Once upon a time when arcades were vibrant and 2D platform games were all the rage, Capcom struck gold with the original Ghosts 'N Goblins. The legendary tale of Sir Arthur and his quest to save Princess Prin Prin from demons was a huge success, but also notoriously difficult. Super tough from the off, in a further sadistic twist it must be completed twice over to reach the true ending. The series then continued with the faster and tougher sequel, Ghouls 'N Ghosts - following the same formula, the slicker and (at the time) cutting edge title was exactly what Sega needed to bolster the line-up of its latest console, pulling off a close-enough arcade perfect conversion for Mega Drive, and to critical acclaim.
Two years later and Capcom, now more closely aligned with Nintendo following conversions of Final Fight and Street Fighter II, released Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts exclusively for the SNES. Not to be confused as simply a 'super' version of Ghouls 'N Ghosts, this third game in the series features brand new levels and the addition of a double jump for Arthur. There's a review of the SNES version here.
Now the GBA version of Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts joins its big brother on Wii U Virtual Console. Having originally arrived ten years after the SNES version, it contains many noteworthy differences for those considering which version to download. Most jarringly are the changes to display size; being on a handheld console, Capcom took the decision to zoom in closer to the action. This makes gameplay even tougher as you have less real estate to play in and less room to manoeuvre away from those pesky monsters. The close up viewpoint also renders the sprites and backgrounds noticeably more pixelated - on the tiny screen of the GBA this made sense, but when viewed on a TV the graphics appear rougher than the SNES version.
The music and sound effects also suffer, as the GBA can't quite match the SNES for fidelity. The soundtrack isn't as rich or orchestral, even though the actual compositions are the same; equally, sound effects are quieter with less 'oomph' and rather rasping in comparison.
However, it's not all bad. Rather than just a straight conversion, Capcom was kind enough to add in a new 'arrange mode'. Initially exactly the same as original mode, the addition of two further unlockable route choices at the end of each stage provides the differential. Having a powered-up Arthur upon defeating the stage boss dictates whether you are able to access the top, bottom, or middle routes. For example, finish the first stage with Golden Armour to access the top route – a more difficult version of the default next stage, this is the choice for players with something to prove. If Arthur is wearing Bronze Armour or higher, you can select the middle route.
This is where things get interesting, as it contains new remixed stages selected from previous games in the series. Exclusive to GBA, these nostalgia trips serve up tiny twists for die-hard fans, such as the fire bridge stage from Ghosts 'N Goblins falling apart in places where it never used to, or brand new boss encounters. Unfortunately Capcom failed to coax the poor GBA into effectively handling these additional stages; there's some horrific slow down, most strangely at times when there's hardly any action displayed on-screen. Some of the additional new backgrounds are also a little rough around the edges and the overall stage design isn't quite on par with the originals. Ultimately, they are a nice to have rather than a reason to purchase.
A welcome change is the ability to pick up the Ultimate Weapon (required to access and defeat the final boss) during the first play through in arrange mode. In basic terms, this means you don't need to complete the game twice to reach the true ending, a first for the series and much needed relief for those wanting to reach the conclusion.
Being a handheld title, Capcom also saw sense to include a save option. This made the game much more user friendly when playing in ten minute chunks on the bus, but it can't be seen as a plus point on Wii U as all Virtual Console games allow for save states.
Conclusion
If you're looking to pick up an incredibly tough but supremely playable and (still) beautiful looking 2D platformer from the 16-bit golden age, you would be recommended to go with the superior SNES version. Not only is it cheaper (in the UK, at least) at the time of this review, it's also much better suited to the Wii U. Somewhat ironically the SNES version is also easier on the eye when playing on the GamePad. The GBA version admittedly does have its own unique additional content, but the added stages are hardly essential and the negatives far outweigh the positives. What was once a great handheld game becomes irrelevant in its new home, and arguably would have been far better suited to the Nintendo 3DS - that, however, is a whole other topic.
Comments 21
Wow! This is a very harsh review! I would say that this game would at least deserve an 8. It did not live up to the superior SNES version, but it did make it up with extra content. Of course, I am sure that you guys are doing this to show us that, if we were to pick up Super Ghouls n Ghosts, then we should certainly side with the SNES counterpart. Good review nonetheless.
The GBA is still the closest thing I ever got to a fully functional portable SNES (still love my Micro) and SNES conversions like this one where always very welcome additions in my games collection. However the GBA was not able to compete with the SNES in some aspects (namely the sound) and as such I must agree with this review and consider the SNES game a better option for virtual console owners. So Nintendo, about those SNES games coming out on the 3DS Virtual Console... what's up on that front? I want to give you moneys! Again!
Capcom should have offered the GBA version on sale if you already own the SNES version. I wouldn't have minded paying £1.50 for this. I also think Capcom should have released some of their other GBA games before this. This should really have been the last GBA game that Capcom released. SSFIIT Revival, Final Fight One, Super Puzzle Fighter II, Mega Man & Bass... they're all much better.
"this is the choice for players with something to prove" choice? When you consistently have the golden armour at the end of a stage, you are already a master at this game! Everyone else really doesn't have a choice there.
Ah, I remember playing the original Ghosts and Goblins...long story short, it brutally beat my donkey into the pavement.
@NintendoFan64 Yea, I could never get close to beating it due to it's difficulty. It always was more frustrating than enjoyable.
The added content sounds nice, if a bit poorly implemented. The worst part, in my opinion, of console conversions for the GBA is the change in screen resolution. The zoomed in play field can add extra difficulty that was not intended to be there in the original game.
Another game I already own on wiiu vc. why would anyone double dip on this? Hey, capcom&nintendo! Can we stop with the gba advance ports of snes games already on the eshope?
@Obito_Sigma Precisely that - the review is in context of the Wii U VC version, and as such it's much less essential than it may have been originally on GBA. I loved it back in the day though, but when you can choose between this or the SNES version, SNES is the one to go for in my opinion
@manu0 It's not too difficult to finish stage 1 with the Golden Armour, and you can at that point choose the tougher top route, or go with an easier one. There's always a choice But if you can keep to the top, then, as you rightly point out, you are definitely a master of the game...
The GBA's low resolution display was its greatest failing. Because it contained 33% fewer pixels than NES and SNES games used, ports from those systems had no choice but to zoom in on the action and crop out the missing pixels. As a result, games like this became unfair and unenjoyable to play, as you couldn't even see all of the enemies and obstacles in your way.. Every single GBA port of a NES/SNES game was hurt by this and was rendered inferior to the console version as a result.
Always wanted to try this game but the high difficulty always put me off. Maybe someday...
Why with the wealth of games still yet to be unreleased on VC do we get a version of a game already available? Inexplicable.
Another GBA game I know not a great one but it is a GBA game that should be coming to the 3DS why Nintendo why are you doing this to us? Where are the SNES,GBA and N64 and even GAMECUBE games come on Sega are do MegaDrive and even Arcade games so why not Nintendo
You're just angry for the sake of being angry, ANGRYBALDMAN666. Capcom deciding to release Super Ghouls n Ghosts on GBA doesn't prevent arcade, N64, GameCube and Mega Drive games coming to Wii U or GBA games coming to 3DS. The only justified complaints about this release is that Capcom should have chose to release something else instead. Nothing to do with Nintendo's decisions.
Harsh review, but respected. I'd personally give it a 7 or 8 though.
@Bass_X0 I know I just think Nintendo could release GBA games on both the Wii U and 3DS not just the Wii U when the GBA was a handhold the start with
They're using GBA on Wii U as an incentive, as small as it is, for 3DS owners to also want a Wii U. Besides, GBA games look a whole lot better on the Game Pad.
@accc In all fairness I think Final Fantasy VI advance, Link to the past and Final Fight One (maybe more of a port of the arcade game but not sure) Don't suffer much from the lesser screen or atleast not in a way games like this did or the DKC series.
I still Love this game on my micro and the level screen jingle can get stuck in my head for days.
@ANGRYBALDMAN666 I'm with you on this one. But until Nintendo wise up for Gamecube all you need is Nintendon't which has 480p support, virtual memory cards, supports pretty much every controller in existence and features extras such as a true 16:9 hack for nearly all games.
For the rest you have Wii Shop and for the games they won't sell there is always a few excellent emus on Wii.
But yeah, I'd love to be able to purchase official N64 games with perhaps an added 16:9 option and 1080p on Wii U. I don't understand why Ninty didn't just migrate all their Wii download software onto Eshop and then offer upgrades as they move along.
Good review. It's nice to read a review on NL that I can agree with. This covers the important points and differences well. (The slowdown!!!)
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