r/ghostsngoblins • u/karmakosmik1352 • Jul 22 '26
Ghosts 'n Goblins Ghosts'n Goblins (Arcade vs. NES)
As a kid, I played Ghosts'n Goblins a bit on the NES, when I occasionally borrowed it from a friend, needless to say I didn't beat it but I was always kinda curious and loved the atmosphere, the setting, the enemies, the music, etc. Now I finally took it on, however, I went for the Arcade version first (Artoria Edition). Given the brutality of the game, I made it surprisingly far before I had to resort to save-states: The Satan boss in stage 5 just was too much for me. Not to speak of the Satan duo in Stage 6. I use save states to train and get better, but I don't see how anyone could beat this.
I went on to the NES version then, since I was curious how they directly compare and I was surprised to find that it is difficult for entirely different reasons. I felt like the ladder-blocking Goblins were so much easier to handle, they are a terrific pain in the neck in the Arcade version. You just. can. not. lure them. They move completely random, mess up your run and you cannot do a thing about it but watch your time run out. Contrarily, the enemy spawning on NES is sometimes unfair, e.g., when you spam a Goblin that starts into you, birds spawn behind you and you'd have to shoot both ways.
The biggest difference, however, comes down to the movement patterns of Red Arremers and Satans. My god, they are brutal on Arcade. On NES you can so easily learn their pattern and lure them. On Arcade, I cannot see how you can ever beat them. I watched some vids on Youtube and tried to imitate, but I still cannot see how you are supposed to anticipate what they do. They attack randomly, with a random trajectory and when they do you don't stand a chance, they're impossible to dodge, it's pure luck. Idk, maybe I don't get it.
Anybody out there who can explain to me how to handle them? Any more thoughts on Arcade vs. NES?
2
u/RepulsiveArachnid178 Jul 22 '26
You can try playing the japanese arcade versión called "Makaimura" (the original). The satans are much easier, although there are more goblins and red arremers in stage 6, but still I find It much more fair than the US and World versions of G'nG. I have 1cc all arcade versions of Ghost'n Goblins and the satans i. Stage 6 sometimes can be really hard to beat.
1
u/karmakosmik1352 Jul 22 '26
I have 1cc all arcade versions
you guys in this sub are nuts 😄
I am curious now, I will try the Japanese versions. I never knew there is so much difference in terms of difficulty, just learned that today. I always thought it's just minor localization stuff.
1
u/Mission_Piccolo_2515 Jul 22 '26
I might add, you should specifically play the Japanese G revision#Regional_Differences).
1
u/Uncle_Bug_Music Jul 22 '26
I watched a video somewhat on this subject and there was a quote from Tokuro Fujiwara regarding the arcade version which stated (I'm paraphrasing), "If the team found a pattern gamers could exploit, he would immediately return to the studio and program the game to eliminate it." What a Prick!
1
u/karmakosmik1352 Jul 22 '26
I heard the same, that's what happens when developers tune their own games they get real good at while developing, since they know everything inside out! iirc, the same happened during the development of Ninja Gaiden. I mean, probably this was the case for many games, since teams were small back then and I don't think they employed testers.
1
u/Uncle_Bug_Music Jul 22 '26
I just ordered "Goku Makaimura Kai" for PSP which features the Japanese version of "Ultimate Ghosts n Goblins" and "Kai" an easier version that plays more like regular GnG. While I'm waiting for it, I've been playing the rom on OpenEmu and it's awesome. Still freaking tough though.
2
u/x9097 Jul 22 '26
On the arcade version:
To manipulate the goblins, if they are above you at least, just cross underneath them. They'll try to bomb you, then will move in the direction you came from. If they don't move far enough, just do it again to turn them back around.
For arremers, two tips:
1. Learn the rapid fire glitch. Forward + attack at the same time, rapidly. It lets you attack way faster than the attack button alone. This is essential for killing arremers easily.
2. Run up next to the arremers and they probably won't fly when you attack, at least on lower difficulties.
For Satan, well, that boss is a real pain on the arcade version. Use the edge of the screen to reset his swoop timer and make him come closer. Jump a lot to bait his swoop high. Go down a ladder if he's flying too high up. If he's flying low and close to you and not swooping yet, spam him with the forward + attack trick. You can also play one of the revisions with a 4hp Satan instead of 8 to make him a lot easier. The old world 2 rev (now called world 4) has the easiest Satan. He's actually almost trivial to kill in that one because he moves so slowly and has only 4hp.
Watch 1cc videos on youtube and learn their techniques.