Once into the first stage of Ultimate Ghosts'n Goblins, a remix of the franchise's classic theme begins rolling along to the action. Even if the game play was off, this initial theme is orchestrated well enough to bring a tear to any retro gamers eye. As in the Goblin's series typical ways however, crying only adds another aspect to the game that could kill you.
Uncompromising in its difficulty, this fully new entry revives Sir Arthur in his battle against the undead. After all the quests, all the kidnapped people, and all the zombies slaughtered, Arthur still hasn't learned how his static jump has led to so many countless unneeded deaths. This one game play mechanic is the soul of the series.
It's easy to write it off as bad design when tossing your PSP through a wall after falling to your death in stage four 18 times in a row. When jumping used properly, it's sheer gaming beauty. It requires intimate knowledge, pinpoint accuracy, and sharp senses to pull through any of these stages. To flinch even slightly on the design side would be a disgrace to the fondly remembered titles that inspired this modern classic.
Fans will undoubtedly feel at home. Not a single reference has been left out. In the first stage alone, you'll fall victim to shifting landscapes, sorcerers turning Arthur into one of many alternate (and weak) identities, new armor, wild weapons, and hidden treasure chests. The game's purely 2-D gameplay makes deep exploration possible, but only for those skilled enough to pull it off. Hidden items here seemed to be placed by the Satan of game design himself, and when you find out some are required to advance later, you can only shake your head as you realize Capcom has done it again. You're never allowed to see it all in one play through.
Article comments
1 - Ken Edwards
The graphics are absolutely stunning. So are the deaths!