Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins

I'm fine with a game that has me tearing my hair out from the difficulty--but the gameplay sure better hold up during those frustrating hours. In this case, I'm not sure it does. [Oct. 2006, p.110]

It's a rare old-school follow-up that furthers its roots without selling out.

This game is about as hard as petrified wood. Capcom eased things up a bit by tossing three difficulty levels into the mix, but even the added confidence booster couldn't save me from dying hundreds of times.

For the few, the proud and the masochistic, however, your game has arrived. Good luck, and for the love of god, use that optional wrist-strap. PSPs are expensive.

Hardcore devotees of Sir Arthur's previous adventures will whoop like pandas at the news that the game's legendary toughness has not been completely castrated for today's lily-livered gamers, though it's sometimes hard to shake the feeling that the relentless challenge comes from clunky controls and respawning monsters just as often as smart level design.

Its uncompromising design could be perceived as lazy and frustrating or inspired, bold, and nostalgic, depending on your point of view.

New additions to the series, including the varied inventory, offer a strong dose of depth that perhaps wasn't there in instalments gone by, though there remains a question of longevity.

Whether or not you will embrace it, though, all depends on either your loyalty to the franchise or the seriousness of your masochistic tendencies.

Thankfully, the difficulty has been offset by the inclusion of regular checkpoints and some new moves for Arthur - the ability to hang from ledges gives some welcome leeway when jumps are mistimed, and a double tap on the D-pad makes him dash. It's great, simplistic, old-school adventuring, but fiendish with it. Crap gamers: you have been warned.

Eminently timeless, suitably gorgeous, but unutterably difficult. Everything you want in a retro revamp. [Oct 2006, p.120]

While Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins often threatens to be obtuse and dated platformer, it’s hard not admire its impishly cunning design, charming presentation and strict old-school challenge.

UGAG can very comfortably be compared to a Rubik’s Cube – it isn’t very pretty or enticing, it’s just an extremely straightforward, ball-bustingly hard challenge. It almost deserves two separate scores. If you like a challenge, then add [30] more points to my final score. If you prefer a bit more of an easier time, then detract [50].

A great-looking update of a classic platformer, but it can be frustratingly difficult to a fault.

A decent remake of a classic platformer, but it's ultimately too hard, too old-fashioned and too short-lived. [Oct 2006, p.72]

Fans of the series or those looking for a challenge should give it a try but many will no doubt be put off by the clunky control and unrewarding difficulty.

Ultimately frustrating to all but the most devout fans of Ghosts n’ Goblins games past.

There's a fine line between 'challenging' and 'sadistic,' and this is on the wrong side of it. [Oct 2006, p.79]

The fact that I greeted each completed level with relief rather than satisfaction ain't encouraging. [Sept. 2006, p.108]

There’s no doubt that fans of 2D action will love this difficult quest, but if you weren’t into side scrollers before, it seems unlikely that anything here will change your mind.

I want to fight against bad guys, not the control scheme. If tweaking was done with the horrible jump system, then this game would have been a solid recommendation.

While it’s hard for me to generally recommend this game to anyone, I know that old-school fans of the game and masochistic gamers who enjoy relying on dumb luck along with insane difficulty will enjoy the game.

The original Ghosts 'N Goblins was famously difficult, so it's hard to fault the new game for being difficult, too. The difference is that the new Ghosts 'N Goblins is difficult in manufactured ways - controls and structure - which force replays of previous levels.

Ultimate Ghosts & Goblins may bring on some nostalgia and looks fun for a while, but unless you are fantastically good at side-scrolling games or just plain masochistic when it comes to your gaming, this one's not worth your money.

Game play tends to become monotonous after a while, although the game itself is relatively short. Some required maneuvers were very difficult, which frustrated me.