‘Ghosts ’n Goblins’ video game review
By Lauren Paulsen, Senior Columnist
4/5
There are many games that give me a fond sense of nostalgia for my childhood. The original Ghosts ’n Goblins is one of them. This side-scrolling arcade game may be older than me, but that doesn’t diminish its entertainment value.
Ghosts ’n Goblins has a thin plot, but you can’t expect much from a 30-year-old game. You play as a knight named Sir Arthur on a quest to save his lover, who has been kidnapped by Satan. You must defeat many monsters along the way, carving a path through six different stages before you have a climactic battle with Satan. At least, I think that’s what happens. I’ve never gotten past level four.
This is not from lack of trying. My brother and I have tried again and again to beat this game. It is so notoriously hard that we would rage-quit and not touch it again for long periods of time. I don’t think I’ve ever come across such a difficult arcade game.
What makes the game so brutal is that you can only take damage twice before you die. If you get hit once, you lose your suit of armour and have to run around in your underpants until you get another. Once you’re hit a second time, you’re dead. To top that off, you have to restart every level at the beginning, or, if you’re fortunate enough, a midway checkpoint. And you have to do it all under a time limit. If you run out of time, you instantly lose a life.
I’m usually very good at video games, yet I find this one very challenging. I can’t even use the excuse that I was a child, because I’ve played Ghosts ’n Goblins as an adult, and I still find it just as challenging. I’d recommend this oldie as a gem for avid gamers, although some will be turned off by its extreme difficulty. You can find it online to play for free. Someday I will get through all of those levels. I hope you can too.
