Sometime in the past week - or perhaps even a few hours ago - I was visited by a disturbing presence. Without uttering a word, it implanted a thought that I can't rid myself of: Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts is a work of genius. Unless you've dug through the more obscure sections of this blog, you'd never know that I am a GnG hater. Holding a phial of venom for Capcom's hop & toss series just happens to be one of my hobbies. I haven't revisited them in many years, preventing any opportunity for my opinion to soften, let alone change. Such stubbornness is antithetical to whatever values I imagined a games-writer should aspire to, but nobody cares about all that. I'm an unknown who can hold any wackadoo opinion imaginable and never worry about getting called out.
Seriously, the only reason I've even thought about SGnG lately is because of Artoria Edition. This hack envisions a world where Arthur and Prin Prin never met; or maybe they have, and the princess simply isn't interested in men. Instead, her lover is a lady knight named Artoria. She is, as you would expect, just as determined and talented as Arthur, while suffering the same curse of never being more than two hits away from death. Since the hack fits my 2026 "female protagonist with weapon" criteria, I figured it'd be worth a shot. Early on, this was just a sprite-swap, but features were added with every major update. If my recollection stands, version 3.0 added the Secret Menu, which might have been the nudge that shoved me out of the GnG Hater's Club.
Normally, Artoria's quest to rescue Prin Prin from the Demon Realm is defined by its restrictions and curious ideas. There are seven stages, and each contain all the expected hallmarks of an action-platformer. Pits of both the spikes and bottomless variety dot the landscape. Whether they spawn infinitely or at predetermined points, monsters must be evaded or destroyed. If the heroine walks or jumps into specific locations, a treasure chest will appear, though its contents vary in usefulness. Armor is of course essential, but the weapons range from amazing to awful. Basket-carrying foes might also drop a weapon. If this causes something useless to block the path forward, then tough luck. As if the pressures of meager armor and bad luck weren't enough, the timer demands constant movement. Boss battles late in the game require a level of patience that the ticking clock won't allow.
Then there's the whole matter of jumping. One of the more interesting yet understandably divisive mechanics that Capcom came up with is the fixed-arc double-jump. As you've no doubt experienced in other games, fixed jumps require that a chasm can't be too wide to cross, or a ledge can't be too high to leap onto. The limitations are immediately noticeable, and it falls upon the level-design to craft a scenario that isn't just making identical jumps several times in a row. At the same time though, there is comfort in consistency. With a single glance, we can tell if our player-character can make the next jump. What Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts does is introduce a significant number of variables. Arthur (or Artoria) can jump twice, but both jumps are fixed. This creates numerous possibilities, most of which lead to danger or death. If the knight wants to change direction in mid-air, then they'll have to use the second jump. Also, platforms aren't guaranteed to be placed within one or two jump of each other. Stage 3 features a lava crossing that demands accuracy in a way only two expertly timed button-presses can achieve. It's a gutsy decision that gives this game its wonderful identity but can also be a real pain in the ass.
Artoria Edition's Secret Menu works in two ways. One, it's a series of features that allow players to customize their ideal SGnG experience. Two, they're toggleable assists to ease newcomers into a tough game. I won't lie. The instant I started this up; I flew straight to the menu and set everything to ON. Treasure chest locations being marked by a sparkle is a huge boon. Damage that depletes armor level instead of reducing its wearer to skivvies? That gets a hell yeah from me. Artoria can also switch between collected weapons with L & R, which comes with all sorts of advantages. Perhaps the most dramatic feature is midair control. Both the first and second jumps, as well as those rare ledge falls, are left entirely in my hands. I don't have to tell you how freeing it is to cruise over stage 3's lava. If something unexpected happens, I can perform some ridiculous jump to get away. It's a fun way to play, but also one of the first assists I disabled after a couple of playthroughs.
What makes this game so brilliant is its limited jumping controls. I have to consider every possibility before pressing the jump button. If an enemy is capable of firing a projectile, then I must memorize the timing, figure out the best place to stand, and only leap when it's necessary. Every move is calculated, thought-out, and leaves nothing to chance. This is, pardon the lame description, a thinking-person's game. I plan my moves because the jump-button is no longer an escape-button. Only by doing so did I realize that every stage is thoughtfully constructed. They're not so rigid that any dalliance is doomed, but only flexible enough to honor smart decision-making.
However, it would've been nice if there were less slow-moving platforms that the knight had to ride upon. A not-insignificant portion of the adventure is spent waiting for something to happen. It's a perfect-length game otherwise, and that's accounting for the 2-loop requirement. There are some other nitpicks, though it's the same stuff everyone else complains about; like that one homing shot from the bow that always goes wild and flies in circles. No wonder nobody ever puts down the dagger. Also, occasionally the latter half of stage 4 gets a little weird with the poison gas timing. If I move a little too quickly, I end up in trapped between some gas and those blue spore-thingies.
Whether it's vanilla or with every one of Artoria Edition's features enabled, I don't believe there's a wrong way to play Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts. Sure, there's a taste to it I spent many years avoiding, but that's entirely on me. There are limitations, and they're handled with purpose, not a mere excuse to bully players into submission. That said, a customized playthrough can be just as enjoyable. Having more allowance to make rash decisions or even mistakes will draw players in.
Good stuff.
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| You can shoot Samael with arrows. It works. |
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