A playthough of Capcom's 1991 horror-themed action-platformer for the Super Nintendo, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts.
In this video I play through both loops of the game, finishing the second loop with the fight against Sardius for the best ending. The game was set to its default "normal" difficulty level.
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Choumakaimura in Japan) was the third GnG game, and it was the first console-exclusive entry in the series. It was preceded by Ghosts 'n Goblins (Makaimura) and Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Daimakaimura), and was rereleased later on the PS1, Saturn, and Game Boy Advance. I've linked a couple of videos I've done of games in the series below in case anyone is interested.
Like in every other game in the series, the game begins with the Red Arremer swooping in and kidnapping Princess Prin. And of course, like in the other games, her gallant knight Arthur doesn't take kindly to this and runs after her.
The game is classic GnG through and through, and it in no way tries to reinvent the wheel. The first two games were highly regarded as being some of best platformers you could pump quarters into. They were both defined by their beautiful graphics, murderous challenge, and their rock-solid mechanics, and SGnG proudly carries on these traditions in this early SNES release.
The presentation was one of the game's biggest selling points when this was released back in 1991. The music was incredible: the soundtrack, made up of both original tunes and of remixes of tracks from the older games, really flaunted what could be done with the SNES's sample-driven playback, nailing the orchestral gothic vibe perfectly with its unique mix of brass, strings, and organs. The graphics were extremely well detailed and colorful, and the art style nailed the horror feel. Capcom also incorporated many of the SNES's unique graphics tricks to create an experience that couldn't have been done elsewhere at the time: the shifting terrain and the sweeping waves of the first stage, the rotating rooms in the third stage, the heavy use of transparencies throughout - each stage had some unique feature to both impress and challenge the player. Despite how often it falls victim to severe slowdown, just like Super Castlevania IV, SGnG was a true showcase of what the SNES had to offer.
But as much as it deserved its reputation for its aesthetics, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts even better deserved its notoriety for how hard it was. It's not forgiving in the slightest - you lose your armor in a single hit (no matter its level), and as if being left unprotected by nothing but boxer shorts wasn't bad enough, your weapon reverts back to its weakest level when you lose the armor. Enemies are carefully placed to ensure that they give you trouble, and power-ups are often put in the most annoying places possible: if an enemy knocks you backwards into a powerup that you were trying to avoid, the best course of action is generally to hit the reset button. And finally, the real kicker - after fighting tooth-and-nail to get to the ending, the game delivers its cruelest trick of all: you have to go back and do it again for the real ending!
Thankfully, though it can be infuriating, the game is ultimately fair. The controls are reliable and give you sufficient maneuverability to avoid all the traps, providing that you've mastered the art of the double jump. Learning how to time the second jump is absolutely key to getting anywhere. Beyond that, learning enemy patterns and memorizing the level layouts makes the stages far, far easier to handle over time.
I really do think that people tend to oversell the game's challenge, though. It's stupidly hard, yes, but it's not impossible by any means. More than anything, it requires patience and concentration. I'm not claiming to be an expert - I can't finish it on the professional setting - but I will say that practice does provide tangible results. For the sake of comparison, I'd say it's far easier than the (brutal and glitchy) NES version of Ghosts 'n Goblins, and far harder than the (surprisingly easy) Genesis version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts. If you can beat Ninja Gaiden, Batman, or Battletoads on the NES, you can beat this one. It's not really any harder than those as long as you don't let its reputation intimidate you.
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts was an amazing show of the SNES's potential for a title released so early in the system's life cycle, and it still stands up as one of the best action-platformer on the system.
Just make sure you have the sand to take it on its own terms!
Other games in the series if you're interested:
Ghosts 'n Goblins (NES): • Ghosts 'n Goblins (NES...
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Genesis): • Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Gen...
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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