Ghosts ?n Goblins Resurrection review for Nintendo Switch

I have had a love/hate relationship with the Ghosts ?n Goblins series for a long time. Overall I love the games and their play mechanics, but I’ve always hated how insanely difficult some sections of it are. No other game has sent me into rage quit quite like this series. The original is super challenging, the sequels are borderline unfair and Ghosts ?n Goblins Resurrection is, by far, one of the more intense experiences yet. Still, even with its insane difficulty… you’ll love almost every second of it.

The game focuses on Sir Arthur, a stocky, bearded knight on a quest to rescue his beloved princess. Arthur can run, jump and throw an endless supply of any weapon he is carrying to fight his way through hordes of undead creatures what are blocking his paths. Once you reach the end of an area, you are challenged by a boss monster.  Defeat it, and move on to the next area until you manage to reach the final battle with the Demon Lord.  It’s a very simple concept but contains so much challenge that it can aggravate you.

Nothing in the game is impossible to conquer, but it will take several attempts to pass certain areas. Fortunately Arthur has a variety of weapons he can find in each stage, some more handy than others, and somewhat new to this series, a variety of Magic Powers to give him an edge. Magic was introduced with the sequel Ghouls ?n Ghosts, and required special armor to use. This method was carried over to other sequels, but with Resurrection it was changed to a “cool down” system, so it can be used more frequently. A new method of acquiring the magic has also been introduced, with the Bee Tree, a sort of skill tree that will unlock moves and abilities as you discover hidden “Umbral Bees” in each area. Collecting enough of these bees will unlock skills you will need to make any progress in this nightmare of an adventure.

In total, there are 7 stages, with branching paths to take. All of the levels are either reminiscent of past games or are total recreations with new sections added in.  Throughout the level you will pick up a variety of weapons and power ups to help you make it to the boss. However, as I stated before, some weapons you find may not help you out and you could be stuck until you find a better weapon. For example, there is a new Hammer weapon that is very close range, and it’s virtually impossible to challenge the boss of the Fire Stage with it, but it can make short work of the boss from the Graveyard Stage.

There are 4 skill levels you can choose from in the beginning. They range from somewhat easy with “Paige” to the extremely impossible “Legend” difficulty. The “Squire” level is a decent challenge but not as hard as “Knight”, which is considered to be the most balanced challenge for some. I can tell you that I began the game with “Knight” and was busted down to “Squire” just to be able to make progress. The maddening difficulty of Ghosts ?n Goblins is very much alive and well with resurrection and many gamers out there may not be ready for such a task. Thankfully, there is no life system in place, as you can just keep trying again and again, until you can?t take it anymore, or your controller runs out of charge.

The graphics are, for the most part, great, with some decent animation and backgrounds. Some of Arthur’s animations, as well as a few enemies, are a bit choppy looking, and it might take a few moments for players to get used to the paper cutout / watercolor style that is presented here. But overall, the style will win you over with its unlimited charm. Music and sound effects are fantastic. Many of the tunes are lifted from past games in the series and sound terrific here, while the sound effects have been ramped up to be even more awesome than before.

Ghost ?n Goblins Resurrection is a mighty fine game. It is insanely hard, and it will test you on a variety of levels. New players may be a little turned off by its difficulty, but if you continue to chip away and don?t completely give up, you can make progress. Rest assured, you will die in this game, a lot, but it’s definitely true to form. This is a must have for anyone who is looking for an overbearing challenge, just make sure you don?t take out your frustrations on your poor Joy-Cons.

Note: Capcom provided us with a Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection Switch code for review purposes.