Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection
Developer(s)Capcom
Publisher(s)Capcom
Director(s)Tokuro Fujiwara
Producer(s)
  • Yoshiaki Hirabayashi
  • Peter Fabiano
  • Naoki Sone
Designer(s)Tokuro Fujiwara
Programmer(s)Yasutaka Hori
Artist(s)Uichirou Murata
Composer(s)
  • Kento Hasegawa
  • Masato Kouda
  • Ryuta Hida
SeriesGhosts 'n Goblins
EngineRE Engine
Platform(s)
Release
  • Nintendo Switch
  • February 25, 2021
  • PS4, Windows, Xbox One
  • June 1, 2021
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection[a] is a platform game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Switch. It is the 8th game in the Ghosts 'n Goblins series and was released on February 25, 2021 to celebrate the series' 35th anniversary. Ports for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One were released on June 1, 2021. The game received mixed reviews upon release.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot, showing the player character fighting against the Shielder, the second boss

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection is a 2D side-scrolling platform game. The game once again features knight Arthur, who must navigate the Demon Realm and battle enemies such as zombies, skeleton murderers, demons, and Pigmen to rescue Princess Prin-Prin (credited as "the Princess") from demon lord Astaroth. Once the player defeats Astaroth and his superior, Lucifer, and finishes the game on any difficulty level except Page, they can complete the Shadow versions of each stage. These rearrange the placement and spawn points of enemies and introduce additional environmental challenges as well as one more final boss fight with an even more powerful demon named Hades.

The player can fight with eight different weapons, including Arthur's iconic lance, which he can throw, and a hammer that induces a shockwave when it strikes the ground. As the player progresses, they will collect umbral bees that unlock and upgrade Arthur's magical and combat skills through a tech tree. Depending on the difficulty level, Arthur may lose his armor in pieces or all at once as he takes hits from enemies.[1]

The game features four difficulty levels: Legend, the most difficult; Knight, the second-most difficult; Squire, the second-easiest difficulty; and Page, the easiest difficulty.[2] If the player dies, they will respawn at a checkpoint (or on the spot on Page). Difficulty in a playthrough cannot be changed permanently, but players will be given an option to lower the difficulty for the remaining part of the level after several consecutive deaths.[1] The game also features a local two-player cooperative multiplayer mode. The second player can play as one of three ancestral spirits: Barry, Kerry, or Archie (known collectively as the "Three Wise Guys"), each of whom has their own abilities that can assist Arthur in his quest.[3]

Development and release

Ghosts 'n Goblins: Resurrection was released to celebrate the franchise's 35th anniversary. A resurgence of players' interest in games featuring gameplay similar to that of Ghosts 'n Goblins also motivated Capcom to greenlight the game.[4][5] The game was designed and directed by Ghosts 'n Goblins series creator Tokuro Fujiwara.[6] The game adopted a new visual style, built on Capcom's proprietary RE Engine, which was initially met with a mixed reaction from fans.[7] Fujiwara explained that the team adopted an "animated scroll" or a "picture book" art style because they felt that it aligned better with the aesthetics of the stages which were inspired by horror theme parks. Regarding the game's difficulty, Fujiwara added that the game was designed so that player would feel a sense of accomplishment after overcoming all the obstacles in a stage.[8] However, unlike the first game which was known for its difficult gameplay, the team decided early in the game's development that they needed to add multiple difficulty levels to cater to players who are less skilled or experienced.[9]

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection was officially announced at The Game Awards 2020. It was released for the Nintendo Switch on February 25, 2021.[10] Ports for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One were announced in April 2021 and released on June 1, 2021.[11][12]

Reception

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection received "mixed or average reviews", according to review aggregator site Metacritic.[15]

Notes

  1. ^ Also known as Demon World Village is Back (Japanese: 帰ってきた 魔界村, Hepburn: Kaettekita Makaimura) in Japan

References

  1. ^ a b c Oglivie, Tristan (February 23, 2021). "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection Review - Grave danger". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  2. ^ Walker, Ian (March 9, 2021). "I Finally Beat Ghosts 'N Goblins Resurrection's First Level, But The Victory Feels Hollow". Kotaku. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  3. ^ Stockdale, Henry (February 18, 2021). "Capcom Reveals Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection Contains A Local Co-Op Mode". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on February 20, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  4. ^ Mejia, Oozie (January 26, 2021). "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrected interview: Tokuro Fujiwara on his return to the series". Shacknews. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  5. ^ Watts, Steve (February 26, 2021). "Ghosts 'N Goblins: Resurrection Devs On Unapologetically Hard Games". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  6. ^ "『帰ってきた 魔界村』インタビュー。シリーズ最新作が約15年振りに帰ってきた経緯をディレクターとプロデューサーに直撃" ['Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection' interview. We spoke to the director and producer about how the latest installment in the series returned after 15 years.]. Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 1683. Kadokawa Game Linkage. March 4, 2021. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  7. ^ Linneman, John (February 24, 2021). "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection: how Switch modernises an arcade icon - The RE Engine powers a revitalised platform classic". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  8. ^ Epps, De'Angelo (February 11, 2021). "Ghosts 'n Goblins creator opens up about Resurrection and video game difficulty". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  9. ^ Cork, Jeff (February 24, 2021). "Developers Share Their Thoughts On Resurrecting Ghosts 'N Goblins". Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  10. ^ Tack, Daniel (December 10, 2020). "Ghosts 'N Goblins Resurrection Is Coming To Nintendo Switch On February 25". Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  11. ^ Romano, Sal (April 15, 2021). "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  12. ^ Romano, Sal (April 25, 2021). "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection for PS4, Xbox One, and PC launches June 1". Gematsu.
  13. ^ "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  14. ^ "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. February 25, 2021. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  16. ^ "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  17. ^ Carter, Chris (February 28, 2021). "Review: Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection - Duck, throw, dip, dive, and dodge". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  18. ^ Donlan, Christian (February 26, 2021). "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection review - hard as ever, but clever with it". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  19. ^ Ashida, Jigoro; Totsuka, Keiichi; Kushida, Namuko; Amamiya, Mamoru (February 24, 2021). "帰ってきた 魔界村(Switch)のレビュー・評価・感想情報" [Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection (Switch) reviews, ratings, and impressions]. Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 1682. Kadokawa Game Linkage. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  20. ^ Reiner, Andrew (February 23, 2021). "Ghosts 'N Goblins: Resurrection Review – The Beauty Of Nostalgia". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  21. ^ Tamburro, Paul (February 23, 2021). "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection Review: 'I died 189 times on the second level'". GameRevolution. Mandatory. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  22. ^ Epstein, Mike (February 23, 2021). "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection - Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection is an honest, faithful homage to a series known for being so difficult, it's nearly unplayable". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  23. ^ Shive, Chris (February 23, 2021). "Review: Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection". Hardcore Gamer. Hardcore Gamer LLC. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  24. ^ Massey, Tom (February 23, 2021). "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection Review (Switch eShop) - Give 'em Hell". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  25. ^ Rudek, Jordan (February 23, 2021). "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection (Switch) Review - Some things are just better left undead". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  26. ^ Denzer, TJ (February 23, 2021). "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection review: A fiendish gauntlet". Shacknews. Gamerhub. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  27. ^ Donaldson, Alex (March 4, 2021). "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection review: a lovingly crafted, hard as nails revival". VG247. videogaming247 Ltd. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.