Capcom's arcade on NES: Arthur in his underwear against monster legions. Legendary difficulty, two mandatory playthroughs to finish. Frustrating and exhilarating in equal measure.
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Category
Action1 player12+
Description
Action platformer in which Sir Arthur battles monster armies to rescue the princess. Published by Capcom, released in Europe in 1989. Arthur in side-scrolling view with his lance and armor, cemetery and castle levels and legendary difficulty. European version of Capcom's Ghosts'n Goblins arcade classic.
Ghost'n Goblins review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Iconic above all, the main theme of Ghosts'n Goblins became an instant classic, a heroic, rousing melody recognisable from the first note. Each nightmarish level pulses with a nervy energy that charges the game's fearsome difficulty. This sonic signature stays etched in the memory of a whole generation.
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Punishing"
The first chapter of Capcom's most feared saga, it throws Arthur into teeming graveyards where death lurks on every screen. Armor lost at the first hit, relentless enemies and demanding jumps call for precision and memorization, not to mention the mandatory second loop. Brutal but honest, it founded a reputation for difficulty that has never wavered since.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
Capcom's NES conversion of the arcade brute keeps a durable cult standing rooted in its notorious difficulty, long held up as the benchmark of medieval run and gun. The 1989 PAL release circulated more narrowly than the American one, making this the scarcer regional pressing, sought by European Capcom followers tracing the Arthur lineage. Boxes printed without the apostrophe set this edition apart on the continent.
Memorable bosses
A nightmare of difficulty turned legendary, the trek through the demon realm pits you against merciless guardians: a dragon guarding a bridge, cyclopean giants and the dreaded Astaroth at the end of the ordeal. The winged red devil, appearing without warning, remains a terror all its own. Stripped of his armor at the first hit, the knight must read every attack to the letter, making victory all the more glorious.
Is Ghost'n Goblins still worth playing in 2026?
A port of Capcom's arcade classic, Ghosts'n Goblins sends the knight Arthur against hordes of undead to save the princess, in an action platformer of legendary difficulty. Losing the armour in two hits, the relentless enemy waves and the mandatory double playthrough made it a symbol of punishing challenge. The NES conversion pares down the arcade but keeps the brutal demand. For a fan of tough retro action or someone curious about the genre's pillars, the title keeps a historical character and a fearsome intensity.
