GAME CLEAR No. 21 -- Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection

Ghosts ’n Goblins Resurrection (2021, Switch)

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Clear Date: 3/25/2021

It was only a few months ago that I started my GAME CLEAR series. In my second post, I mentioned that I would really enjoy a new Ghosts ’n Goblins game, but I didn’t think it was terribly likely. Yet here we are! Capcom saw fit to bring Arthur back for another entry some 35 years after his debut, and they even brought series creator Tokuro Fujiwara back to direct. Frankly, that’s as cool as anything Nintendo did for Mario’s 35th.

Most of my GAME CLEAR posts have been brief, stream-of-consciousness reviews serving mostly as a gaming diary for my own reflection. I’m gonna try a little harder with this one because of how excited I was for this game to exist and how pleased I am with the result.

So, with that…

Ghosts ’n Goblins Resurrection: A Review

Something I want to clear up right away is that Ghosts ’n Goblins Resurrection is not a remake, it is a sequel, something its name belies. For those unfamiliar with the series entirely, Resurrection and its predecessors are a series of run and gun platformers that follow Sir Arthur as he fights various hellspawn to save his romantic interest, Princess Prin Prin. Series hallmarks include brutal difficulty, Arthur’s meager two-hit durability, and requiring players to clear the game twice to get the true ending. While Resurrection borrows certain music, enemies, and themes from its predecessors, it is nevertheless a new game with all-new levels. It’s a bit like the Star Fox and Super Mario series in that regard. All the games follow similar beats, but they are sequels nevertheless.

And Ghosts ’n Goblins Resurrection benefits from being a true sequel and product of modern design philosophies. Resurrection is still brutally difficult, but there are a number of concessions that mitigate this considerably. First and most obvious is the inclusion of difficulty levels. Previous games sometimes had these as well, but they generally ranged from insane to diabolical. The knob started at eleven. With Resurrection, lower difficulties such as Squire and Knight are still stout challenges, but they reduce the difficulty and enemy counts of certain encounters allow Arthur to take more hits. Just moving those dials a bit can be a big difference. And that’s so great! This is perhaps for people who played this series growing up and just want to revisit a nostalgic property but may not have the patience they once did. Alternatively, it could be an attempt to attract new fans with modes slightly less sadistic than the series is known for. Nevertheless, it is unequivocally good, and I’m glad it’s there.

Having said that, Legend (max) difficulty is made for series vets like me. I’ll stop short of gatekeeping, but I will say that if two-hits-and-you’re-dead isn’t the point of GnG, it is at least a major part of its spirit to me. There was simply no way I was going to play this game any other way. So bear in mind as you read this review that it is essentially a review of this game as it plays on Legend difficulty.

In terms of mechanics the game remains essentially identical regardless of difficulty. Arthur can jump and throw (shoot, really) whatever weapon he’s currently holding. Among these weapons are javelins, knives, spikeballs, firebombs, and more. Arthur’s jump arcs are committed, and he can only shoot in four directions. It’s all classic stuff, and these mechanics feel as good as ever. Projectiles fly just right and have great auditory feedback on impact. The jump arc is well-tuned. I was originally concerned by the decision to remove the double jump present in more recent GnG entries, but the game was clearly designed in such a way that only one is necessary.

Additionally, Arthur is saved from being too constrained by his strict controls by his all-important magic. The game’s skill tree is called the Umbral Tree, which awards Arthur spells and passive abilities in exchange for Umbral Bees he finds throughout each level. These spells are a real boon, especially when it comes to dealing with hordes of smaller enemies. Several of them can dispatch an entire screen’s worth of smaller enemies instantly, which can afford a life-saving moment of respite. With spells like that and passives such as additional weapon slots and even an RNG shot at respawning after death, Arthur has never been better equipped to take on the Shadowlord’s army.

With that in mind, I will say the game is definitely designed around magic as much as it is around jumping and shooting. This may be a bit irksome to some fans since magic was much less critical in previous entries (and only awarded with special armor), but I think it works and adds another fun, strategic wrinkle to gameplay. Smart cooldown management and smart use of the right spell at the right time can make nightmarish segments of levels downright trivial.

Resurrection’s scant plot starts just like any other game in the series: in the graveyard, where Arthur and the Princess inexplicably like to max and relax. Some demons kidnap the Princess, and Arthur jumps into action. The player is then presented with a level select screen and given the choice of two graveyard levels styled loosely after the first levels of Ghosts ’n Goblins and Ghouls ’n Ghosts respectively. I spent hours on the first level of my choosing. I was having fun, and I was getting better, but it took me four and a half hours to finish the very first level if memory serves. That’s preposterous even by series standards. “Is this what the whole game will be like?” I wondered. It would indeed. In all, it took me seventy (70!) hours to reach the true ending of this action platformer.

Subsequent levels get a little bit harder each time, but the curve is pleasantly steady except for a brutal platforming section in the second half of one of the later levels. Each level introduces unique enemies or gimmicks that test the usual jump and shoot skillset but ensure that the game can never be played on autopilot. The game does an admirable job of staying just shy of impossible. I often found myself staying up far too late wanting to give a level just one more shot. Persistence is rewarded, and getting better feels good.

A couple level concepts that particularly delighted me are in the third and fourth levels. In the third, Arthur starts in a cave with giant candles lit throughout. These do damage and are thus sometimes necessary to put out to pass, but there are also certain enemies that are only visible in the light. At the same time, other enemies are only visible in the darkness. Most candles also relight after just a few seconds, so players must be quick. Playing this balancing act between monitoring light/dark enemies and snuffing the candles you must to continue on your way is challenging and unique. This is the kind of interesting thing that simply was not present in older entries. Meanwhile, the first half of level four takes this enforced mindfulness and cranks it up even more. In this part, all Arthur strictly has to contend with are some sparse bouncing skeletons. However, there are eyes on the walls that are all closed. If a weapon hits or passes by them, a non-random enemy or group of enemies spawns and descends on Arthur, which he must also deal with. Naturally, this increases the chaos factor, making it more likely that Arthur will hit another eye. A friend compared it to a room full of mouse traps, which I thought was perfect. This area demands that the player fire not one errant projectile lest mayhem ensue. I thought it was brilliant.

I could rave about other cool parts of each stage, but I’d like to keep the wordcount here somewhat responsible. My point is that this game really tries new things despite being such a retro product. Gimmicks like the aforementioned are cool and really unlike anything else I’ve seen in other games. I was glad to see Capcom try them with such a classic IP.

While the platforming is the bread and butter, each level also ends with a boss. Unlike previous entries, Arthur gets a checkpoint immediately before the bosses in this game, which allowed the devs to get a little crazier with implementation. Ultimate Ghosts ’n Goblins on PSP had some cool bosses, but Resurrection is on another level. Most of the bosses are recycled from previous games in terms of name and appearance, but the fight mechanics are 100% new. In one stage, Arthur rides on the back of the very dragon he’s fighting. In another, he faces off against Cerberus, who is capable of splitting into his three constituent pups. Every boss has multiple phases, and the game even offers hints to struggling (read: dying) players as to how to tackle each phase. No gimmick is reused, and they provide ample challenge without breaking the player. The only curious thing is that magic is basically a non-factor in boss fights (with the exception of Doppelganger, which temporarily creates a second Arthur that can double the player’s firepower). The key is to find (or create) openings and wail on the boss with weapons rather than spells. It’s a totally fine decision, it’s just a bit strange given the major role magic plays in the platforming sections.

Speaking of weapons, I do want to briefly interject and say that basically every weapon in the game has some use. I wouldn’t sleep on any of them. A couple may really seem like stinkers (especially before Arthur can carry more than one), but I found some moments where even the odd ones came in really clutch. Good on Capcom for making sure of that. Having said that, the classic AVGN advice is still true: Get the knife. It’s a great all-arounder.

Altogether, the game has just five levels before it shows the credits (or seven, counting both choices at the two branching paths). That makes it a fairly brisk game even if you play on Legend and take nearly five hours per level like I did. However, the credits end with a question mark and show the GnG world engulfed in darkness. Indeed, in series tradition, one pass is simply not really beating it (otherwise this GAME CLEAR post would’ve come out considerably earlier). In order to truly save the Priness, Arthur must do it all again, and this time he has “Shadow” levels to contend with. These levels are considerably more difficult than their originals but are at least skeletally the same. They tend to throw in enemies or gimmicks from later levels and are generally pretty well done. It’s a nice balance that ensures you can’t cruise through this second lap like previous entries, but knowledge of the first iteration of the level isn’t totally unrewarded either. I enjoyed this new approach. Another requirement must also be met to face the true final boss and beat the game, but inasmuch as the game completely obfuscates this, I shall too. I would strongly suggest looking it up to save time, but I’ll leave that decision to the reader.

That pretty much covers the gameplay, but I’d be remiss to not also praise the aesthetics of this game. I understand common sentiment on this is mixed, but I was very fond of the storybook styling of this game. The hand drawn characters animate like marionettes and are super charming. The environments are equally pretty, and countless attempts at passing through them ensure the player will notice every detail. Arthur’s determined scowl is on his face most of the time, but he also exerts when using heavier weapons and offers a brief expression of glee when he fells a boss. These are little touches that simply weren’t possible (or at least less articulate) on the low-res offerings that preceded this first HD entry. They add welcome character to the game. Discerning eyes may even notice that the objects depicted on his patterned boxers are not hearts but strawberries, as Fujiwara insists they always have been. What wonders 15 years of techonlogical advancement can provide!

Sonically, this game is a treat too. The sound effects are especially excellent when connecting shots on enemies and provide great feedback. Enemies are mostly mute but occasionally provide a good ghoulish groan or grunt. The almost musical sound of Arthur collapsing into a pile of bones is as good as it has ever been too. Most of the games musical themes are heavily inspired by music from previous games, and some are straight arrangements thereof. This works pretty well, but I wouldn’t have minded some more original music. In any case, they accomplish the goal of being tolerable ad nauseum, which was a must. The soundtrack is solid but by no means classic.

Having now tacked on my thoughts on the audiovisual components of the game (something I always struggle to inject anywhere else), I’m gonna wrap this thing up. This game is outstanding. As stubbornly retro as it is, it’s also fresh and creative. The series has never looked or played better, and the level design has never been more ambitious. It’s encouraging to see Capcom willing to reach this deep into their IP catalog, and I hope they see fit to bring Arthur back again soon. They are clearly not out of ideas.