Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins
| Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Designer(s) | Tokuro Fujiwara |
| Platform(s) | PSP |
| Release |  August 3, 2006 August 29, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Platform game / Run and gun |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins (極魔界村, Goku Makaimura) is a video game in Capcom's Ghosts 'n Goblins series released for the PSP on 3rd of August, 2006 (Asian Version). Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins is the only game in the series to employ 3D graphics, while maintaining much of the 2D gameplay mechanics of the earlier games. It also marks the return of the series' project head, Tokurou Fuijiwara.
The game still follows the classic scenario of a heroic knight battling with demons, but includes a large number of changes.
Gameplay
There are three specific game modes available from the start:
- Novice Mode
- Standard Mode
- Ultimate Mode
The main game mode Standard Mode is a departure for the series; Arthur starts with six lives and when a player loses one of these lives, Arthur is resurrected on the spot. Arthur's armour can now resist more than one hit when it is powered up, when he eventually loses his armour and is down to his boxer shorts, he can only sustain one more hit.
Ultimate Mode plays similarly to older Makaimura titles; once Arthur dies he is sent back to a pre-detemined point of the stage rather than being resurrected. He will either be sent back to the start, or if he travelled far enough before succumbing, to the stage's half-way point. In this mode, Arthur can only take one hit before losing his armor, no matter what kind he is wearing. This mode is for traditionalists and expert players. The game is extremely hard on this mode.
Novice Mode is an easier version of Standard Mode. Certain environmental obstacles are excluded from this mode, such as the tornadoes in the Death Castle.
Features
The levels are varied, ranging from being inside a more traditional haunted forest to volcanic pits and ruined castles. Enemies are hugely varied and tend to be thrown at Arthur in groups, meaning that you really have to keep your wits about you while playing this. One annoying variation is the groping hand, which extends out of the ground and pins you on the spot leaving the player exposed to any attack. Others range from zombies, ghosts, Giant Oxen, Venus Fly Traps and string dragons. Also the boss characters are nicely varied, and some are simply incredibly huge in size (two of which take up the entire screen).
The game has many weapons from the past games (though not all of them), with a few new additions; this installment also has a new equip system. Arthur is now able to gather items that can be stored and used for different levels, ranging from what type of power attack Arthur can use (as a secondary attack) to standard equipment (shields, double-jump boots etc). Arthur can also collect different types of armour, which give him varied abilities too.
The magic system is no longer tethered to the armor and weapon combination; instead, "POW" pick-ups increase weapon power, and armor amplifies the magic spell Arthur has equipped (which are also gathered throughout the levels as pick-ups, hidden in chests).
Instead of the linearity of the original versions, the game has now been designed so that players have to obtain a selection of Golden Rings hidden throughout the levels to access the last battle and finish the game. Players are given the option to back-track to earlier levels and search previously unreachable areas to find these by the use of powerups found later on in the game. These can vary from equipping "double-jump" boots to a shield which allows Arthur to fly for a limited amount of time.
Trivia
- The title of the US version underwent a change during the development process, from Extreme Ghouls 'n Ghosts to Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins.
- This is the first version of Ghosts 'n Goblins to feature an inventory screen(with the exception of the Sega Master System version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts), but one was included in a spin-off title; Demon's Crest.
- The US version was released a week early.
- A Japanese revision of Ultimate Ghosts'n Goblins for the PSP, called Goku Makaimura Kai, is scheduled for release on August 2nd, 2007.
External links
- Official websites
- Media and interviews