STAGE 1
and how to beat Arremers consistently.
STAGE 2
and how to attack rapidly.
STAGE 3
and a bit on version differencies.
STAGE 4
STAGE 5,
including information on the Satan boss in different versions.
STAGE 6 (single Unicorn, double ogres - Revision G and CCC
versions).
ASTAROTH
SECOND LOOP
APPENDIX
Basic mechanics.
Weapons guide.
STAGE 6 walkthrough for the twin Unicorns, single ogre version - as seen in
the original arcade US release and some other revisions.
This guide covers detailed strategies for all levels of all versions of
the original Arcade game. The Capcom Classic Collection versions,
which you are probably playing, are based on the Japanese
revisions, and these are the ones that take precedence; most of the
time, I will explain strategies for all versions and mention major
differences, though. Stage 6, for example, is too different, and I've
added a special section for the double-Unicorn, single-ogre, hidden-
Arremer versions of it in the Appendix.
Another appendix contains a weapon guide just incase. In short,
though, all weapons other than the Lance and Dagger are
objectively inferior, and you need Shield by the end of stage 6 to
complete the game.
THE MISSION OF THIS GUIDE is to provide actual strategies to
beating various enemies in this insane game. Makaimura (the
original name for G'n'G) is all about learning. You can't pass most of
the later stages without learning exactly how every enemy acts
and reacts. Fighting Arremers is a nightmare - and an impossibility
when there are several in a row - unless you know how to do it right.
WALKTHROUGH
STAGE 1
One of the hardest aspect of Ghosts'n'Goblins series is the
randomness of enemy spawn. If you ever had trouble with medusa
heads in Castlevania, keep in mind that every G'n'G/Makaimura
game including this one is like that from first stage to last. Roughly
half the enemies are static and non-respawning, and half are
random and infinite.
On stage 1-1 (Graveyard), the spawning enemies are the Zombies.
They can spawn under you, but you can dodge if you're quick. Go
forward as fast as you can.
Hitting the gravestones enough times may produce the Magician
monster. It shoots sparks that can turn you into a frog; sparks kill
you if you don't have armour.
The road above is easier. Zombies spawn on the upper ledge, too,
but if you choose to walk below, you will have to dodge the flower
projectiles all the time, which can be tricky if you're not used to the
game mechanics yet. Crows shouldn't be a problem - look out and
shoot in advance.
When the upper ledge ends, slow down. There's a red gargoyle
monster called the Red Arremer sitting on the plain ahead, and it's
one of the trickiest and most hated enemies in video game history.
Fighting an Arremer may seem impossible or completely luck-based
at first, but there is strict logic to it's behavior. The difficulty with
Arremers is that they lack obvious patterning - they dodge your
attaks and aim straight at you. Actually guiding them into a pattern
is the main objective here.
1. Unless Arremer is already doing something, it's going to dodge
your attacks. There's a weapon Arremer can't dodge... but only in
the later games, not this one.
2. It won't dodge the first attack launched at it, though, so land the
first blow as fast as you can before it sweeps into the sky.
3. Arremers can sweep at you at random angles, including directly
from above and from outside the screen, and shoot projectiles at
you.
You can probably beat an Arremer through losing the armour or
luck, but that's not enough, because later in the game there are
going to be several of them in a row, especially in the later levels,
and unless you can kill them consistently, you're gargoyle fodder.
Here's what you do to beat an Arremer:
1. Don't shoot randomly hoping to hit it. If you keep shooting, the
Arremer will just get at a strange angle and murder you.
2. As it flies to the side, it may just glide above, but mostly it'll
probably try to either shoot a spark or sweep. Sparks you can only
dodge. But if the Arremer sweeps, run away (and don't shoot - you
don't have the time and it'll break the pattern) until it starts to rise
again. When it starts to ascend, turn back and run under it.
3. This will almost always end in Arremer landing right away. It
reacts thus to you passing under it.
As it lands, you can often land one hit and repeat. Arremers take
three to die. But that's troublesome, because occasionally they can
trick you or dodge. You can do better, though.
4. After the Arremer has landed, don't jump or shoot. The monster
will probably go back and forth on the ground a bit, maybe shoot a
spark, but most often it waits a few seconds and then charges at
you.
5. You will have to recognize this charge - it's different from the
normal running. A harging Arremer can not dodge. Tricking
Arremers into charging it the main way of dealing with them.
Normally, they charge if you stand still for long or get too close - of
course, only when they are on the ground themselves. The only
danger here is that if the Arremer decides to shoot a spark first, you
will have to jump, and it'll probably make the Arremer change it's
plans.
So, in order to kill the Arremer consistently, you have to
1. make it sweep at you,
2. run away until it starts to go up, then run back right under it,
3. which would make it land,
4. so that you could trick it into charging you, to do which you will
have to refrain from jumping and shooting.
It still isn't easy, but you will have to learn this or you won't get past
stage 3-2 (five Arremers with random enemies spawning around),
let alone the horror that is stage 6.
This concludes the information you need to beat the "gargoyle," as
the Western versions call them.
Now look at the tombstone to the right (the last one before the
water pit). To the left of it there's a tombstone and a cross on the
background. Jump over that to have armour appear. It's a secret to
everybody. (This and other armour spawns will only work if you
don't have armour on.)
The moving island actually has a tricky pattern to it - look closer, it
doesn't just shuttle, it occasionally stops at mid-point and goes
back, probably killing you as you try to jump on or off it. On the
other side of the water pit is a checkpoint that persists even if you
take a continue.
1-2 (Forest).
Levels 1 through 4 have mid-checkpoints. What this game doesn't
have is checkpoints before bosses. I hope you didn't think the
Arremer was the stage boss.
Passing the six floating armours is a matter of hand-eye
coordination - I believe they occasionally fly a bit differently, so you
will have to judge on the spot. Normally, it's possible to evade the
first three on the small island. You can only kill them from behind,
which is pointless outside of building the highscore. There are two
groups of armours, and the general rule is: you rarely have to
retreat, but when they show up, you normally wait for them to pass
before advancing.
Random spawning whatever things - I hear these are actually
ghosts - can shoot spears forward or from above and are better
killed off before there's too much of them, just like the zombies.
Walk forward unless you get cornered. Jump and kill ghosts that fly
too low - but don't overdo the latter and don't hunt for the high-
flying ones. There are going to be two shooting flowers, and the
second one is set a bit low, so you will have to crouch to hit it with
the spear.
STAGE 1 BOSS - "Unicorn".
This cyclops may look intimidating, but it's nothing compared to an
Arremer you've just beaten.
It may run ahead; jump a little towards you; jump to where you
stand; and shoot projectiles.
1. It won't run if you don't.
2. It won't do the big jump unless you're too far away.
3. It won't shoot unless you give it time.
You have to land ten hits.
The main trick here is that if you shoot, the Unicorn will most likely
jump straight up, thus posing no danger. Jumping yourself would be
a mistake, though. What you do is stand and try to time your
attacks so that you don't miss it - only shoot as it gets low enough
to get hit again. If you keep shooting it just as it lands, more often
than not it'll keep jumping, probably dying thus. If you aren't
precise enough, the Unicorn may try to jump slightly towards you.
Don't run away unless necessary, or it'll shoot or stampede. Just
back off a bit and shoot as quickly as possible - it would jump
straight up again. There's your key.
STAGE 2.
2-1 is a very short segment where you have to climb up, then jump
to the right. Climb up and to the right as fast as you can and don't
hunt - dodge and only kill if the enemy's in range. Once there's
nowhere to climb, go right; when you don't see platforms anymore,
jump as far as you can - WARNING! the last platform before the
solid ground will fall into the water, so you will have to run a few
steps and jump again.
But this is not hard at all. Hard is what follows.
2-2 (The Town).
This is the last checkpoint on stage 2. This is the place which
overwhelmed many players and made them give up on the game.
It's nothing compared to further horrors, but it's the first place in
the game that, on your first play, really does look impossible.
It isn't, though.
The first house you pass will spawn gremlins. They run towards you
and then go up. These monsters are a bit tricky; they're also infinite
here and can follow you. It's easier to jump over than trying to
shoot them all because of the quick random spawn. NB: this place
is good if you have a bad weapon and want to fish for a better one -
the gremlins die easily and carry pots often.
To the right is the multistoried house full of ogre monsters. These
are the second worst (after Arremers) stage monster and you'd
want to learn fighting them properly, or you'll never survive stages
5 and especially 6.
An ogre would:
1. Shoot through the floor if you're directly below.
2. Rush at you if you're on the same ledge and they're facing you.
3. Shoot forward if you try to run away.
They take a load of punishment (ten hits) and keep advancing as
you shoot, so, normally, you will have to have some free space
between you and the ogres. It's also possible to shoot a few times,
jump over, shoot twice, jump over, etc.. There's an even better
maneuvre, though.
RAPID FIRE technique.
The real trick here is rapid fire. Lance, Dagger and Shield are best
suited for this. Rapid fire isn't a cheat and doesn't require hardware
adjustments.
Now, the logical way would be to hit the button as fast as you can.
The truth is, though, fast button presses make Arthur fire the
slowest. Maybe this was a design flaw, or, more likely, it's one of
the intentionally maddening things that comprise Makaimura.
Try finding the rhythm. It must be constant and not very fast. To
find it,
1. Try tapping as fast as you could and see how often the weapon
goes.
2. Tap a bit slower, until your projectiles shoot much faster. That's it.
3. Normally, when an ogre is running at you, you will instinctively
tap faster. Don't! If your rhythm is constant and presses are at the
correct speed, you'll shoot so fast the ogre is completly stunned; if
it still manages to advance, you're still hitting the button too fast.
Now, navigating the house is maddeningly hard if you can't rapid-
fire (or have a torch, ha ha), but if you actually learn to do this trick,
things quickly become rather manageable.
Got to the right until you hit the wall, ascend, kill ogres, repeat until
you get to the right side of the buiding and must get to the first
floor again. Now, you can just kill all the ogres beforehand - they
don't respawn, - but that's not necessary for progress. The tricky
part would then be descending the ladder to a floor where an ogre
is waiting. It can see you starting from mid-point of your climb, and
you can't jump off the ladder either. The only way to do this
effectively is being patient: let the ogre walk away far to the left,
then descend and either run to the next ladder (normally you can
run and descend before the ogre shoots)? or turn and rapid-shoot it
to oblivion.
NB: after you get out of the building, there is no checkpoint.
Proceed to the right. Pay attention to the red crows - they can home
in on you - and don't be hasty with the platforms.
STAGE 2 BOSS - two "Unicorns."
That's right, there are two of them now. BUT you don't have to
trigger both at the same time! If you're cautious, you can fight one
and then another. The strategy persists. Fighting two is tricky and
unadvisable unless you're looking for an added challenge - which
you aren't, what with what's coming in...
STAGE 3.
3-1 (Caves).
Bats can occasionally descend low enough to hit you, but not every
time and are rarely dangerous. Zombies also spawn here. The new
enemy is the living stalagmite called the Monster Tower. It can
shoot purple orbs from the top mouth, bottom mouth, or both at
once. The shots fly straight ahead and are counterable with the
Shield if you have it (i.e., are on you second loop). The stalagmite
can be hit when it's firing, which isn't all that tricky. The biggest
problem would probably be the zombies. There are only two
stalagmite monsters before the checkpoint, and if you have
problems, you may try just rushing this segment. The upper ledge
is no different from the lower ledge in any way.
3-2 is the next truly hard part of the game. Right at the start an
Arremer appears - and it's already aware of you. Refer to the guide
above if you fail (see STAGE 1) - there are only a few Arremers in
the game that take a different strategy, and I'll mention them
specifically.
Ghosts from 1-2 spawn here, and they can occasionally corner you.
You can see how predictably they spawn at specific places, though.
Move forward and up and you will see another Arremer sitting on
the cliff. You can jump toward it and kill it before it soars if you're
precise. A good idea would be refraining from shooting until you're
standing a few steps away from it and using the rapid fire
technique. This way, more often than not, the Arremer will not be
able to take off at all.
There is a SECRET ARMOUR obtainable soon after this second
"gargoyle." (As always, it only appears if you are in underwear
already.) To get it, walk until you see a ladder, ascend it and go to
the left, then jump towards the cliff on the upper-right - the armour
will appear atop the ladder you've just ascended.
Don't go up, though. Get the armour if you need it and return. Go to
the right instead - the upper route is mostly the same, but a little bit
harder.
There's an Arremer in the trench. Make sure you kill the ghosts that
may spawn before you jump at it. Again, a good idea may be not
shooting right until you land on firm ground in order to lockt he
Arremer on the ground.
Yet another Arremer sits on the cliff, and you can't punk him the
way you probably did the previous two. You have to scare him with
a spear and then fight him normally. WARNING! The platform to the
left of the Arremer spawns a gremlin somewhere midpoint, and you
better turn around and shoot it before it gets above and adds to
frustration.
There's a trick to this Arremer, though - you can just run to the right
under it and jump off the cliff. That's where you're supposed to go
anyway, and this Arremer won't be able to follow you if you're fast
enough. Also, there's another armour hidden here: if you jump from
the very edge and fly as far to the right as you can, you will find the
armour below. There seems to be an occasional glitch in it's
spawning, though.
There's yet another Arremer down the trench. Kill it using the
normal technique and proceed to the boss.
LEVEL 3 BOSS - The Dragon.
Here comes the first difference between the versions of the games:
some editions have slightly modified boss A.I.
For this particular boss all versions have the same general pattern,
although particulars may vary.
1. It flies around, going either higher or lower based on where you
were when it turned.
2. It will occasionally shoot projectliles that are blockable with the
Shield (you can only have it this early if you're on second loop,
though).
3. It will occasionally drop or ascend sharply.
You can chop off segments by hitting it's tail to make it easier to
jump over, which is a good thing, but doesn't damage the monster
itself. The Dragon can be killed with several hits to the muzzle. One
thing to remember is, you normally can't just tackle it head on - you
won't be able to land enough hits before it reaches you.
STAGE 4.
4-1 is a crazy, borderline broken platforming segment with no
random enemies and an Arremer in the end. Describing this is
almost impossible - you will have to get a feel of the questionable
physics at play here. It's nothing like any proper platformer,
whether intentionally or not (physics like this never return in later
Makaimuras). It's not hard, but physics are just too weird.
The general trick is:
1. Your-height platforms must be passed with a forward jump.
2. Slightly-above-your-height platforms (there are two of these) are
normally reachable with a straight jump up as the platform is flying
towards you.
3. When two platforms at same height intersect, the one that
automatically drags you is actually the one you need - always let
the new platform take you.
This level is short, so watch the platforms, understand the mild
trickery in their movement and pass safely. When you see an
Arremer below, you're almost at the checkpoint. Note: you can
jump a few paces to the right of the Arremer and kill it before it
flies. The checkpoint triggered when you enter the bridge ahead, so
you can run there first if you're afraid of losing this duel.
4-2 (The Bridge).
Shield weapon starts dropping here. If you happen to get it, keep it,
as it's a rare drop and a necessity for completing the game. It
makes the game a bit harder, though. Because it freaking sucks.
See the weapon guide appendix if you need info.
On the bridge, you just run straight ahead and never stop - you
have much better chances this way. I have never seen the pillars of
fire actually get anyone, so don't be afraid of them. The random
gremlins are a bigger problem, but, normally, they can't catch you
if you're constantly moving ahead. Jump-shoot them when they get
near, and you'll pass the bridge safely.
After an Arremer (you might want to sneak up on it and kill it before
it flies - else, use the normal method) you will fight another dragon,
which is exactly like the one in Stage 3.
STAGE 5 - Castle Entrance.
There will be no mid-level checkpoints anymore. It's even worse
than it sounds, too, because the next two stages are some of the
most hardcore things in video game history.
Check out the gremlin above - it's carrying a spark. They spawn
randomly and shoot these sparks, then attack. Now check out the
skull ahead - there's a jumping goddamn skeleton hiding there. You
can kill the skeletons before they jump, but walk too close, and
they're all over the screen.
Run to the right, and the ghosts will start spawning, too. Shoot the
skull, climb the ledge. This is the place where it's easier to get (or
accidentally lose) weapons, because there's just so much stuff
spawning all around the place. There are two bats above, they're
proximity triggered and normally fly below upper ledge, but
ocasionally at shoulder height. I suppose you should farm for the
Shield here if you haven't got one already. The actual advice here is
- look out, they're everywhere and keep spawning. Pass this as fast
as you can, don't hunt anything, but don't rush either. I prefer going
one ledge up, then to the left (where two skulls sit), then up and to
the left of the bat, then further left.
Run to the left and climb the ladder. See the Arremer to the uper-
right? Careful. First, kill everything currently on the screen (it's
probably one gremlin and one ghost). There's a bat high above and
it occasionally dives really fast, but more often than not it's a non-
issue as it just flies toward the end of the screen.
The Arremer above will wake the moment you ascend the ladder,
but there's an easy trick to beating it: run towards it and when
you're about three or four block away, shoot. It almost never
escapes.
Look out for the ghost that spawns above as you ascend the ladder
to the left.
Now here's the stage 5's ogre gauntlet. There are multiple ways to
pass it, but here's the shortest:
1. Go to the left.
2. Jump on the cliff, then onto the ogre platform and climb quickly.
3. Here wait until the ogre walks past the ladder from right to left,
and climb EXACTLY when it's just passed it - this way you will
always have enough space to rapid-fire the monster.
(3a. Unless a gremlin spawns, or a ghost. In that case, you will have
to kill it before going up, or it'll certainly home in as you're fighting
the ogre.)
4. When you get onto the ogre ledge, run straight to the right until
you've passed the ogre above, and only then turn around and rapid-
fire.
5. To the right is the moving platform, but if you're already here,
you've successfully passed the hardest part of the gauntlet. Jump
on the platform, run to the right and jump.
6. Climb the ladder, kill the ghost that spawns above it, run right,
rapid-fire the ogre, jump, rapid-fire another ogre if it happens to see
you, and climb the ladder.
That's it, you've passed the gauntlet and are ready to fight the new
boss. No checkpoint, though. Climb a few ladders and keep to the
left, unless you already know how to fight Satan (yeah).
STAGE 5 BOSS - Satan.
It's just a red mothman monster, but whatever. This is the boss that
has different patterns in different versions. The US Arcade version
has the broken, crazy patterns and 8 HP on the boss, while other
versions mostly have the normal patterns and 4 HP. Capcom
Classic Collection on the consoles and PSP all apparently carry the
(localized) Makaimura Japanese revision G, which is the more
adequate of the bunch indeed. If you're playing the US version, the
patterns are borderline inexplicable and half the time unavoidable.
Here I give patterns for the Revision G / CCC versions - because in
the US version, the Satan boss just hangs around a bit and then
homes in on you and murders you and that's it.
The mothman (Satan) has a few attack patterns outside the
ordinary projectile, the latter not being a problem if you carry the
Shield - as you well should.
Killing the mothman with a normal weapon like the Lance isn't all
that hard, even in the US version, because you can just keep your
distance. But the Shield is almost melee - meaning that you will
have to stand four blocks or less near the boss, which puts you in
immediate danger. But you better start learning to beat it with the
Shield, because next level you WILL have to beat two of them with
the Shield if you want to progress towards the final boss - if you
beat the Satan bosses in stage 6 with any other weapon, you're
teleported to the beginning of Stage 5.
So.
It's got several attack patterns depending on it's relative position:
1. Slightly above you: will fly straight forward, is duckable (but not
in the Arcade US version - there you just die).
2. Almost near the top of the screen: will fall towards you and chase
you until either it hits or you jump over it. Jumpable, but you can't
run away no matter what. The moment you jump, it'll soar back up
agian, but will lower and be open to attack (except if you're playing
the US version, where it may fly even higher and stay completely
out of your reach as it shoots).
3. Below you: it will ascend at an angle.
4. Exactly at your height (or ocassionally slightly above you, as in
point 1): fly directly at you. Jumpable, but you can't run away. The
mothman'll go up the moment you jump over it (or it catches up
with the coward).
Note: it's only vulnerable when it's not covering itself with it's wings.
Normally, you hit it a few times close-up, then retreat. It will make
sure it's on the same screen, following you if needed, and soon do
one of the patterns, depending on it's relative position. Evade it (or
get hit), and you will more often than not have the chance to
retaliate. If you don't manage to kill it at this point (as is sometimes
the case if it is/was too high to hit previously), the process repeats.
STAGE 6 - The Castle.
This place is going to do you in, and do you in repeatedly. It's
tenfold more hardcore than the previous stage, and then there are
two Satans in the end, with no checkpoints.
CAREFUL! Make sure you have the Shield! Don't lose it to random
drops! Don't beat the level unless you have it or you'll have to
replay from Stage 5!
At first, there's this joke with five skulls and a ghost above. But on
the top of the ladder there's a Unicorn monster. Chances are, you
aren't going to have trouble, but you may refer to STAGE 1 BOSS
segment above.
This point can be different in different revisions of the game,
though. There may be two Unicorns on that same ledge, which
makes them literally unbeatable without losing the armour. Yes,
there may be an unpassable part in some of the versions. In some
versions one Unicorn won't fight unless you hit it accidentally. The
Capcom Classic Collection on the consoles and PSP has one
Unicorn, as do the later Japanese Arcade revisions. If you're playing
the version with two unicorns, look to the appendix in the end. I will
discuss Level 6 in the broken versions - it's not impossible, but it
takes some trickery to pass. Here I'll deal with the (supposedly)
later, more adequate revisions - which are the ones Capcom
maintains in modern compilations, so they must he be definitive
ones.
Anyway, if you're playing the one-Unicorn version, just kill the poor
bastard.
Two ledges higher is a Dragon. Keep in mind that there's a set of
armour soon, so if you get hit here, it's okay.
When you have killed the dragon, do the following:
1. Go to the right of the dragon-pen and climb.
2. Climb until you're on the same level as the Arremer.
3. Ignore the second Arremer waking up above, jump towards the
closer one and shoot it before it flies. (As always, remember to
touch the ground and only then rapid-fire.)
4. Jump back down again! This will lose the second Arremer and
you won't have to risk fighting him later. There are enough
Arremers above as is. More than enough.
Now go up the ladder on the right and don't faint - there are two
ogres at once.
The trick here is to keep both ogres to the same side of the ladder -
left - and climb as the closer ogre is passing the ladder from right to
left. I don't advise attempting to fight them on both sides - though
feasible, it'll probably make you tap the fire button faster out of
sheer nerves, lose the rhythm, fail the rapid-fire and get murdered.
Having done them both, go to the right. Near the skull, a set of
armour will drop if you are in underwear. Kill the skull anyhow. To
the right, there was an Arremer, but we punked him by jumping
earlier.
Keep both ogres above to the right, climb and rapid-fire. Keep an
eye on the upper ogres, though - they're occasionally adventurous
if you aren't fast enough.
Kill the skull and walk to the left - but be cautious. See the two
Arremers? They need not wake at all. Don't pass the ladder, and
they won't; climb up and run to the right.
Kill two more ogres and a skull, but don't run past the ladder as
there's another Arremer above.
This last Arremer in the game will wake up as you reach it's
platform, but if you haven't wakened it earlier, you will be able to
just shoot it before it can fly. It's one of the two Arremers in the
game that almost never fly if you're quick. Just don't wake the skull
and don't shoot until the Arremer's in your range. THEN you also do
the skull in. Just because you can.
Run to the left, kill whatever you have to and climb.
STAGE 6 BOSS - two Satans.
You need not fight both at once. The second Satan is to the far right
and will only wake if you really run around a lot. The less risky
ladder is again to the left, but true pros use the right one and attack
earlier. The pattern is exactly the same, except you have less space
to run around and you have to win twice in a row.
Winning this fight isn't all that hard with a Lance or a Knife, but you
MUST have the Shield here if you want to get to stage 7 and beat
the game.
STAGE 7 - Astaroth.
If you have the Shield (Cross in the original Japanese version), after
you beat the mothmen, you will advance to stage 7, which only
consists of the final boss.
There's princess Prin Prin - or "Guinevere" in the US version. "Prin,"
if you must know, is onomatopoeia for "jiggle", like pudding or, well,
girly amenities. That figures. You really need to save the girl - save
her from Japan itself.
Be warned, though. You're only on your first loop now. After you
beat Astaroth, the game will send you to Stage 1 on slightly higher
difficulty. You need to beat the game twice to save Prin Prin. I know
what you're probably feeling. But that's how it is.
LEVEL 7 BOSS - Astaroth.
The trick to killing him isn't obvious, but he's plenty easy. Astaroth
only has one pattern - fireballs at a 45 angle from one of his
mouths. Arthur automatically faces the boss and you can shoot
forward while retreating.
What you have to do is land ten hits between the mouths. If the
shield makes a blue spark, you've missed. Yellow spark is a hit. Ten
times, and he's done. You can lose and continue - Astaroth is a
seperate stage, so it's fine if you fail at first. He isn't hard, though,
not compared to what you just went through. What I personally did
to hit the right spot was shoot as I was landing, almost before
ground.
LOOP 2.
Difficulty here is slightly raised. Sparks and other projectiles
apparently fly faster, though that's about it. You start with the
Shield, and I was able to go through the whole game with it just
fine, having only the most minor difficulties with stalagmites on 3-1.
When you finally reach Astaroth again, it's going to be the real
thing. Do him in just like the last time...
..and you have conquered the original Ghosts'n'Goblins!
Prin Prin will kiss you, you will get 70,000 points, the game will
congratulate you, and you'll be set free into level 1 incase you want
to work towards even higher score. That's it, though! You have
actually won.
APPENDIX
BASIC MECHANICS
The weapon you have persists between stages, loops (after you
beat the final boss) and after continues - to reset the weapon you
have to restart the game. If you've picked a new weapon, the old
one is lost - it's unfair, it can be frustrating, but that's how it is.
Make sure you're careful with pots in order to not accidentally pick
a new weapon if you already have a good one.
Weapons are not balanced - some are clearly worse than the others
and serve as traps.
All except fot the shield (cross in the original Japanese version) are
available through random drops in all six stages; shield is available
through random drops in Stages 4 through 6.
After you beat stage 6, you can only get to Stage 7 if you have the
shield; otherwise you'll be teleported to Stage 5.
WEAPONS GUIDE
How to get a weapon:
Weapons occasionally fall out of pots the enemies are carrying.
There's a rule that governs the drops, with every fifth drop being a
randomly chosen weapon. In levels 4, 5 and 6 the Shield (Cross) is
among the weapons apppearing.
Lance:
You start with this and it happens to be the second best weapon.
It's only worse than the knife, and not by much if you know how to
rapid-fire.
Knife:
The only difference between this and the Lance is that you can
have three knives on screen and only two Lances, so it's objectively
superior.
Torch:
As the worst weapon in the game, the torch is never useful. In the
whole series there's only about one place where the torch is
actually handier than other weapons, and it's not in this game.
There is no practical reason to get or keep it.
Axe:
Slow and unwieldy, the Axe is almost just as bad as the torch.
Shield/Cross:
The special weapon required to get to the final boss is the hardest
to use. It is fast and can deflect projectiles, but it's range is only 4
paces, making it almost a melee weapon. To hit with the shield, you
have to get very close. All in all, it is a horrible weapon compared to
even the torch, and the only reason to ever have it is to pass to
level 7. But it doesn't drop too often, so if you get it even on level 4,
it's best to keep it. It is possible to beat every stage with the Shield,
but some places and bosses are much harder with it than with any
other weapon because of it's abysmal range.
Addendum.
STAGE 6 WALKTHROUGH for revisions with twin Unicorns, single
ogres, invisible Arremers and 8HP Satans.
Although platforms and graphics were left intact, stage 6's enemy
placement was completely redone by whoever was doing the US
localization. This version is occasionally considered the easier of the
two, and it is to some degree, but the twin Satans in the end are
nigh unbeatable due to double HP and insane patterning. I will
provide a guide to beating this stage consistently, but I can't help
with the Satans, because, personally, I really don't get how they
work in the US version and am only ever able to kill them through
luck.
The first problem is the twin Unicorns, which exists in some earlier
Japanese revisions, too. Beating them without losing the armour is
not impossile, but very, very hard. There's a replacement armour
soon enough, so it really is a better idea to do the following:
1. Climb up, then run a few paces away from the right Unicorn.
2. Jump right back at it without shooting.
3. It will hit you and you'll get kicked onto the above ledge.
4. Done.
5. Don't shoot! Unicorns jump whenever you shoot, and they can
jump high enough to hit you on the ledge above.
Get to the dragon and kill it. You can't afford to get damaged, but,
really, the Dragon boss isn't all that hard if you're careful. Chances
are, you will be able to have quite a bit of practice killing this one
every time you die in the gauntlet above.
Climb up and kill the Arremer on the right before it flies.
Now, see why this version is considered easier by some: there's
only one ogre above. Climb and kill it while it's far enough from the
ladder. Go to the right, pick the armour, punish the skull and kill
another ogre. Climb, rapid-fire, run, climb. Single ogres don't
require as much planning as twins.
As you run to the right again, get rid of the ogre. See, there are no
Arremers in the windows - this again is often cited when people say
this revision is easier and more fair.
Now, as you climb the ladder with a skull almost on top of it (don't
climb all the way up), an Arremer will appear out of nowhere. Climb
back, fight the Arremer the normal way, then get back to the ladder
and climb high enough to spook the skeleton.
Climb back. It's impossible to get up while it's there - it will block
your ascension almost every time. What you need to do is lure it to
the right side of the screen. Most of the time, the skeleton will just
hop off the ledge. Don't forget to shoot it as it falls, because it may
occasionally jump back. Sometimes it won't fall, and you will have
to run a bit to the left, then lure it back to the right edge. None of
this is present in the single-Unicorn revisions.
As you finally ascend the ladder that was guarded by the skeleton,
act quickly:
1. See the ladder on the left?
2. Run towards it, but stop exactly four blocks before it.
3. Crouch and shoot to the left.
4. An Arremer will appear from below and get hit. Even if it shoots a
spark, you will do it in and not get hit most of the time. Just
remember to stop at exactly the fourth block.
Kill the ogre if you need to and go up the ladder to meet the bosses.
Good luck with them - they've got double HP.
VERSION HISTORY
1.1 - Some editing. (May 04, 2014)
1.0 - The full guide is written.
CREDITS
Written by Unco Lober. July 24, 2011. Reuse with permission. Not
for commercial use.
