Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection Review: Should Some Classics Stay Buried?


Available now on the PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection brings back classic Ghosts 'n Goblins and Ghouls 'n Ghosts gameplay with updated graphics, and not much else.

With so many great games in the series already, Capcom captured the feeling of the older games without providing enough new incentives to bring back lifelong fans.

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Strawberries and Steel

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrected Screenshot
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STRAWBERRIES: Those are strawberries on Arthur's shorts, not hearts.

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection Tells a familiar tale of a Queen kidnapped and a kingdom under siege by demons.

This new addition to the series also has Umbral Bees scattered throughout the land as an additional item for players to collect.

The mechanics of the game will feel familiar to long-time series fans.

Arthur can run, jump, and throw weapons in four different directions. There is no double jump, and Arthur cannot attack while running.

There is ledge hanging, but it is pretty temperamental in how well it works.

Though armoured, Arthur is pretty fragile, losing half of his armour when hit once, then the rest when hit again.

Once he is down to his strawberry skivvies he can only be hit once more before being reduced to nothing but bones.

If players are lucky, they can find Golden Armor which powers up the titular hero, also allowing him to take an extra hit.

As the game progresses, several different weapons may be obtained from the chests found or from monsters, allowing Arthur to attack in different ways.

The Path to Victory

Ghosts 'n Goblin Resurrection screenshot
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ATTACK: Timing is important when planning an attack

Once players have started a new game, chosen their difficulty, and watched the storybook introduction to the game, Ghosts 'n Goblins Ressurection offers them the choice between two starting levels.

There are five zones total, with zone 1 and zone 2 each having a choice of two levels.

There are also Shadow versions of each zone, offering players a greater challenge once players have completed the game.

It is a fairly short game, though the difficulty, even when set on the easiest level, will cause the time to complete the game to rise dramatically for new players.

Fighting Demons, Controls

One of the most frustrating parts of many Ghosts 'n Goblins games is the clunky controls, making the side-scroller a painfully difficult game to master.

Timing is important, as a misplaced jump or an attack that is too fast, or too slow, will lead Arthur to stumble into foes or off edges.

This is not a fast-paced side-scroller, but one that requires patience and a keen eye.

While Ghosts 'n Goblins Ressurection is a revamped game, it retains many of the flaws of its predecessors, which can stress out players who have no idea what they are getting into.

Fans of the series will feel right at home with Arthur's clunky controls and limited movement.

Visually Distinct

Ghosts 'n Goblins Ressurection screenshot
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IMPRESSIVE: Often times impressive. Often times not.

The visuals in Ghosts 'n Goblins Ressurection are a mixed bag.

The hand-drawn storybook sequences are bright and vibrant, filled with a warmth that works well for the title.

The actual gameplay graphics feel a bit cheap and animate similar to old-school flash animation.

There are some exceptions here and there, but overall the visuals of the game in motion feel rushed.

There are also cases where it is hard to tell if a surface is one that Arthur can stand on, or if a background element will hurt him or not.

It is up to the player to determine what works and what does not through trial and error.

Verdict

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection offers players an almost exact recreation of the original titles in the series, down to terrible controls and an unforgiving difficulty.

While the hand-drawn portions of the game look absolutely amazing, the rest looks rather cheap, hasty, and uninspired.

Worth picking up for superfans, those looking for a better Ghosts 'n Goblins experience should seek out games such as Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, or modern titles like Battle Princess Madelyn.

2/5

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Reviewed on PC.

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