Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts was a game that we rented about the same year it came out. That game was super hard. I don’t remember playing it much just a little bit. I believe my next door neighbor had it but never bothered to ask to play it after renting it. Over the years I saw that the game was hard so I decided to play it again as an adult. And man, that game is hard for no reason!
The beginning of Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts is outrageous
So, when you first start out, you see the entire map before you gotta go through it, and it looks long as hell. OK, I think I’m ready for it, so I go. I start playing and then theres monsters everywhere. It is an ungodly amount—how many monsters are coming out to attack you from every single angle! My goodness, you can’t catch a break. Mind you, I’m still in the first level. I had to cheat with save states, and I was still losing!
I couldn’t get ahead. And then, when it comes up to the part of the tidal waves, I couldn’t figure it out. I eventually found out from watching a video on YouTube on how to get past it. You have to duck when you’re on the rocks so you don’t get washed away. Well, once I got past that area, I still didn’t get very far.
lack of powerups
What sucks is you’re limited with the amount of powers that you get. Now, you start off with your armor, but when you get hit you’re in your boxers. I’m like, “Great. Now running around at night fighting monsters in my pajamas, and I can’t find any health or any armor.”
There’s not much special weapons that you can get. You have to try to dodge everything possible, and let me tell you, it’s almost impossible. I have watched videos of people making it seem easy, but it’s not. These people have been practicing day in, day out. But for me, it was just an impossible task that only John Wick can pull off.
Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts feels impossible
I was curious and I wanted to know what the ending was like so I sat and I watched a walkthrough. Man, I don’t know how people did it. I’m not even sure if you can use passwords to get ahead—I really don’t remember, and I don’t believe you can save—so once you lose, you lose! That’s it. Super Ghouls and Ghosts is challenging and rough.
What were these game developers thinking back then? The ’80s and the early ’90s were such a tough time in gaming. For me, it got a little easier once the PlayStation rolled out, and I think maybe because a lot of games you were able to save and they weren’t as challenging. That’s my personal take; I just feel like it was easier.
Final thoughts
Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts is indeed a total nightmare. But it’s also kind of fun. I think it would be a lot more enjoyable if you weren’t swarmed by monsters. If there was a little bit more of breathing room—like Zombies Ate My Neighbors it would be better. I enjoyed that game. But yeah, my final thoughts on this is: take it easy on us! This game could have been awesome if it wasn’t overwhelmingly difficult with the undead coming for payback.
Below, you can watch the video of my unfortunate events. Feel free to laugh at me, give a like, give a follow, and stay tuned for more stories of my childhood gaming in the ’90s and early 2000s!