Retro Wildlands #60 - Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts

[00:00:19] Greetings fellow travelers, vagrants, explorers, wildlanders, and welcome to episode 60 of The Retro Wildlands.

[00:00:29] My name is Nomad and this is my gaming podcast where I like to share my thoughts and experiences with a video game that I've discovered or rediscovered while roaming the gaming wildlands.

[00:00:39] Thank you very much for tuning in to the show today. Spooky season is underway and I could not be happier.

[00:00:46] The weather is cooling off, the leaves are starting to turn, and Halloween is right around the corner.

[00:00:52] I love this time of year and I love all the spookiness that comes with it. Especially the spooky video games.

[00:01:01] DD, our canine expedition leader, isn't as much of a fan of spooky season as I am, but he plays along well enough.

[00:01:09] My wife and I get him and our other dog, Dexter, some sort of costume each year, whether it's just a spooky sweater or a full-blown costume.

[00:01:20] One year we dressed up DD as Deadpool and it was as funny as you're picturing it right now.

[00:01:26] But forgive me, I am getting a little sidetracked.

[00:01:30] Please, find your way towards the campfire, my friend, and settle in.

[00:01:34] DD will be around to administer the obligatory sniffing of the legs, so, as usual, no sudden movements while he's judging you based on the scents that he pulls off of you.

[00:01:44] We have quite the adventure to share today, and for this expedition into the wildlands, you're going to want a stiff drink if that's your thing.

[00:01:53] Why are we breaking out the good stuff so soon, you might be wondering?

[00:01:57] Well, a good drink can do a few things.

[00:02:00] It can be used to help celebrate something grand or worthy of praise.

[00:02:04] Or it can be used to dull the pain of a bad or difficult experience.

[00:02:09] Today, I think we may be doing a little bit of both.

[00:02:14] On today's episode, we're checking out a video game that has a bit of a reputation.

[00:02:20] While it certainly falls into the spooky game category given its chilling music and visual aesthetics,

[00:02:27] it's more so known for its unforgiving difficulty.

[00:02:30] Or at least, that's what I've always known it for.

[00:02:34] And while some of you out there find joy in a good challenge,

[00:02:37] I myself tend to shy away from something if all I ever hear about it is how frustrating it's going to make me.

[00:02:43] But every year I find myself looking for my next spooky game, and seemingly every year I see this particular game listed.

[00:02:53] It always looked cool to me, and now that I'm much older and arguably a much better gamer in terms of sheer skill,

[00:03:00] I started to wonder if maybe, just maybe, I'd have what it takes to give this game a go.

[00:03:06] So, I took the plunge.

[00:03:09] I broke out my Super Nintendo Classic one evening and entered a world full of ghouls, ghosts, and goblins,

[00:03:16] as I played through Super Ghouls and Ghosts.

[00:03:20] I felt myself smiling a little as I was sucked into the awesome visuals,

[00:03:24] all whilst doing pretty damn good at the game itself.

[00:03:28] This game didn't seem hard at all, and I couldn't figure out where all the talk was coming from.

[00:03:34] Then I looked at the clock and realized 35 minutes had passed, and I was still on level 1.

[00:03:41] I couldn't beat it no matter how hard I tried.

[00:03:45] Like, what in the actual hell?

[00:03:48] I was ready to give up.

[00:03:50] I thought to myself, screw this pile of crap, I'll find another retro game to play for spooky season.

[00:03:56] I do not have time for this nonsense.

[00:03:59] But after walking away for a day and coming back refocused,

[00:04:03] I started to see, despite the game's difficulty, why some people hold this game up as one of the greats.

[00:04:11] Eventually, slaying demons and monsters started to get fun,

[00:04:15] and I found myself compelled to keep going.

[00:04:18] But just as I got into a rhythm, the game found a way to strip me of all hope,

[00:04:23] and it would often send me spiraling back into the darkness as I gripped my controller full of self-doubt and sheer unadulterated rage.

[00:04:31] Just, what the hell is this game?

[00:04:36] I had to see it through, though, and see it through I did.

[00:04:40] Twice, as a matter of fact.

[00:04:43] Because, in a cruel twist of fate, I had to.

[00:04:47] But as I look back on my journey to save Princess Guinevere from the clutches of evil,

[00:04:51] I found myself wondering.

[00:04:53] Was Super Ghouls and Ghosts a fun platforming adventure,

[00:04:57] and one that was worth all the time and effort that I was putting into it?

[00:05:02] Or is it just another hard retro game only the sick and twisted would get any enjoyment out of?

[00:05:09] Well, my friends, stick around.

[00:05:11] We'll be diving into this game together and figuring out just what makes this game so notorious,

[00:05:16] and whether or not you want to take up arms and save the day,

[00:05:20] or if you'll let evil take a win this time around.

[00:05:25] Now, if you're new to the show, I like to kick things off first by chatting it up with you all a little bit

[00:05:31] and giving everyone a peek behind the scenes here in the retro wildlands.

[00:05:36] Depending on what's on my mind, I like to share what's going on with the show,

[00:05:40] what games I might be playing, what projects I might be planning,

[00:05:43] what's going on in my personal life,

[00:05:45] or whatever else I feel like discharging into this here microphone.

[00:05:49] I also want to take some time to read and respond to any comments I received about Super Ghouls and Ghosts

[00:05:54] from our retro wildlands social media pages

[00:05:56] in an effort to give the community a moment to sound off their thoughts.

[00:06:01] Now, if none of this interests you and you're just here for the Super Ghouls and Ghosts experience,

[00:06:06] no worries, you can skip ahead, eh, let's say about 15 to 20 minutes,

[00:06:10] and you should get into the game talk.

[00:06:12] That, of course, is just an estimate,

[00:06:14] so I encourage you to check the timestamps that I put in the show notes

[00:06:18] so you can see exactly where you need to go if you don't want to stick around

[00:06:21] and you just want to get right into the demon-slaying action.

[00:06:26] But, please, do consider sticking around.

[00:06:29] We're going to talk a bit of video games,

[00:06:31] and you'll get to hear your fellow wildlanders sound off their thoughts to the rest of us.

[00:06:35] And I can't think of a better way to get our expedition moving.

[00:06:39] So, without further ado, let's get into our opening segment that I like to call

[00:06:45] Campfire Ketchup.

[00:07:04] Well, it's October, and the year is about over.

[00:07:08] Time certainly seems like it's flowing faster and faster,

[00:07:11] and when I look back on what I've been up to since our last episode,

[00:07:14] all I see is a whirlwind.

[00:07:17] But it's a good whirlwind, and now that the weather here in Ohio is cooling off

[00:07:21] and the Halloween decorations are starting to go up in our neighborhood,

[00:07:25] it's hard not to find peace in it all.

[00:07:28] And after the most recent gaming convention I went to in Cleveland,

[00:07:32] I've been feeling revitalized and anxious to pour some of that excess energy into the retro wildlands

[00:07:37] and some ideas and projects I've been putting off.

[00:07:41] So first up, let me gush a little bit about the gaming convention I went to,

[00:07:45] some of the people I met, and a few of the pickups I came away with.

[00:07:49] So I went to the Cleveland Gaming Classic in Cleveland, Ohio, and I have to say,

[00:07:54] it's absolutely one of my favorite conventions around here.

[00:07:58] This is my second time going, and it had a lot of things you could do.

[00:08:02] There were plenty of vendors selling games and other pop culture stuff,

[00:08:06] but there were a lot of guests from around the industry.

[00:08:09] There was a huge cosplay presence and a gigantic free play area with tons of games and pinball machines.

[00:08:16] The event was over a weekend, but I could have easily spent multiple days there

[00:08:21] and still not have interacted with everything that I wanted to.

[00:08:25] There were plenty of local YouTubers in attendance as well,

[00:08:28] and I genuinely enjoy hanging around with all of them.

[00:08:31] There was Jay from Square Pegs, Chris from The Game Dad Show,

[00:08:36] Dr. Scott from The Game Closet,

[00:08:38] Lindsey from LL Cool Games, Millennial Collector Ohio,

[00:08:42] even John Riggs was in attendance, so it was awesome to meet him for the very first time.

[00:08:48] For you Resident Evil fans out there, I ran into Kai Morgan, who runs the YouTube channel Ink Ribbon.

[00:08:55] I just happened to see him walking around in a cosplay of Raiko from Mortal Kombat

[00:09:00] and got a chance to say hey and snag a picture.

[00:09:04] Kai has some great Resident Evil content on YouTube,

[00:09:07] so if you are even a remote fan of the Resident Evil series, you should check him out.

[00:09:13] While this podcast is my main focus, I do have some of my own YouTube content out there,

[00:09:19] and I find the platform fascinating.

[00:09:22] It was great connecting with these folks and picking up more tips and lessons in content creation,

[00:09:27] and I cannot wait for the Cleveland Gaming Classic to come around next year.

[00:09:32] Seriously, it was an awesome time, and if you're looking for a good gaming convention to check out,

[00:09:37] I highly recommend this one.

[00:09:39] As far as my pickups go, I got a pretty decent amount of stuff this time around.

[00:09:44] I got three new games for the PSP collection, three more PSP movies,

[00:09:49] I found The Simpsons Hit and Run on the PlayStation 2,

[00:09:52] but one of the games that I was really excited to find was Fatal Frame 2 on the PlayStation 2.

[00:10:00] I would love to collect all of the PlayStation 2 horror games that are available,

[00:10:05] and now that I've got Fatal Frame 2, that is one less off my list.

[00:10:10] One thing that these conventions always seem to do for me is reinvigorate my love for video games and pop culture,

[00:10:17] and they always make me want to work harder at building up the retro wildlands as a whole.

[00:10:22] So, quickly, some things that I've been rattling around in my noggin regarding the show.

[00:10:27] First up, I mentioned building a website for the show in our last episode,

[00:10:31] or maybe it was the episode before that.

[00:10:34] Nah, whatever.

[00:10:35] I've had to scale that back a little bit, mainly due to time constraints,

[00:10:39] but I am 100% committed to that idea, so more on that one later.

[00:10:44] Second, I do want to keep putting out YouTube videos,

[00:10:47] and at the moment I'm really into reviewing games that I want to talk about,

[00:10:52] but I don't think that they'll make great long-form podcast episodes.

[00:10:56] So, I'm thinking of taking the audio for those videos

[00:11:00] and repurposing them as shorter podcast episodes

[00:11:03] in the event you don't want to head over to YouTube for your entertainment.

[00:11:08] I'm thinking of making this a sort of mini-series,

[00:11:11] but I'm having a hard time coming up with a catchy name.

[00:11:14] These shorter episodes on the podcast will serve two purposes.

[00:11:19] One, it'll be an incentive to get some video content on the YouTube channel.

[00:11:24] And two, those that listen primarily to podcasts, like yourselves I assume,

[00:11:30] will now have more to listen to from me.

[00:11:33] It sounds like a win-win, so look for some of those coming soon.

[00:11:38] And lastly, I'm still looking for opportunities to livestream,

[00:11:43] whether it's playing through a game or something else.

[00:11:46] Just before I started recording and editing this episode,

[00:11:50] I held my third solo livestream,

[00:11:52] and I streamed Resident Evil 2 on the original PlayStation.

[00:11:57] I really hope that's the sort of thing that you all might be interested in,

[00:12:01] me playing older games or just streaming in general,

[00:12:03] because three times out solo, I am having an absolute blast with livestreaming.

[00:12:09] I've been able to upgrade my computer, so things are getting much smoother

[00:12:12] and much more professional around here,

[00:12:15] so hopefully we'll just keep building off of that.

[00:12:18] Now, if any of this stuff interests you in the slightest,

[00:12:21] or you just want to see what's next for me and the show in general,

[00:12:25] don't forget to follow us over on social media.

[00:12:28] We have a presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, slash X,

[00:12:32] so consider throwing down a follow.

[00:12:35] I'm also over on Threads and Blue Sky,

[00:12:38] but I've been pulling back my effort on those platforms admittedly.

[00:12:42] Making posts and engaging people is fun,

[00:12:44] and I really, really love the interactions,

[00:12:46] but it's all very hard to balance.

[00:12:49] I'm balancing, what, five social media platforms?

[00:12:52] Regardless of how you follow the show, though,

[00:12:54] consider throwing us a follow on any and all platforms.

[00:12:58] They're great if you're just looking to stay up to date on the show,

[00:13:01] or if you're looking to just inject some retro spice into your timelines and feeds.

[00:13:06] Oh, and subscribe over on Facebook, too, while you're at it,

[00:13:09] if you're at all interested in any of my video content.

[00:13:12] I'd say most of it is pretty good.

[00:13:15] Solid B, B- kind of content, so go ahead and check that out.

[00:13:21] Alright, let's check in with my backlog and see what I've been playing before we finish up here.

[00:13:26] Since we last spoke, I've finally completed the indie RPG gem known as Sea of Stars.

[00:13:33] I remember when this game first came out, and it was all the rage as far as indie games go,

[00:13:38] and I feel like I am the last one to finish this game, but holy shit, people.

[00:13:44] Of all the games that I've finished this year so far, Sea of Stars is taking a run at being my number one.

[00:13:50] It was that good.

[00:13:52] It's a turn-based RPG very reminiscent of Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG,

[00:13:58] and while it was a little slow to start for my tastes, and there were some gameplay elements that I felt were kinda eh,

[00:14:05] all was forgiven when I completed the game.

[00:14:09] It was an amazing experience that all culminated in a fantastic ending.

[00:14:15] Well, once you get the true ending, that is.

[00:14:18] It was a wonderful reward for those who put the effort in, and once I was 100% done with the game,

[00:14:26] I honestly went outside and had myself a good think.

[00:14:29] I can't decide if I want to do anything with Sea of Stars like a YouTube review or anything else,

[00:14:34] but I did play through the game at the same time as my pal, Lindsey, who's on YouTube as LL Cool Games.

[00:14:43] We livestreamed most Thursdays our thoughts on the game, and when we got to the end,

[00:14:47] I ended up playing out the last hour or so of the game live on stream.

[00:14:52] It was fun, so if you're interested in checking out those discussions,

[00:14:56] you can find those on our Retro Wildlands YouTube channel,

[00:14:59] or you can head on over to LL Cool Games' channel and check it out over there.

[00:15:04] I think we flip-flopped whose YouTube channel was hosting at times,

[00:15:08] so just a heads up, there may be pockets of missing videos on either end of the spectrum.

[00:15:13] Just be warned though, while we warn you well in advance,

[00:15:17] there are story spoilers as we discuss, so definitely be mindful.

[00:15:22] So, Sea of Stars is finally done, and I've also considered the Nintendo World Championships NES Edition complete as well.

[00:15:32] I wanted to complete all the stages with at least an A-plus ranking, I think I said at one point,

[00:15:37] but I have to be honest, I hit a brick wall with that game where I just was not having fun anymore.

[00:15:44] Don't get me wrong, it was a great game and I love the speedrunning concept,

[00:15:49] but I fell out of love with trying to improve my time over and over again just to unlock a profile picture or something similar.

[00:15:56] And the weekly challenges that pop up weren't enough to get me to come back for more,

[00:16:02] so I have officially retired that game.

[00:16:05] Great game, great concept, but I am moving on.

[00:16:09] I do highly recommend it though, because I don't think it's very expensive,

[00:16:13] and if you like retro games in any capacity, I think you would get a decent amount of enjoyment out of it.

[00:16:19] Just know that your enjoyment will most likely be limited depending on what it is that you like and what you're hoping to get out of that experience.

[00:16:28] So, now that those two games are complete, I've actually gone back to Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion on my PlayStation 5.

[00:16:37] I am bound and determined to finish that game and get a platinum trophy, so I've been using my PlayStation Portal to play as much as I can whenever I have downtime or I just need a break.

[00:16:50] I made good progress this past weekend, so it's just a matter of sticking with it.

[00:16:55] I hate leaving games unfinished, especially if I genuinely want to finish them, so I'll be powering through as much as I can.

[00:17:04] As far as other retro games go that I've been playing, I have been sampling a few spooky games here and there since we are in spooky season after all,

[00:17:12] but I think I want to keep those close to my chest for now.

[00:17:16] I haven't fully committed on which one I want to run through on the show yet, so stay tuned for that.

[00:17:23] Okay, I think that is plenty of catching up.

[00:17:26] I don't have much else going on, so it is time we shift gears to the reason that you're all here today.

[00:17:33] It's time to talk about Super Ghouls and Ghosts on the Super Nintendo.

[00:17:39] We had a couple comments from the community submitted about Super Ghouls and Ghosts that I wanted to take some time to read through before we get into the game.

[00:17:47] A perfect way to whet your appetite for the adventure ahead.

[00:17:52] First up, let's check in with our Retro Wildlands Facebook page.

[00:17:56] Our first comment comes from Uriah, and Uriah said,

[00:18:00] First game I ever played.

[00:18:03] I had asked Uriah if they found the game's difficulty to be a turnoff at all, and Uriah said,

[00:18:09] No, not really. Was just excited to play.

[00:18:12] Laughing while crying emoji.

[00:18:14] Although, the difficulty is brutal, but not as brutal as the original Ghosts and Goblins.

[00:18:21] But I haven't beat either.

[00:18:24] I had actually forgotten about Ghosts and Goblins, and telling me it's more difficult than Super Ghouls and Ghosts isn't really making me excited to try it.

[00:18:32] We'll get into the difficulty of Super G&G in this show proper, but I will say, I am glad I played this game finally, and I think what I've learned here will translate to Ghosts and Goblins well enough.

[00:18:45] I feel like I have to at least give it a try.

[00:18:48] And don't worry about not beating either game, Uriah.

[00:18:51] Sometimes difficult games get the better of us, but if nothing else, at least you gave them a shot, and that's what counts.

[00:18:58] Next, over on the Wildlands Facebook page, we got this comment from the overwhelmed gamer that was thinking exactly what Uriah was thinking.

[00:19:07] Great game. Also, much easier than its predecessor on the NES.

[00:19:14] Again, you two are not making a great case for me to go and check out Ghosts and Goblins, but I think I will eventually.

[00:19:20] You mentioned save states to me in a follow-up comment, and I have to agree with you.

[00:19:26] While I do my absolute best not to use them if I can avoid it, there was a point I relented and used the save state functionality on my Super Nintendo Classic for Super G&G.

[00:19:37] I'll hold off as long as I can if I play the original, but I have no shame if that's what it comes to.

[00:19:44] If you ever do go back to this game, though, you'll have to let me know.

[00:19:48] I'll play when you do, and we can suffer with each other together.

[00:19:53] Moving over to our Twitter slash X page, the Deleted Saves podcast chimed in with this comment.

[00:20:01] I stumbled hard over this one as a kid and abandoned it.

[00:20:05] My wife, however, absolutely adores this game, never played it until she was an adult, and routinely plays it to completion.

[00:20:14] I don't know what that says, but it is a fact.

[00:20:19] Well, in my opinion, that just means your wife is a complete badass.

[00:20:23] Anyone that can beat this game is a badass, and I think it says so in the instruction manual.

[00:20:28] Plus, you have to play this game through to completion often in order to keep your edge sharp.

[00:20:33] It really is an awesome feat, but I will say, had I played Super Ghouls & Ghosts when I was a kid, I'm not sure I would have stuck with it either.

[00:20:42] I mentioned it in the main episode, but it took me over a half hour just to get to the final boss in the first level.

[00:20:48] I can't imagine playing this as a kid.

[00:20:51] But then again, if all you had was this game, maybe you'd just get good at it.

[00:20:56] Either way, I'm glad I'm done with this one, as it drove me a special kind of crazy.

[00:21:01] And please give your wife a high five for me.

[00:21:05] Mastering this game is definitely something to be proud of.

[00:21:10] And our last comment comes from Aaron, who is one of the hosts of the Super Pod Saga podcast.

[00:21:18] Aaron had this to say.

[00:21:21] These games are a lot like an episode of Jackass.

[00:21:24] They look cool, they're entertaining, but once you try them for yourself, it's painful and crippling.

[00:21:32] Uh, yep, I don't think I have anything to add to your comment, Aaron.

[00:21:37] You hit the nail square on the head with this one.

[00:21:40] Well, I guess if we're talking about Jackass, then it was a hit square between the legs, actually.

[00:21:46] Great comment, man. I felt this comment in my soul.

[00:21:50] And thanks goes to the rest of you as well for writing into the show this episode.

[00:21:55] I appreciate you all taking time out of your day to share your thoughts on this polarizing video game.

[00:22:01] You're welcome.

[00:22:31] a lance. He'll need to learn to wield powerful magic if he's going to have even a hope of coming

[00:22:37] out of this one alive. Because all it takes is one touch by the enemy or a misstep into a bottomless

[00:22:43] pit and Arthur's fate is sealed. Can we save the princess and banish evil from the kingdom?

[00:22:50] Or is darkness fated to rule the land for all eternity? Well, my friends, that is going to be

[00:22:58] completely up to us. So let's gear up, Wildlanders. Don your suit of armor, buckle on your sword,

[00:23:06] and make sure you're wearing some underwear under that armor, you know, just in case. We have a very

[00:23:12] hard and very difficult battle ahead of us. But so long as we stay the course and stay true to our

[00:23:19] mission, we will be victorious. Or we may end up crushing the controller in both of our hands and

[00:23:25] watching it fall to pieces. Much like our patience with this game falls away into the darkness.

[00:24:00] Growing up, while I had access to a decent amount of video games across several platforms,

[00:24:05] there were plenty that I had missed out on. Hell, it wasn't until I was older that I realized how

[00:24:10] many games were out there that I just never heard about. Some of your favorite games might have been

[00:24:17] ones like Earthbound, Punch-Out!, or even StarTropics. But it wasn't until I really got into retro gaming

[00:24:23] today that these titles even entered my ears. The internet really wasn't a thing when I was younger,

[00:24:29] so if I did end up hearing about a game, it was usually thanks to a gaming magazine or good old

[00:24:35] word of mouth. There were plenty of times I would be around my friends and other kids at the playground

[00:24:40] at recess and one of them would bring up a new game that they had gotten or their parents let them rent.

[00:24:47] We didn't have cell phones, so we couldn't instantly look a game up, see a review, or check

[00:24:52] out some gameplay footage. It was all up to little Johnny to be able to describe the game as best he could.

[00:24:59] And this is where I first remember hearing about Super Ghouls and Ghosts for the Super Nintendo.

[00:25:05] I remember the kid talking about it like it was the next Super Mario, and of course, like any other kid

[00:25:11] would, I was hanging on every word. Eh, I remember it like it was yesterday.

[00:25:21] So you play as a knight, right? There's monsters and zombies everywhere, and you have to throw a

[00:25:26] spear-looking thing to take them all out. You wear a suit of armor and it protects you from one hit,

[00:25:31] but if you get hit, your armor gets destroyed, and then you're running around in your underwear!

[00:25:37] Holy crap, that sounds awesome!

[00:25:39] I know, and there's plenty of power-ups too. Oh, and the best part is you can double jump.

[00:25:45] You start off in a creepy cemetery, and there's fire-breathing dragons. Oh, and the level changes!

[00:25:51] Changes? What do you mean?

[00:25:52] Like the ground goes up and down while you're walking on it!

[00:25:56] Wow, that is awesome! What's the next level after the cemetery?

[00:26:01] I'm not even sure there are levels. The cemetery level goes on forever,

[00:26:05] and I always run out of lives before I get to the end.

[00:26:08] Maybe you just suck at games.

[00:26:10] Hey, I don't suck! Shut up! Hey, Johnny's right. My dad rented that game,

[00:26:16] and he got so mad he didn't speak to me or my mom for a whole hour afterwards.

[00:26:22] No one cares about your dad, Tommy. How are the graphics, Johnny? Are there blood and guts?

[00:26:27] No, but the monsters look scary and disgusting.

[00:26:32] Awesome! Hopefully I'll get to try it one day. Hey, how about a sleepover?

[00:26:37] Sorry, I'm grounded. Mom caught me sneaking candy to my room.

[00:26:42] Dude, that sucks. Parents are the worst, aren't they?

[00:26:45] Big time.

[00:26:48] After that faithfully recreated interaction of that one time I was on the playground with kids that I don't talk to anymore,

[00:26:53] I never heard much more about Super Ghouls and Ghosts after that.

[00:26:58] As I grew up, all I ever really heard about the game was how hard it was.

[00:27:03] But I never really paid that much mind because a lot of older games were hard.

[00:27:07] Other than the fact that there were some scary monsters and the game had a spooky aesthetic,

[00:27:12] there was nothing enticing me to seek it out and try it.

[00:27:16] It soon faded from my memory and it wasn't until I rediscovered it a few years ago that I even remembered this game.

[00:27:24] As I learned more and more about older retro games, some of them stand out for one reason or another,

[00:27:30] be it a unique game mechanic or something else.

[00:27:33] Super Ghouls and Ghosts was rarely ever brought up.

[00:27:37] So what compelled me to finally sit down and finally give it a go?

[00:27:42] Well, honestly, it's spooky season and this is one of the few retro games that comes to mind.

[00:27:47] And also, whenever I hear that an older retro game is really hard, I feel compelled to try it now.

[00:27:54] I'd like to think that I'm a better gamer in my old age and that seems to prove true more often than not.

[00:28:00] So here we are.

[00:28:03] I knew pretty much nothing about Super Ghouls and Ghosts before actually sitting down with it.

[00:28:07] Apparently, this is the third game in the Ghosts and Goblins series.

[00:28:12] Ghosts and Goblins was originally released in 1985 in arcades and eventually on the Nintendo in 1986.

[00:28:19] Then Ghouls and Ghosts did the arcade thing before going to the Nintendo in 1988.

[00:28:25] All three games followed the same basic premise as one another,

[00:28:28] with Super Ghouls and Ghosts being the most refined from a graphical and gameplay standpoint.

[00:28:34] It's the refinement that helped Super G&G find its way to the tops of some of the greatest Super Nintendo games of all time lists.

[00:28:43] It was never super high up on any of those lists, but it still had a presence.

[00:28:48] So after 33-ish years of existence, it's finally time we give this one a go.

[00:28:54] Pull up a chair because it's about time we get this game and put it through its paces and see what this game is really all about.

[00:29:02] But before we do, let's peel back some of the layers of Super Ghouls and Ghosts and see exactly what it is that we're working with.

[00:29:12] So, what is this game?

[00:29:16] Super Ghouls and Ghosts is a side-scrolling action platformer where players take control of Knight Arthur.

[00:29:23] The princess has been taken by demons and it's up to us to rescue her.

[00:29:28] We'll do this by working our way through eight stages, all of which come with unique monsters to battle,

[00:29:34] dangerous terrain to work through, as well as some larger-than-life bosses,

[00:29:38] hell-bent on reducing us to a pile of bones.

[00:29:42] The nice thing about being a knight is that we have plenty of ways to vanquish evil.

[00:29:48] We start off with a throwable lance, but we can find other items as we progress.

[00:29:53] And let's not forget our trusty suit of armor.

[00:29:57] Good enough to weather one solid beating by the enemy,

[00:30:00] our armor is what will protect us as we fight the forces of evil.

[00:30:04] Even though we're weighed down by our armor and weapon,

[00:30:07] we are actually pretty nimble and we're going to need to be in order to progress further into each stage.

[00:30:14] Oftentimes, the stage itself can transform underneath our feet and we'll need to jump just right in order to stay safe and keep moving.

[00:30:23] There's definitely a lot going on with this game,

[00:30:26] and if we happen to have the instruction manual for the game handy,

[00:30:30] we're going to have a leg up when it comes to fighting the forces of darkness.

[00:30:34] I, unfortunately, do not own the instruction manual to Super G&G,

[00:30:39] but unlike my earlier years on the playground,

[00:30:42] I do have the internet at my fingertips today,

[00:30:45] so I say we bust that out and keep that bad boy handy.

[00:30:50] Alright, let's take a look-see.

[00:30:53] Ah, here we go.

[00:30:54] My favorite thing about any old school instruction manual is how there'll normally be a paragraph or two

[00:31:00] summing up the game's story or a reason for why we're doing what we're doing.

[00:31:04] It's one thing to put it in-game with a text crawl or something,

[00:31:08] but it's another to put it in your hands.

[00:31:11] So, I vote we set the stage a little more thoroughly,

[00:31:14] and then we power the game on and dive right in.

[00:31:17] What do you think?

[00:31:19] Good. I'm glad we're in agreement.

[00:31:21] So let's see here.

[00:31:23] Page six of the instruction manual sets the stage for us.

[00:31:29] All hail, Dauntless Knight Arthur.

[00:31:34] Years ago, you quelled the terrifying phantoms of the ghoul realm

[00:31:38] who hexed the earth and rescued Princess Guinevere.

[00:31:43] Since that time, you've journeyed far over the world

[00:31:46] seeking powerful weapons of white magic.

[00:31:50] Now the kingdom is shrouded under an eerie spell.

[00:31:55] Sardius, the emperor of evil,

[00:31:58] has snatched Princess Guinevere away to the slimy crypts of the phantom zone.

[00:32:04] The ghoul realm has revived,

[00:32:06] and the creatures of the undead haunt the land.

[00:32:10] Once again, you must survive the dangerous journey

[00:32:13] into the depths of the ghoul realm.

[00:32:16] You'll swat at horrid ectoplasms and ghouls whose touch is deadly.

[00:32:22] Vampires will swirl around your head.

[00:32:25] Voracious plants will snap at you,

[00:32:28] hungry for bones to gnaw on.

[00:32:32] The earth will crack,

[00:32:34] the seas will swell,

[00:32:36] and the feeds of darkness will engulf you.

[00:32:39] Your courage and skill will keep you moving through overwhelming terrors.

[00:32:46] And on the path,

[00:32:48] a mighty weapon,

[00:32:50] magic,

[00:32:50] awaits.

[00:32:52] Buckle on your sword, Arthur.

[00:32:55] It's time to begin the quest.

[00:32:59] Well, pretty straightforward and standard for story setups, I'd say.

[00:33:04] We're the hero who needs to save the girl

[00:33:06] and defeat evil in the process.

[00:33:08] Simple enough.

[00:33:10] Well, the objective is simple enough.

[00:33:13] Actually, accomplishing it is going to be a little more complicated than that.

[00:33:17] But I have faith, dear listener.

[00:33:20] We're going to accomplish this task together.

[00:33:23] Are you ready for what lay ahead?

[00:33:26] Haha, I appreciate your confidence,

[00:33:28] but you have no idea what's coming.

[00:33:32] Now, I don't own this game on the original Super Nintendo,

[00:33:35] but I do have it as part of my Super Nintendo Classic,

[00:33:38] my favorite mini console.

[00:33:40] I have it all hooked up,

[00:33:42] so let's power it on and get this baby going.

[00:33:47] Ah, I love this little system.

[00:33:49] Alright, let's see here.

[00:33:51] Super Metroid,

[00:33:52] Super Mario World,

[00:33:54] F-Zero,

[00:33:56] aha, here we go.

[00:33:57] Super Ghouls and Ghosts.

[00:33:59] I have to say,

[00:34:00] I always loved the box art for this one.

[00:34:03] No cute graphics here,

[00:34:05] just a knight in shining armor with a sword and shield

[00:34:07] with the faces of a few demons about.

[00:34:10] Just looking at this,

[00:34:12] we know that we're in for one hell of a battle.

[00:34:15] Even though I got a short explanation

[00:34:17] as to what this game was on the playground,

[00:34:19] I'll bet if I ever saw this game in a video store to rent,

[00:34:23] I would have tried to convince my mom to let me get it,

[00:34:25] sight unseen just based solely on the box art.

[00:34:29] Even as a kid,

[00:34:30] I've always appreciated a good fantasy setting

[00:34:32] and swords were my jam.

[00:34:35] And back in the day,

[00:34:36] all we really had to determine

[00:34:37] if a game was going to be good or not was the box art.

[00:34:40] So anyway,

[00:34:41] let's select Super Ghouls and Ghosts on screen

[00:34:44] and begin our journey.

[00:34:47] The first thing we see on screen

[00:34:49] are the words,

[00:34:50] Capcom Presents.

[00:34:55] Afterwards,

[00:34:56] we're taking to a scene outside.

[00:34:58] The sky is dark

[00:35:00] and there's several stars in the night sky.

[00:35:02] We're shown a bridge full of people

[00:35:04] looking up as fireworks burst high above.

[00:35:11] From the left,

[00:35:12] we see our hero,

[00:35:13] Knight Arthur,

[00:35:13] as he runs across the bridge

[00:35:15] towards the castle in the distance.

[00:35:19] Once inside,

[00:35:20] Arthur meets up with Princess Guinevere.

[00:35:23] All seems right with the world in this moment.

[00:35:27] However,

[00:35:28] we're taken to the woods outside the castle.

[00:35:32] Lush greenery can be seen

[00:35:33] for what looks like miles all around.

[00:35:36] But all is not well in the kingdom.

[00:35:40] Evil lurks in the shadows.

[00:35:43] In a flash,

[00:35:45] lightning crawls across the sky,

[00:35:48] and at the bottom of the screen,

[00:35:50] we see a winged demon appear

[00:35:52] looking out towards the castle.

[00:35:54] Another lightning strike reveals yet another demon.

[00:35:59] And then a third.

[00:36:03] At this point,

[00:36:05] the screen goes black

[00:36:06] and then we're looking at the title screen.

[00:36:09] Super Ghouls and Ghosts

[00:36:11] appears on screen.

[00:36:12] There's no music in this moment,

[00:36:14] and what we just saw was very ominous to say the least.

[00:36:19] It looks as though we're about to be descended upon by the forces of evil,

[00:36:24] so let's prepare ourselves before we set off.

[00:36:28] First things first.

[00:36:29] On screen,

[00:36:30] we have two options.

[00:36:32] We can either jump right into our adventure by selecting Game Start,

[00:36:36] or we can select Option Mode and tweak some of the game's settings.

[00:36:41] I highly recommend starting here first,

[00:36:43] so let's follow my sage advice and proceed to the Options menu.

[00:36:48] Push the Select button on your SNES controller to move your cursor down.

[00:36:52] Then go ahead and hit the Start button.

[00:36:55] From here,

[00:36:56] we have a few things that we can tweak to change up our gameplay experience.

[00:37:01] First up,

[00:37:02] the game's difficulty.

[00:37:03] Now,

[00:37:04] personally,

[00:37:05] I'm the type of person who will play a game for the first time on its default difficulty level,

[00:37:10] which in the case of Super GNG,

[00:37:12] is normal.

[00:37:14] Outside of the normal setting,

[00:37:16] we have the option to select the Beginner difficulty,

[00:37:19] or go higher than normal and select the beginning.

[00:37:22] either hard or the professional difficulty.

[00:37:25] What are the differences in each?

[00:37:27] Well,

[00:37:28] honestly,

[00:37:28] I am not 100% sure,

[00:37:30] but,

[00:37:30] the best I can tell,

[00:37:32] it seems like at higher difficulties,

[00:37:34] there are more enemies at once,

[00:37:36] they move faster,

[00:37:37] projectiles fly through the air at higher speeds,

[00:37:40] and boss monsters take a heck of a lot more damage to kill on higher difficulties.

[00:37:45] Personally,

[00:37:46] I say start the game on normal,

[00:37:48] and then make changes as needed.

[00:37:50] Admittedly,

[00:37:51] I ended up dialing the game back to the beginner difficulty as I learned the ropes,

[00:37:56] and,

[00:37:56] well,

[00:37:56] it stayed dialed down,

[00:37:58] because,

[00:37:59] as you'll soon find out,

[00:38:00] even at the lowest difficulty,

[00:38:02] this game is not at all easy.

[00:38:05] But for the sake of our run-through today,

[00:38:07] let's just leave the difficulty alone.

[00:38:10] Next,

[00:38:10] we can change up the controls a little bit,

[00:38:12] and assign different buttons to either attacking or jumping.

[00:38:16] After that,

[00:38:17] we can select how many lives we start the game with.

[00:38:21] Three is the default setting,

[00:38:23] but we can dial it all the way back to one,

[00:38:25] or we can go as high as nine.

[00:38:28] Changing this or the difficulty has no bearing on the overall experience that I can tell,

[00:38:33] other than just how enemies appear and act on screen,

[00:38:36] so set the number wherever you want.

[00:38:39] Personally,

[00:38:40] I had no issue setting this lever to nine,

[00:38:43] so I could have multiple lives in order to learn how the game works.

[00:38:47] And believe me,

[00:38:49] I used all nine lives quite often.

[00:38:52] If you run out of lives,

[00:38:54] you'll have unlimited continues to fall back on,

[00:38:57] so at the end of the day,

[00:38:58] I don't really think it matters how many lives you have.

[00:39:01] But for our run-through today,

[00:39:03] let's select nine.

[00:39:04] That's what I selected,

[00:39:06] and we're going to need all of them,

[00:39:07] I promise,

[00:39:08] as we learn how to play this game.

[00:39:10] Alright,

[00:39:11] when you are all set,

[00:39:13] select exit,

[00:39:14] and let's return to the main title screen.

[00:39:17] Alright,

[00:39:18] that's all the preparations we can make.

[00:39:20] Ready to do this?

[00:39:22] Select game start,

[00:39:23] and let's prepare to have our asses handed to us.

[00:39:26] I mean,

[00:39:27] sorry,

[00:39:27] let's prepare for a heroic adventure.

[00:39:31] As soon as we start the game,

[00:39:33] we're taken back to the interior of the castle,

[00:39:35] where Arthur and the princess are staring at each other,

[00:39:38] presumably with longing in their eyes.

[00:39:41] Then,

[00:39:42] we're shown the outside of the castle,

[00:39:44] but the camera starts to slowly zoom in on it.

[00:39:47] Are we seeing through the eyes of something sinister

[00:39:50] as it heads to the top of the castle?

[00:39:53] Whatever could this mean?

[00:39:55] Back inside,

[00:39:56] the princess has rested her head on her night,

[00:39:59] completely oblivious to the wicked turn the evening is about to take.

[00:40:04] Suddenly,

[00:40:05] glass shatters,

[00:40:06] and we see a red demon with blue wings hovering above the ground.

[00:40:10] The demon has the princess tucked under its arm like a pile of laundry.

[00:40:15] Such disrespect.

[00:40:18] Such disrespect.

[00:40:18] All our hero Arthur can do is look on in pixelated horror as the demon flies away.

[00:40:25] Once again,

[00:40:26] demons have kidnapped the princess,

[00:40:27] and once again,

[00:40:29] Arthur needs to take up arms and get her back.

[00:40:34] Before we get into the action,

[00:40:36] we're quickly shown a map of the world that we're going to be traversing.

[00:40:40] We can see each area is segmented off by a number.

[00:40:44] There are eight stages in total,

[00:40:47] and we're starting out in the dead place,

[00:40:50] which consists of the haunted graveyard and the forest of fear.

[00:40:55] After, we'll make our way to the rotting sea,

[00:40:58] where we'll need to navigate the graveyard of ships and sail the sea of despair.

[00:41:04] Ultimately,

[00:41:05] we're fighting to get to the throne room where the evil Sardius awaits us.

[00:41:10] Do you have your bearings gathered, brave knight?

[00:41:13] Good,

[00:41:14] because now it is time to begin our quest.

[00:41:23] We start the game in the haunted graveyard.

[00:41:26] The words,

[00:41:28] Ready,

[00:41:28] Go!

[00:41:29] appear on screen,

[00:41:30] and they don't stay there for very long.

[00:41:32] The game has begun,

[00:41:34] and it's time we set off.

[00:41:36] Now,

[00:41:37] the enemies in this game are going to come at us quickly and often,

[00:41:41] so let me explain what's on screen that's important to us before we get set upon by the undead.

[00:41:47] At the top left of the screen,

[00:41:49] we have our count of remaining lives as well as our score.

[00:41:53] While I'm not personally much for high score chasing,

[00:41:55] getting points by killing monsters and snagging points by collecting money bags

[00:41:59] is a good idea as it's one way for us to earn extra lives as we go.

[00:42:05] In the top middle part of the screen,

[00:42:07] we'll see a box that has an item icon in it.

[00:42:11] This shows us what weapon we currently have at our disposal.

[00:42:15] We start the game off with a lance,

[00:42:17] which Arthur will throw out in front of him to damage the enemy.

[00:42:21] We'll find different weapons to pick up as we go,

[00:42:23] including the dagger,

[00:42:25] which allows us to throw daggers much quicker than the lance,

[00:42:28] a crossbow that shoots two arrows up and at an angle,

[00:42:32] and a torch that will set the ground in front of us ablaze,

[00:42:36] just to name a few.

[00:42:38] You have to be careful, though.

[00:42:39] Picking up a new item replaces the one that you have,

[00:42:42] so be sure you want to swap out whatever weapon you have before picking up a new one.

[00:42:47] It is worth noting, too, that if you do decide to get yourself killed,

[00:42:51] when you come back to life,

[00:42:53] you will actually have in your possession whatever weapon that you previously picked up.

[00:42:57] It doesn't just default back to the lance,

[00:42:59] so keep that in mind.

[00:43:01] The last thing on screen that you'll want to be mindful of

[00:43:04] is in the upper right-hand corner,

[00:43:06] which is your remaining time.

[00:43:09] Starting off at five minutes,

[00:43:11] we need to complete the stage fully

[00:43:12] before the time expires or else we'll lose a life.

[00:43:16] This adds a bit of tension to the gameplay,

[00:43:19] but don't let it stress you out too much.

[00:43:22] While five minutes is usually enough time to complete a level,

[00:43:25] it does reset after you die.

[00:43:28] This is actually very helpful,

[00:43:30] because you will reach a checkpoint if you make your way far enough,

[00:43:33] and when you die,

[00:43:34] you'll respawn at that checkpoint with a full five-minute timer.

[00:43:38] I think there was only one instance

[00:43:40] where I actually ran the risk of running out of time,

[00:43:44] but it was because the boss that I was fighting

[00:43:45] at the end of the stage was incredibly difficult.

[00:43:49] Okay, that's all for the on-screen stuff.

[00:43:52] And it's a good thing, too,

[00:43:53] because right away, just as I predicted,

[00:43:56] we're faced with our very first enemy.

[00:43:59] Right in front of us,

[00:44:00] a zombie emerges from a casket

[00:44:02] that finds a way to burst through the very ground beneath us.

[00:44:05] It starts to shamble towards us,

[00:44:08] its lifeless face locked on ours.

[00:44:11] It's not the most grotesque pixelated zombie I've ever seen,

[00:44:15] but the sprite work in this game is pretty good overall.

[00:44:20] Even Arthur himself looks and animates extremely well.

[00:44:24] Well, don't just stand there gawking at the visuals.

[00:44:27] Let's take this vile creature out.

[00:44:30] Pressing the Y button on your SNES controller

[00:44:33] will have Arthur use his equipped weapon,

[00:44:35] and in this case, it's the lance.

[00:44:37] So go ahead and use it.

[00:44:40] There you go.

[00:44:41] Easy as that.

[00:44:43] Now, make sure you don't dilly-dally.

[00:44:46] If you stand around,

[00:44:47] more zombies will come out of the ground,

[00:44:49] and we don't want any more monsters to deal with.

[00:44:52] Plus, we have that timer to worry about.

[00:44:55] Ah, damn it.

[00:44:56] In the time it took me to say that,

[00:44:58] we have more zombies already coming out of the ground.

[00:45:01] May as well take them out too.

[00:45:06] Alright, good enough.

[00:45:07] Let's get moving.

[00:45:09] Right away, we're going to come across our first obstacle

[00:45:12] in the form of a stone pillar.

[00:45:15] While our enemies can move past it freely,

[00:45:18] presumably with the power of evil,

[00:45:20] we cannot,

[00:45:21] and we'll have to jump over it.

[00:45:24] Pressing the B button on your controller

[00:45:25] will have Arthur jump.

[00:45:28] Ah, crap.

[00:45:29] The pillar is just a little too high for us to jump over.

[00:45:33] Looks like we're going to have to break out another skill,

[00:45:35] and that is the double jump.

[00:45:38] While you're in the air after a jump,

[00:45:40] pressing the jump button again

[00:45:41] will have Arthur jump a second time for increased height.

[00:45:45] Double jumping is a skill

[00:45:47] that you're going to want to master and master quickly.

[00:45:50] We're going to be doing a lot of demon slaying,

[00:45:52] but we're going to be doing just as much platforming,

[00:45:55] so get used to how Arthur moves and jumps.

[00:45:59] Now, speaking of,

[00:46:00] here's the kicker,

[00:46:01] the caveat, if you will.

[00:46:04] When you jump,

[00:46:05] you cannot course correct in midair.

[00:46:09] Whatever trajectory that you're on

[00:46:11] is where Arthur is going to be heading

[00:46:13] until you either hit the ground

[00:46:14] or you initiate a double jump,

[00:46:17] at which point you can change your trajectory.

[00:46:19] There is no Contra-style midair movement,

[00:46:23] so be sure that you get a feel for how jumping works.

[00:46:27] Oh, and get used to the idea

[00:46:28] that you will fall to your doom

[00:46:30] more often than not because of how jumping works.

[00:46:34] It's just a fact of life in Super G&G,

[00:46:36] and the sooner you accept that,

[00:46:38] the sooner you'll get over that initial fit of rage.

[00:46:42] Anyway, I'm getting off on a tangent.

[00:46:44] Jump over this stone pillar so we can move on.

[00:46:48] Perfect. Nice work.

[00:46:50] Continuing on,

[00:46:52] zombies will continually appear on screen,

[00:46:54] so always keep your eyes open

[00:46:56] for the ground to give way to another coffin.

[00:46:59] You do not want to get caught off guard here.

[00:47:02] While you can certainly jump over enemies

[00:47:04] if you don't want to deal with them,

[00:47:06] I personally recommend taking them out

[00:47:08] if you have a moment

[00:47:09] so you don't accidentally let them overrun you.

[00:47:12] Speaking of,

[00:47:13] why don't you thin the herd a little bit?

[00:47:19] Excellent.

[00:47:20] Seems like you're starting to get the hang of things.

[00:47:24] As fun as it can be to just hang back and take enemies out,

[00:47:27] be sure that you're prioritizing moving forward.

[00:47:31] Outside of the timer that we have ticking down,

[00:47:33] it's very easy to get bogged down with a mob of enemies,

[00:47:37] but sometimes you'll just make things worse

[00:47:39] by allowing them to continually spawn.

[00:47:41] So know when you need to stand your ground and clear the way

[00:47:44] and know when you just need to get through and keep moving.

[00:47:49] As we approach a big tree in our path,

[00:47:52] we'll notice something high above.

[00:47:54] In the tree, there's a bag of money.

[00:47:58] Extra points are always a good thing,

[00:48:00] so go ahead and grab it while we're here.

[00:48:03] It's too high to get with one jump though,

[00:48:05] so be sure to do a double jump.

[00:48:08] Nice.

[00:48:09] Oh, look at that.

[00:48:11] There's a zombie coming into view on the right.

[00:48:14] It seems to be holding something though.

[00:48:16] Looks like a pot.

[00:48:18] Huh, that's odd.

[00:48:20] Let's free that pot from the clutches of the undead.

[00:48:25] Ooh, nice.

[00:48:26] When the pot hits the ground,

[00:48:28] it shatters and reveals an item inside.

[00:48:31] Pots can contain all sorts of useful stuff.

[00:48:35] You can find new weapons in pots,

[00:48:37] you can find new armor sets to wear,

[00:48:39] and you can find more points to add to your total.

[00:48:42] If you get a chance,

[00:48:43] it would be a good idea to try and take an enemy out

[00:48:46] carrying a pot.

[00:48:48] Whatever they may have

[00:48:49] just might turn the tide of battle in your favor.

[00:48:53] In this case though,

[00:48:54] the pot just contains a little night idol

[00:48:56] worth some extra points,

[00:48:57] so go ahead and scoop that up.

[00:49:00] Ah, damn it.

[00:49:01] The monsters just keep coming in.

[00:49:04] In the amount of time it took you

[00:49:06] to take out the pot carrying zombie,

[00:49:08] three more seemingly have taken its place.

[00:49:11] Quick, thin out their ranks a little bit more

[00:49:13] before we get overwhelmed.

[00:49:18] Not bad.

[00:49:19] You're doing pretty good so far.

[00:49:22] Uh-oh, what's that noise?

[00:49:25] Whoa, the ground itself is rising up

[00:49:28] and the very terrain that we're standing on

[00:49:30] is being altered beneath our feet.

[00:49:32] The evil in this area really is powerful.

[00:49:35] And I also assume whatever graphics chip

[00:49:38] is in the Super Nintendo is pretty powerful too

[00:49:40] because while this effect isn't really anything

[00:49:42] to write home about nowadays,

[00:49:44] my god I'm sure it was awesome back then.

[00:49:47] It's a dumb little effect,

[00:49:49] but seeing it happen in real time

[00:49:50] is still pretty impressive.

[00:49:53] Now that the ground has moved up,

[00:49:54] we have the ability to jump over

[00:49:56] the next stone pillar,

[00:49:57] so let's not waste any more time

[00:49:59] and let's keep moving.

[00:50:01] A little ways in front of us now,

[00:50:03] the terrain splits

[00:50:04] and we can either go up on a hill

[00:50:06] or we can stay low

[00:50:07] towards the bottom of the screen.

[00:50:10] Uh-oh, watch out.

[00:50:11] A new enemy is staring us down

[00:50:13] on top of a hill.

[00:50:15] A wolf-looking creature snarls at us,

[00:50:18] ready to pounce and rip our flesh from our bones.

[00:50:22] As we approach it,

[00:50:24] we're going to need to jump

[00:50:25] and then attack in order to hit it.

[00:50:28] Go ahead and...

[00:50:29] Ah, shit, watch out!

[00:50:31] The wolf pounced

[00:50:32] and is now flying through the air towards us.

[00:50:35] Quick, go ahead and turn around.

[00:50:37] Ah, damn it!

[00:50:38] The zombie is right about to come up

[00:50:40] from the ground underneath us.

[00:50:42] Okay, you have milliseconds to act.

[00:50:45] You're going to need to take out the zombie,

[00:50:47] dodge the wolf pounce,

[00:50:48] and then retaliate.

[00:50:49] Can you do that?

[00:50:50] Can you stay calm, Sir Knight?

[00:50:53] Haha, if you're anything like me,

[00:50:56] you'll probably panic in this small window of time

[00:50:58] and take your first hit.

[00:51:00] And there goes our armor.

[00:51:02] Wonderful.

[00:51:04] Even worse, for mobility's sake, I'm sure,

[00:51:07] Arthur made the decision to wear nothing under his armor

[00:51:10] beyond his underwear,

[00:51:11] so now we are completely exposed

[00:51:13] in more ways than one.

[00:51:16] Our armor grants us protection from one hit,

[00:51:19] but one more and we'll lose a life.

[00:51:21] Let's shake it off and get back on the offensive.

[00:51:24] Take that zombie and his pet wolf down.

[00:51:30] There we go.

[00:51:32] Alright, let's keep moving forward.

[00:51:34] You'll probably want to slow down a little bit

[00:51:36] and play a little bit more defensively

[00:51:38] now that it's going to take us just one hit

[00:51:41] before we kick the bucket,

[00:51:42] but resist the urge, Knight.

[00:51:45] In my experience, I tended to die more often

[00:51:48] when I was quote-unquote playing it safe.

[00:51:51] Now, I am not saying go fast

[00:51:53] by any stretch of the imagination,

[00:51:55] but playing it safe and going very slow

[00:51:58] made me overthink my moves,

[00:52:00] and it gave the enemy the seconds they needed

[00:52:02] to amass themselves on screen.

[00:52:04] So just keep moving.

[00:52:06] You need to trust yourself and your Knightly training.

[00:52:09] I mean, of which you've only had like 20 seconds,

[00:52:13] but keep pushing nonetheless.

[00:52:16] Once we get back to the hill

[00:52:18] that the wolf pounced off of,

[00:52:19] we'll again have the choice

[00:52:21] of going either up or staying low to the ground.

[00:52:24] On the side of the hill,

[00:52:25] an underground cave of sorts has been carved out.

[00:52:29] The doorway and several openings are blocked off

[00:52:32] with what looks like bamboo sticks

[00:52:33] that act like a cage.

[00:52:36] There's a gap wide enough for us to slip through,

[00:52:38] so when we walk past on the ground,

[00:52:41] Arthur jumps right into the cave.

[00:52:43] This actually caught me off guard the first time,

[00:52:46] so just be mindful when you get to this point.

[00:52:48] Arthur's sprite is now behind

[00:52:50] some of the background elements,

[00:52:52] and again, while this isn't really

[00:52:54] a cool graphical effect anymore,

[00:52:56] it is still pretty cool looking on the Super Nintendo.

[00:53:00] Over the course of the entire game,

[00:53:02] you'll see some interesting background effects

[00:53:04] that really push the game to its limits.

[00:53:07] There's plenty of parallax scrolling on offer,

[00:53:10] where the background moves at a different speed

[00:53:12] than the foreground simulating distance,

[00:53:14] and there's plenty of real-time graphical scaling

[00:53:16] and rotating thanks to the Super Nintendo's

[00:53:19] graphics mode, Mode 7.

[00:53:22] But don't lose focus due to all this graphical awesomeness.

[00:53:26] Inside the cave with us is a brand new enemy.

[00:53:30] Rising up from the ground is a snake-like skeleton

[00:53:33] that is literally on fire.

[00:53:35] You don't have much space to move around,

[00:53:38] and you can't jump over this new enemy

[00:53:39] due to the low ceiling.

[00:53:41] Quick, chuck some lances at this thing

[00:53:43] and try to take it out.

[00:53:47] Shit!

[00:53:48] Well, that sucks.

[00:53:50] Your lance has no effect on the snake's body.

[00:53:52] You're going to have to aim for the head.

[00:53:55] But watch out,

[00:53:56] it just sent a fireball speeding right towards you.

[00:54:02] Well, there goes our first life.

[00:54:04] With that hit,

[00:54:06] Arthur is turned into a pile of bones,

[00:54:08] and that is that.

[00:54:11] After the screen fades to black,

[00:54:13] the game starts back up again

[00:54:14] by giving us another look at the overall map,

[00:54:17] highlighting everywhere

[00:54:18] that we still need to go on our journey.

[00:54:26] It's nice to have this moment

[00:54:27] to shake it off a little bit

[00:54:29] and catch your breath,

[00:54:30] but I feel like the game is purposefully

[00:54:32] rubbing your face in the idea

[00:54:33] that you just died on the first level

[00:54:35] and you still have all of this

[00:54:37] that you have to work through.

[00:54:39] It's kind of like giving you the middle finger.

[00:54:42] Ah, whatever.

[00:54:43] Let's get back on our feet

[00:54:44] and let's get going again.

[00:54:47] With one less life,

[00:54:48] we start back over

[00:54:49] at the beginning of the level.

[00:54:51] Why don't you make your way back

[00:54:53] to where we died,

[00:54:54] and I'll explain some more

[00:54:55] of what we can expect in the game.

[00:54:57] How does that sound?

[00:54:59] So, as you make your way through a level,

[00:55:01] you'll eventually come across

[00:55:03] red treasure chests.

[00:55:05] You have to hit them with your weapon

[00:55:06] a few times to open them up,

[00:55:08] and generally they're worth the effort.

[00:55:10] Inside we can find a new weapon,

[00:55:12] a new suit of armor,

[00:55:13] or they can conceal the conjurer,

[00:55:16] an enemy that will cast a spell on us

[00:55:18] if we aren't quick enough to dodge it.

[00:55:21] As far as weapons go,

[00:55:23] like I mentioned,

[00:55:23] you can only carry one at a time.

[00:55:26] The lance that we start with

[00:55:28] is a good all-rounder, I'd say,

[00:55:30] but it can quickly be overshadowed.

[00:55:33] Personally, I really like the dagger.

[00:55:36] It allows you to toss daggers

[00:55:38] in front of you like the lance,

[00:55:39] but you can throw three daggers out

[00:55:41] in quick succession,

[00:55:43] which is really nice.

[00:55:44] The crossbow is also another good one.

[00:55:47] It shoots two arrows at once,

[00:55:49] but it does so at a 45-degree angle upwards.

[00:55:54] This sounds limiting,

[00:55:55] but you'd be surprised what you can hit with it.

[00:55:58] Lots of enemies in this game

[00:55:59] are either airborne or above you at times,

[00:56:02] so this weapon is pretty practical,

[00:56:03] and whenever I'd find it,

[00:56:05] I'd find myself hanging on to it

[00:56:06] for quite a while.

[00:56:08] Other weapons available to you,

[00:56:10] like the scythe, the torch, and the axe,

[00:56:12] are all okay,

[00:56:13] but none of them really appealed to me.

[00:56:16] I think my least favorite weapon

[00:56:18] was the axe,

[00:56:19] which you throw out in front of you,

[00:56:20] and it spins in this circular pattern of sorts.

[00:56:24] The spinning itself is so wide

[00:56:27] that it can actually miss an enemy

[00:56:29] completely at times,

[00:56:30] depending on their position and size,

[00:56:32] so I would avoid the axe at all costs.

[00:56:36] Beyond the axe,

[00:56:37] all the weapons are fine,

[00:56:38] and I think you'll come to like and appreciate

[00:56:40] whatever works for you.

[00:56:42] I don't think there's a quote-unquote

[00:56:44] spread gun or anything inherently

[00:56:46] considered to be the best weapon,

[00:56:48] but I'm sure there are people out there

[00:56:50] that can argue one way or another.

[00:56:53] Oop,

[00:56:53] I should probably check on you

[00:56:54] and see how you're doing really quick.

[00:56:56] Still making it through the graveyard okay, listener?

[00:57:02] Oh yeah, you're doing just fine.

[00:57:05] Now, let's talk about armor.

[00:57:08] Your standard steel armor

[00:57:09] is what you start out with,

[00:57:11] and you might find it in chests

[00:57:12] if you've lost it.

[00:57:14] Nothing special about it,

[00:57:15] other than it'll allow you to take

[00:57:17] one hit before it disintegrates

[00:57:19] and then you're exposed.

[00:57:20] Now, there are two other upgraded armor sets

[00:57:23] that you can find in chests.

[00:57:26] One is the bronze armor,

[00:57:28] though the color is more a light blue in game.

[00:57:31] Having the bronze armor on

[00:57:33] will upgrade whatever weapon

[00:57:34] that you currently have on you.

[00:57:36] Example,

[00:57:37] your lance becomes a flaming lance,

[00:57:40] which has more attack power.

[00:57:42] Your crossbow becomes a magic crossbow,

[00:57:45] which shoots three projectiles

[00:57:46] and they also come with a homing capability as well,

[00:57:50] which is pretty neat.

[00:57:51] I will say though,

[00:57:53] while I'm thinking about it,

[00:57:54] while this sounds like the ultimate enhanced weapon,

[00:57:57] and it very well may be,

[00:57:59] I sometimes found that

[00:58:01] one of my projectiles

[00:58:02] would just circle around a stationary enemy

[00:58:04] and it had no way to hit it.

[00:58:07] When this happened,

[00:58:08] I wasn't able to shoot the crossbow again

[00:58:10] and I found myself completely defenseless.

[00:58:13] I had to learn to get close to stationary enemies

[00:58:16] to prevent this from happening.

[00:58:18] It's not a deal breaker by any stretch,

[00:58:20] but it really got annoying when it happened.

[00:58:23] Now, as far as armor goes,

[00:58:26] the best by far is the golden armor.

[00:58:30] Wearing the golden armor opens up

[00:58:32] all of the game's best abilities,

[00:58:34] so if you see this lying around,

[00:58:35] get it.

[00:58:37] While wearing the golden armor,

[00:58:39] you'll have access to the enhanced weapons abilities

[00:58:41] that I just mentioned,

[00:58:43] but more than that,

[00:58:44] you'll be able to cast magic.

[00:58:46] And magic is going to make your life

[00:58:49] so much easier.

[00:58:51] The type of magic that you can use

[00:58:53] will depend on the weapon that you're holding,

[00:58:56] so that's something to consider.

[00:58:58] Couple examples,

[00:58:59] the lance allows you to cast thunder magic,

[00:59:02] which will call forth lightning bolts

[00:59:04] that'll pierce the air in three directions.

[00:59:07] If you have the dagger equipped,

[00:59:09] you can cast fire dragon magic,

[00:59:11] which will summon a dragon

[00:59:12] to attack everything on screen.

[00:59:15] Some magic is more of a utility type magic.

[00:59:19] Example, having the crossbow equipped

[00:59:21] will let you cast seek magic,

[00:59:23] which will reveal any hidden treasure chest around you.

[00:59:27] Casting magic is very simple.

[00:59:29] All you need to do is hold down the Y button

[00:59:31] to charge up your spell,

[00:59:33] and then at the top of the screen,

[00:59:35] you'll see a magic gauge fill up.

[00:59:37] Once it's full,

[00:59:38] let the button go and cast your spell.

[00:59:45] Easy as that.

[00:59:47] All right, how you doing over there?

[00:59:49] Ah, it looks like you've actually made some progress

[00:59:52] in the level, Knight.

[00:59:53] Good work.

[00:59:54] And as luck would have it,

[00:59:55] you're standing in front of a treasure chest.

[00:59:57] Give me just a moment to finish up my spiel

[01:00:00] on treasure chest before you break that open.

[01:00:02] The reason being,

[01:00:03] I have a warning to pass your way.

[01:00:07] Sometimes when you break open a treasure chest,

[01:00:09] it will reveal a being that I mentioned before

[01:00:12] known as the Conjurer.

[01:00:14] If you're quick on the draw,

[01:00:16] you can take this being out and that'll be that.

[01:00:19] But if you're too slow,

[01:00:21] the Conjurer will cast a transformation spell

[01:00:23] and fling it towards you.

[01:00:26] You do not want to be hit by this spell

[01:00:28] if at all possible,

[01:00:29] because if you do...

[01:00:31] Hey, what are you doing?

[01:00:33] I told you to wait.

[01:00:35] Damn it.

[01:00:35] And almost as if it was waiting for us,

[01:00:37] you've unleashed the Conjurer.

[01:00:40] Quick.

[01:00:41] If you're fast,

[01:00:41] you can take it out before it casts a spell.

[01:00:44] Of course you were too slow.

[01:00:47] Heading right at you is a ball of magic

[01:00:49] and as soon as it hits you...

[01:00:52] You're turned into...

[01:00:53] A baby?

[01:00:55] Yes, you are seeing that correctly.

[01:00:58] A literal baby.

[01:01:00] Well, that's embarrassing,

[01:01:01] but that's also what you get for not waiting for me.

[01:01:04] The worst part about being an adorable baby

[01:01:06] in a world full of ghouls and ghosts

[01:01:09] is that you can't attack while you're a baby,

[01:01:11] so you have to do your best

[01:01:12] to avoid taking any hits while you're in this state.

[01:01:15] Just like the one you're about to take from that zombie,

[01:01:18] watch out!

[01:01:21] Oh, again?

[01:01:22] It's fine. It's fine.

[01:01:24] Let's just start over

[01:01:26] and make our way back from the beginning.

[01:01:34] Like any good retro game,

[01:01:36] sometimes you just have to put your reps in, right?

[01:01:39] I guess I can use this time

[01:01:41] to talk about some of the other gameplay elements

[01:01:43] while you make your way all the way back to where you died.

[01:01:46] I'm not sure if the game was designed this way purposefully,

[01:01:49] but I often felt like Super G&G

[01:01:51] was almost like a platforming puzzle game.

[01:01:55] For the most part,

[01:01:56] enemies will appear in the same spots every time,

[01:02:00] and the same dangers usually persist across playthroughs.

[01:02:04] It's only when you slow down

[01:02:06] does the game get a chance to throw more enemies at you

[01:02:09] and bog you down,

[01:02:10] which is when you are most apt to make mistakes.

[01:02:14] Even though I figured this out pretty early on,

[01:02:17] it doesn't change the fact that

[01:02:18] what the game throws at you

[01:02:20] is often hard to circumvent.

[01:02:22] I don't think I would call the enemy placement unfair,

[01:02:25] but just like in Ninja Gaiden on the NES,

[01:02:28] sometimes there just happens to be an enemy

[01:02:30] just off screen that will only appear

[01:02:33] after you've made a jump

[01:02:34] and it'll find a way to hit you while you're in midair,

[01:02:37] sending you to your death.

[01:02:39] It's only when you know it's coming

[01:02:42] that you can inch just far enough forward

[01:02:44] to spawn it so you can draw it out

[01:02:46] and either kill it or avoid it.

[01:02:49] It's extremely aggravating

[01:02:50] when you come across these instances,

[01:02:52] but you can commit these moments to memory,

[01:02:55] and then soon they'll become a non-factor.

[01:02:58] Or at least a factor

[01:02:59] that you have a better chance at avoiding.

[01:03:02] I think to sum up this thought,

[01:03:04] take your time when you're playing Super Ghouls and Ghosts.

[01:03:08] Even though the game is constantly pushing you forward

[01:03:11] with a timer and sitting around

[01:03:13] is going to spawn more enemies,

[01:03:15] there is that element that you have to consider

[01:03:17] where you need to balance being quick,

[01:03:20] but you have to balance being careful.

[01:03:22] If you play this game like a Mario platformer,

[01:03:26] jumping and double jumping all over the place

[01:03:28] trying to get through the level as quick as you can,

[01:03:30] you are going to die, plain and simple.

[01:03:34] It took me, no joke,

[01:03:36] over 30 minutes to get to the end of the very first level,

[01:03:40] and that's not including killing the boss in that area.

[01:03:44] I got to a point where I was legitimately grumpy

[01:03:46] anytime that I would sit down to play this game

[01:03:49] because I just was not having fun at all.

[01:03:52] But it took me a while to just step back and self-analyze.

[01:03:57] The problem, for the most part, was me.

[01:03:59] I was going too fast and I was allowing myself to get frustrated,

[01:04:04] and let me tell you, anger is your enemy.

[01:04:07] No self-respecting person can be a true knight

[01:04:10] if they let their emotions cloud their judgment.

[01:04:13] You need to keep a cool head and think through your moves.

[01:04:17] You have to be efficient and you have to be quick,

[01:04:21] but you have to think through what you're doing.

[01:04:23] Only then will you truly be the knight that you're playing as,

[01:04:28] and only then will you be able to rescue the princess.

[01:04:32] Well, that last part isn't entirely true.

[01:04:36] You can be all of those things,

[01:04:39] but in the time needed to master the game,

[01:04:42] once you do get to the end,

[01:04:43] you'll find out that your best was not good enough.

[01:04:47] You see, in order to complete fully Super Ghouls and Ghosts,

[01:04:52] you need to complete the game twice.

[01:04:56] Yes, you heard me correctly.

[01:04:58] Twice.

[01:04:59] You'll make it to what you think is the end of the game,

[01:05:02] and then you'll be met with a dialogue prompt from the princess herself.

[01:05:06] Oh, Arthur, I'm so glad you came to help me,

[01:05:10] but not even you can defeat that fiend Sardis

[01:05:14] without the goddess Bracelet.

[01:05:17] I once wore the bracelet,

[01:05:19] and that's why I was attacked and captured by demons.

[01:05:22] I barely managed to hide it on the way here.

[01:05:25] Please, Arthur,

[01:05:27] come back here with the bracelet and release me.

[01:05:30] You are my only hope.

[01:05:34] At this point, the screen goes black,

[01:05:36] and we're sent back to the beginning of Stage 1,

[01:05:40] the Haunted Cemetery.

[01:05:43] Yeah.

[01:05:44] All.

[01:05:45] The.

[01:05:45] Way.

[01:05:46] Back.

[01:05:47] To the beginning.

[01:05:49] Allow me to faithfully recreate what I did in that moment

[01:05:52] as I stared at the screen,

[01:05:54] watching as zombies slowly crawled out of the ground around me once again.

[01:05:59] Hey, honey,

[01:05:59] can you grab me a pillow off the bed, please?

[01:06:03] Yeah, no, I don't care which one.

[01:06:05] Awesome.

[01:06:05] Thank you, honey.

[01:06:07] Oh, yeah, no, no, I'm good.

[01:06:08] I'm good.

[01:06:09] Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm good.

[01:06:11] Yeah, I'll be out.

[01:06:12] I'll be out for dinner and just give me a few minutes.

[01:06:15] Oh, and can you shut the door?

[01:06:17] Shut the door on your way out, please?

[01:06:19] Thanks, baby.

[01:06:20] Appreciate you.

[01:06:23] Oh, my God!

[01:06:28] I have spent over two hours of my life

[01:06:32] scraping my way through this game,

[01:06:34] clawing my way past enemies and obstacles.

[01:06:37] I have died over and over again,

[01:06:41] and that stupid sound this game plays when I die

[01:06:44] is going to be stuck in my mind forever.

[01:06:48] I've been killed by ghosts,

[01:06:51] zombies,

[01:06:54] pitfalls,

[01:06:56] and those fucking red-winged devils.

[01:07:01] God, I hate how they somehow dodge everything.

[01:07:05] And how many times did I get hit or die

[01:07:08] because I couldn't change my jump trajectory?

[01:07:11] Do you know what it's like to watch your character

[01:07:14] head straight towards an enemy or a pit

[01:07:16] and you are helpless to stop it?

[01:07:19] Oh, and don't get me started on how much this game slows down

[01:07:23] when there's so much happening on screen.

[01:07:25] I thought this was a Super Nintendo game.

[01:07:29] It even says Super in the goddamn title.

[01:07:33] Well, Super stands for Super Slowdown.

[01:07:36] That's what that stands for.

[01:07:38] How the hell do people enjoy this game?

[01:07:40] It's like sitting down with what you think is going to be a fun platforming experience,

[01:07:45] except you just end your play session disappointed.

[01:07:48] You're disappointed in the game,

[01:07:50] you're disappointed in yourself,

[01:07:51] and then...

[01:07:52] then you somehow beat it and you have to do it all again?

[01:07:57] This is the epitome of,

[01:07:59] Oh, the princess is in another castle.

[01:08:02] Ah!

[01:08:03] And princess says you have to beat the game with a specific weapon?

[01:08:07] Can't I just go backwards from where I'm at

[01:08:10] instead of having to go all the way back to the beginning?

[01:08:13] Son of a bitch!

[01:08:17] Okay, okay.

[01:08:20] I am exaggerating my frustrations.

[01:08:23] Just a little, though.

[01:08:25] Playing through the game twice for the true ending isn't unusual, really.

[01:08:31] And it's a decent way to extend the replayability of games that don't really have much.

[01:08:35] It's fine.

[01:08:37] But as a whole experience,

[01:08:39] my time with Super G&G was frustrating at times

[01:08:42] due to everything that I just complained about and a little bit more.

[01:08:46] And honestly, though, I do admit some of that was on me.

[01:08:49] It took me forever to figure it out,

[01:08:51] but the one thing I like,

[01:08:53] but also dislike about this game,

[01:08:56] is that you have to play it a certain way.

[01:09:00] You cannot play this game like a regular platformer.

[01:09:03] It's not a Mario game where you have some leeway to correct missteps.

[01:09:07] And even though there's a lot going on and enemies are flying around everywhere,

[01:09:11] this game isn't a shoot-em-up where you can just throw weapons around willy-nilly

[01:09:16] and take everything out before it takes you out.

[01:09:19] Your skills are specific and your weapons are precise.

[01:09:23] You have to take your time,

[01:09:25] you have to start memorizing what enemies will be where and when,

[01:09:29] and then proceed cautiously.

[01:09:31] Sure, you have that five-minute timer to worry about,

[01:09:34] but as you learn the levels,

[01:09:36] where the enemies are,

[01:09:37] where the potential traps and hazards are,

[01:09:39] you'll get there faster, organically.

[01:09:42] In a way, having to play the game through a second time was almost a reward.

[01:09:47] It went a lot quicker than the first time

[01:09:50] because I put so much time and effort into learning the stages.

[01:09:53] It wasn't a cakewalk or anything,

[01:09:55] I still found a way to die more often than I didn't,

[01:09:58] but my time and effort showed in my gameplay.

[01:10:03] Now, whether or not Super Ghouls and Ghosts is going to be a game that you're going to enjoy playing

[01:10:08] is going to be up to you.

[01:10:10] Personally, I happen to be at a crossroads.

[01:10:14] As I've played through more retro games,

[01:10:16] I've come to appreciate a game that expects you to master it.

[01:10:19] You need to learn how the developers want you to play the game,

[01:10:23] learn it, maybe memorize it,

[01:10:25] and then slowly become an expert in all that it has to offer.

[01:10:29] You have to put time and effort in,

[01:10:31] and sometimes that comes with vigorous repetition.

[01:10:35] You don't really have the freedom to play the game that you want to, really,

[01:10:39] and there is something inherently satisfying when you do master a game like this

[01:10:43] and figure out the best way to play it.

[01:10:46] On the other hand, though,

[01:10:47] and maybe this is due to the fact that I've played more modern games than I have retro,

[01:10:51] I appreciate a game that encourages experimentation,

[01:10:55] and there isn't a singular way that you have to play the game in order to master or complete it.

[01:11:00] It's up to you, as a player, to use the tools and resources the developers give you,

[01:11:06] and in that freedom you create a unique experience for yourself.

[01:11:10] You're not altering the game, really,

[01:11:12] but you're not bound to memorize patterns,

[01:11:14] and you don't need to play it cautiously 100% of the time.

[01:11:19] Depending on what you're looking for in games in general,

[01:11:22] I think whether or not you gravitate towards one extreme or the other

[01:11:25] will decide what Super Ghouls and Ghosts means to you as a gaming experience.

[01:11:31] For me, I'm in a spot where, depending on my mood, I can actually go either way.

[01:11:37] It took me a while to get into the mindset,

[01:11:39] but once I did, I did have a really, really good time with Super Ghouls and Ghosts.

[01:11:44] I enjoyed learning, taking my time, and ultimately overcoming challenges

[01:11:49] by playing the game the way I needed to play it.

[01:11:52] If you are considering going into this game for the first time,

[01:11:56] or maybe you have at one point and it still finds a way to kick your ass,

[01:12:00] change your mindset.

[01:12:02] Change what it is that you're going into this game for.

[01:12:05] If you're looking for a laid-back, trial-and-error sort of experience

[01:12:09] where you have multiple tools in a toolkit,

[01:12:12] and it's up to you to use them however you want,

[01:12:14] avoid this game.

[01:12:16] Avoid it at all costs.

[01:12:18] If you can get into the frame of mind that you're locking in

[01:12:22] to learn something specific, study it,

[01:12:24] and that's how you want to feel rewarded,

[01:12:27] Super Ghouls and Ghosts will be right up your alley.

[01:12:30] This game is well-designed from that standpoint,

[01:12:32] and the overall presentation makes this a very polished game.

[01:12:37] So, if you're looking for a spooky game for Halloween season,

[01:12:42] I don't know if Super Ghouls and Ghosts will scratch that itch per se,

[01:12:46] but if you're looking for a solidly made,

[01:12:48] well-put-together video game experience

[01:12:50] that's as challenging as it is rewarding,

[01:12:53] this one is for you.

[01:12:56] But if you're not looking for any of these things,

[01:12:59] the next time the princess gets kidnapped,

[01:13:01] you're probably just going to want to say screw it

[01:13:03] and do anything but rescue her.

[01:13:35] And with that,

[01:13:36] we have come to the end of another journey

[01:13:38] into the gaming wildlands, my friends.

[01:13:41] This has been episode 60 of the Retro Wildlands,

[01:13:45] Super Ghouls and Ghosts for the Super Nintendo.

[01:13:49] Thank you very much for tuning into the show today.

[01:13:53] I pretty much assumed going into this game

[01:13:55] it was going to be difficult and hard to master,

[01:13:57] but I had no idea what that meant

[01:13:59] until I was in the trenches

[01:14:01] and dying repeatedly in the opening level.

[01:14:04] But I also didn't have any idea

[01:14:06] how satisfying it was going to be when I locked in

[01:14:09] and beat it at its own game

[01:14:11] the way it wanted me to.

[01:14:13] I have a lot of respect for these kinds of games

[01:14:16] and while I'm not sure I'll ever come back

[01:14:18] to this one specifically,

[01:14:19] I am happy I played it and saw it through.

[01:14:22] A game that truly does honor to its arcade brethren,

[01:14:25] this one is truly one of the greats,

[01:14:29] even if it taught me some new swear words along the way.

[01:14:33] If you like the show today

[01:14:35] and you want to show it and myself some support,

[01:14:37] please consider subscribing to the Retro Wildlands

[01:14:40] on your preferred podcasting platform.

[01:14:43] At the end of the day,

[01:14:44] this show and all the things that I do for it

[01:14:46] is strictly a hobby for me,

[01:14:48] one that I sometimes have to shove in between

[01:14:50] all the other important and non-important things

[01:14:53] going on in my life.

[01:14:55] Because of that,

[01:14:56] while I try to work on new episodes whenever I can,

[01:14:58] I don't have a solid release schedule.

[01:15:01] I just pump things out whenever I have the opportunity to do so.

[01:15:05] Because of that,

[01:15:06] following the show will let you know the moment

[01:15:08] I post something new.

[01:15:10] You can also follow the show on your favorite social media platform

[01:15:13] and get updates that way

[01:15:15] and an opportunity to leave comments

[01:15:17] on whatever I'm talking about on the show

[01:15:19] and a chance to have them read and responded to.

[01:15:23] Now, if you really like the show

[01:15:25] and you have a few minutes to spare,

[01:15:28] I would love it if you left us a good review

[01:15:30] on your pod platform if you're able to do so.

[01:15:33] You can leave a star rating on Spotify

[01:15:35] as well as reviews on iTunes,

[01:15:38] Podchaser,

[01:15:38] Good Pods,

[01:15:39] and Podcast Addict.

[01:15:41] At least, those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

[01:15:44] Good reviews will help circulate the show around,

[01:15:47] but more than anything,

[01:15:48] it'll let me know that you're digging what it is that I'm doing here.

[01:15:51] I put a lot of time and effort into my projects,

[01:15:54] so knowing you like what I'm doing would mean the world to me.

[01:15:58] But, as always,

[01:16:00] you are under no obligation to leave a review

[01:16:02] if you don't have time or you just don't want to.

[01:16:05] The fact that you're listening to my words right now

[01:16:08] is much more than I could ever have asked for,

[01:16:11] so above all else,

[01:16:13] thank you for being here.

[01:16:16] So, what's coming up next?

[01:16:18] With Halloween fast approaching,

[01:16:20] it's hard not to want to think about

[01:16:22] and play another spooky game for the show.

[01:16:25] But when I was thinking about what I wanted to do this year,

[01:16:28] I kept coming back to Resident Evil,

[01:16:30] one of my favorite game franchises of all time.

[01:16:34] As I've been learning to livestream games,

[01:16:36] I decided my first solo stream

[01:16:38] was going to be me playing the original Resident Evil on the PlayStation.

[01:16:43] I had an absolute blast replaying that game

[01:16:46] and talking to so many people about it in real time.

[01:16:49] So much so that I've started to play Resident Evil 2 next.

[01:16:53] But thinking back to the original,

[01:16:55] it just so happened to be the very first game

[01:16:58] I talked about on the Retro Wildlands podcast.

[01:17:02] My first couple episodes on this show

[01:17:04] were very, very freeform

[01:17:06] and didn't have hardly any of the music or sound effects

[01:17:10] that our later episodes are known for.

[01:17:12] I often think about what a modern episode of Resident Evil

[01:17:16] would be like on the show,

[01:17:17] now that I've found my format

[01:17:19] and I'm pretty comfortable editing audio now.

[01:17:22] So, with that being said,

[01:17:23] I have decided to go back to where it all started for me,

[01:17:27] as both a podcaster and as a gamer.

[01:17:29] So next time on the podcast,

[01:17:32] we're going to revisit the original Resident Evil

[01:17:35] on the Sony PlayStation in a revisited episode.

[01:17:39] I hope you can join us again in the gaming wildlands

[01:17:42] as we take the expedition to the Arclay Mountains

[01:17:44] just outside of Raccoon City

[01:17:46] and discover the dark secrets of the Spencer Mansion.

[01:17:50] It's going to be a great time

[01:17:52] and I'm really looking forward to putting on a great show for you all,

[01:17:55] one worthy of spooky season.

[01:17:59] Until then, my friends,

[01:18:01] my name is Nomad

[01:18:03] and you can find me

[01:18:05] roaming the retro wildlands.