Game Review: Ghosts’n Goblins (Mobile)

Capcom are getting quite famous for their lazy ports of their classic back catalogue onto the mobile system. Now we have the NES classic, Ghosts’n Goblins probably most famous for its insane difficulty then anything else. Originally released in 1984. It came from a time in gaming when creators seemed to not want you to actually enjoy playing their games.

The constant checkpoints, hand-holding & save anywhere features of modern games has certainly softened many a gamer’s tolerance for difficult games. Gamers expect a level of ‘help & guidance’ & with games becoming huge, expansive experiences it’s more about enjoying yourself.

How much fun would Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain have been if Boss could be killed with one hit. That’s it…one hit & game over. Start again.

Gamers often gnash & wail about the classic golden era of gaming (the NES was filled with crappy platformer after crappy platformer) but put them in front of an Atari & watch the rose tinted glasses slip off. Going back & playing a game like this or Castlevania or Ninja Gaiden is akin to having teeth pulled out for most.

However there are generations of gamers who will never have experienced anything like this so ports of classic games are necessary & a good thing. This port however, is not a good thing. Ghosts’n Goblins is 99p wasted as it’s rendered unplayable thanks to its shoddy controls that take up most of the screen!

The game has two modes; classic & casual. The latter is an easier experience with a continue option. Neither is anymore fun to play then the other.

You control Arthur after he just finished getting some action from his girlfriend in a graveyard. Don’t believe me? Arthur is lying down in just his pants! Anyway before he can avoid a kiss that no man wants afterwards a demon appears in the sky, swoops down & kidnaps her.

Arthur dons his armour & sets off to rescue her & so begins the game.

From the moment you take control you’ll instantly see where the difficulty lies with Ghosts’n Goblins. You see, the enemies are relentless! They never stop coming, standing still isn’t an option. Arthur can jump, duck & shoot ‘spears’ but some enemies take multiple hits. You’re constantly on edge as another enemy approaches from behind.

Thanks to the awful controls turning is no easy task, your thumb will constantly miss resulting in taking damage. The only style of controls that are worth a damn are the virtual console ones which you can choose in the options. However the game neglects to save that control scheme that you’ve chosen. You’ve got to remember to go in & change it yourself every time!

As classic as they come, Ghosts’n Goblins is a pretty looking port & it’s nice to see that a casual option was added. Unfortunately it’s lacking in quality because of the shoddy controls that render it near unplayable.