Ghosts 'n Goblins/How to play

Controls

 * Joystick or Direction Pad: Use this control to direct Arthur throughout each stage. You can make him run to the left or to the right by pushing the control in either direction.  Hold the controller down to make Arthur crouch underneath high attacks.  Use up or down to instruct Arthur to climb ladders.
 * Fire: Press the fire button to shoot your weapon. You can fire up to two instances of your current weapon at a time.  Press fire while crouching to throw a weapon low to the ground.
 * Jump: Press the jump button to make Arthur leap into the air. Use in conjunction with left or right to make Arthur jump in a particular direction.
 * 1-2 Players: Press either button to begin a one or two player game.

Arthur
You control Arthur throughout his quest to reach Lucifer's chamber at the top of his guarded castle, and rescue his love, the Princess Prin Prin. Arthur can run and jump, as well as throw a number of weapons at his enemies. Arthur cannot withstand the attacks of the monsters very well, but his armor will protect him from one hit. He begins each stage and each new life with a full set of armor on, as depicted to the left. However, if he is struck while wearing the armor, the armor will fall to pieces, and he will be left to fight against Lucifer's legions in nothing but his boxers, as depicted to the right. While in this state, if just one enemy touches him, Arthur is doomed and loses one life. It is possible to find and collect armor when Arthur is without any, but they are usually hidden from sight.

Weapons
As Arthur fights against Lucifer's minions, they will occasionally drop new weapons for Arthur to pick up. When a monster drops a weapon, it falls to the floor. Arthur must walk across it to pick it up. If you do not want Arthur to lose his current weapon in favor of another, make sure that you jump over the new weapon. Each weapon has a different property.

Items
Throughout the game, you will encounter some enemies that carry pots with them. If you shoot an enemy carrying a pot, the pot will fall to the ground and break, revealing the contents inside. It can be one of three things: a weapon, a doll, or one of the princess' accessories. Any weapon can appear, although certain weapons are more likely to appear on certain levels. For example, the shield is more likely to appear on stages 4 and 6. The doll or accessory that can appear depends on the stage that you're on.

The remaining items fall under two categories: items that are normally exposed and arranged in specific positions throughout each stage, or they are hidden items that you can only make appear but jumping or passing through the correct positions.