately in front of him, throwing weapons at approaching enemies while deciding whether there is enough room to jump.

That little calculation makes the opening graveyard wonderfully tense. You can clear one threat and still be caught by something approaching from the other side. Stopping to fire feels sensible until an enemy closes the gap; rushing ahead can leave you airborne with nowhere pleasant to land. Moving platforms, ladders, and water introduce more ways for a promising run to come apart.

Weapons change how comfortably you can hold your ground. A straight shot gives you a different rhythm from a projectile that arcs or lands nearby, and picking up something unfamiliar can make an already dangerous stretch feel worse. The appeal is in finding a dependable approach and making it a little farther. The frustration is having to repeat the approach after another small mistake.

The NES game asks a great deal of you almost immediately. A player looking for a gentle evening of platforming will probably find that exhausting. If you enjoy rehearsing a short section until the enemies stop surprising you, however, even clearing the first stage can feel like a proper accomplishment.

Graphics

The forest has a lovely, nasty storybook look. Bare orange-brown trees stand against a black sky, bright green banks hang over blue water, and pale enemies are easy to spot among the branches. Arthur is a small figure in all this gloom, which makes his journey feel rather less heroic than the box illustration promises.

The first boss encounter trades the dark forest for a green cliff and a closed gray doorway. The large horned creature makes a suitably ugly obstacle, but the coarse background patterns and abrupt blocks of color are unmistakably NES. The pictures have personality without disguising how spare some of the scenery is.

Story

Arthur’s sweetheart is carried away, and the rescue takes him into a landscape full of creatures that would rather he stayed home. There is very little ceremony before the danger begins. A knight, a kidnapping, and a thoroughly unwelcoming route are enough to get the game moving.

The best joke is Arthur himself. His imposing suit of armor disappears after a hit, leaving him to continue the rescue in his underwear. It is a wonderfully undignified sight, especially when the surroundings are trying so hard to look frightening.

Do not expect a long procession of conversations or character scenes. The adventure is told largely through the places you fight through and the enemies blocking the way. The simple rescue story suits a game in which surviving the next few steps occupies most of your attention.

Overall Experience

Ghosts ‘n Goblins is easy to admire and much harder to relax with. Its monsters, vulnerable hero, and bright patches of color against the dark scenery give it a strong personality. There is a real pleasure in reaching a section that previously seemed impossible and finding that you now know what to do.

The repeated failures can also wear that pleasure down. There are evenings when learning another enemy’s approach is satisfying and evenings when losing your armor again is simply irritating. This is worth remembering before treating its reputation for difficulty as an automatic recommendation.

For NES players who like their platformers demanding and a little mean, Arthur’s first adventure remains worth a look. Start with the expectation that progress may come in small pieces. The sight of that knight pressing on in his underwear is funny; being the person responsible for keeping him alive is considerably more stressful. The original NES instruction booklet is useful if you want to check the controls and weapon descriptions before setting out.

Retro Replay Score

7/10