Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection brings punishing ghost busting to the Switch

It's been awhile, but running around graveyards wearing just your underwear never went out of style.

There hasn't been much in the way of new Ghosts 'n Goblins adventures of late, but that changes today with the release of Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection on Nintendo Switch. An eShop exclusive, the game once again pits Arthur against monsters from the Demon Realm as he battles to save the princess and restore peace to the land.

Priced at $29.99, Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection features simple but surprisingly appealing storybook graphics that should be the perfect thing to lull unsuspecting gamers into a false sense of security. But this game is no walk in the park, featuring challenging platforming action of the sort that helped define the term "old school hard."

Running through peaceful environments like a zombie-infested graveyard, players will come up against the Skeleton Murderer and Red Arremer, not to mention Cyclops, Cerberus and the demon king Astaroth. So, you know, nothing especially unusual.

The game features eight different weapons, counting the lance. Additions include the Hammer and Spiked Ball. You can also learn and upgrade a variety of spells at the Umbral Tree, and you'll need those capabilities if you hope to survive long in a world that wants nothing more than to take a fatal bite out of you.

Also new to the franchise is two-player local co-op, though I'm not sure how I feel about that. If I'm honest, I tend to surround myself with gamers who are even bigger wimps than me. I'm not sure my wife would revel in the challenge of taking four steps without dying at the hands of an unexpected projectile or lethal foliage. Apparently, the second player is more in line with a familiar, anyway, providing barriers for protection or carrying Arthur or even creating bridges.

The game features three difficulty settings now: Squire, Knight, and Legend. I don't mind admitting that I'm probably a Squire at heart, or maybe a Knight in a pinch, but I can virtually guarantee I am never a Legend except in my own mind. Today's press release was also kind enough to confirm something I already suspected: to see everything, you'll need to have to play through the campaign twice. And of course, they'll find the stages have transformed a bit from what they remember.

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection is available now on the Nintendo eShop with an MSRP of $29.99. Do you feel up to another hellish run?

Tweet

Staff article by Jason Venter (February 25, 2021) Jason Venter has been playing games for 30 years, since discovering the Apple IIe version of Mario Bros. in his elementary school days. Now he writes about them, here at HonestGamers and also at other sites that agree to pay him for his words.