Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection

In Capcom's diabolical tribute, evil goes far deeper than the demons on the screen

- JON BAILES

Contrary to what we were told by The Usual Suspects and French poet Charles Baudelaire, the devil’s finest trick is not convincing us all that he doesn’t exist. Certainly, if you ever battled through Ghosts ’n Goblins, you know very well that Satan is real, and king among his tricks as final boss is sending you back to the beginning of the game. In the wake of such cruelty, it’s a surprise anyone ever trusted Capcom’s series again, yet we’ve continued to lap it up, whether it’s the ghosts and goblins headlining or the sequel’s ghouls and ghosts. And when it came to reviving the 35-year-old series once more in 2021, Capcom understood better than anyone that we don’t play these games despite their devilry, but because of it.

Capcom has a knack for revivals, as demonstrated by its track record with Resident Evil. Refusing the direct route, it instead distils the essence of its subject – what made it shine and how that translates to modern desires. Ghosts ’n Goblins Resurrection is further proof of this; it’s not a remake, but a new game with enough glances back to the past to resemble one, designed by crafty developers who know when to concede ground on the series’ tough-guy reputation and when to double down. Presumably, it helps in trying to identify the essence of an original when you still have its creator on board. Tokuro Fujiwara remains the imp-in-chief behind the scenes here, and, judging by the results, his wicked instincts haven’t dulled a bit.