Ghosts n Goblins

A brutal test of nerves where every jump and weapon pickup feels like a life decision. Enemies spawn just to ruin your timing, and the game laughs if you get comfortable. Beating a section isn’t luck—it’s repetition turning into skill, and that’s why it’s legendary.

Enter a cursed kingdom overrun by demons, monsters, and the undead—and survive if you can.

Ghosts ’n Goblins casts players as Sir Arthur, a lone knight armed with courage, steel, and very little armor. Tasked with rescuing Princess Prin-Prin from the Demon King, Arthur must battle through graveyards, haunted villages, icy caverns, and hellish fortresses where death lurks in every jump and every mistake is punished.

Unforgiving, relentless, and unforgettable, Ghosts ’n Goblins is a true test of skill, patience, and perseverance.

Ghosts ’n Goblins is a side-scrolling action platformer built around precision, memorization, and survival under constant pressure.

Core Mechanics
Arthur throws weapons in fixed arcs

Movement is deliberate and weighty

Jumping commits you fully—no mid-air correction

Enemies respawn relentlessly

Every action matters. Once Arthur jumps, there’s no changing course. Once a weapon is thrown, you’re vulnerable for a split second. The game demands intention, not panic.

Armor System
Arthur begins the game fully armored. One hit strips him down to his iconic underwear. A second hit means death.

Armor upgrades provide protection and allow access to powerful magic attacks—but only if the correct weapon is equipped. Choosing the wrong weapon can turn survival into a nightmare.

World Variety
Each stage introduces new threats and environments:

Graveyards crawling with zombies and demons

Haunted villages filled with airborne monsters

Floating platforms over endless voids

Ice caves and hellscapes where enemy patterns become ruthless

Enemy placement is deliberate and often cruel, forcing players to learn patterns through repetition.

The Demon King has kidnapped Princess Prin-Prin, plunging the kingdom into darkness. Sir Arthur, a knight of unwavering resolve, sets out alone to face an army of demons and undead horrors.

The story is simple but steeped in gothic atmosphere. Arthur’s journey feels like a doomed march through a world that actively wants him dead. There are no allies, no safe zones—only forward movement or failure.

In a legendary twist, completing the game once is not enough. To truly defeat evil, Arthur must do it all again, under harsher conditions, to reach the real ending.

Originally released in arcades by Capcom in 1985, Ghosts ’n Goblins quickly earned a reputation as one of the hardest games of its era.

Rather than softening the difficulty for home consoles, the NES version embraced it. Limited continues, aggressive enemy respawns, and punishing level design turned the game into a rite of passage for players.

Tokuro Fujiwara – Game Designer
One of Capcom’s most influential creators, known for prioritizing challenge and mechanical clarity.

Capcom – Developer & Publisher
A defining force in arcade-era action games.