Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts/Walkthrough

Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts is an early SNES game but there are many improvements over the previous outing on the NES. Most of them are obvious: improved sound, visuals and controls, but what impressed me the most was the more balanced game play that doesn’t make the game nearly as frustrating as Ghosts ‘N Goblins.

Controls
A Button : Uses your weapon

B Button : Jump

Y Button : Uses your weapon

X Button : Not used

Select Button : Not used

Start Button : Pauses the game

You can edit the buttons on the options screen if you want.

Lance

 * Regular - The weapon with which you start the game. Reasonably powerful and with a straight horizontal flight. Two may be on-screen at once.


 * Enchanted - Your lances become sheathed in holy fire and are thus more powerful. Other traits remain the same.


 * Magic - Lighting emits from your body horizontally to either side and vertically from the top of your head. You rarely find yourself in situations where this is useful.

Crossbow

 * Regular - Two arrows are fired at an upwards angle. As the firing rate is quick, this is an ideal weapon for killing airborne enemies and is decent against enemies on the ground. The downside is that the arrows are weak and even weaker if you attack enemies at a distance since only a single arrow will likely hit the target.


 * Enchanted - Three powerful fireballs are fired that follow enemies and hit them. You don’t have to aim but you still have to face the enemy for the fireballs to track them properly. The one downside for the Enchanted Crossbow is that only two of the fireballs will likely hit a target unless you’re close and you won’t be able to use the weapon again until the last fireball hits something or disappears.


 * Magic - Reveals hidden chests on the screen. This magic is one of the most useless in the game since by the time you can use it you won’t really need the contents of a chest. And of course you can just jump around and reveal them too. A slight plus is that you are invincible for a few seconds when the screen goes gray. You can sneak past most enemies during this time.

Dagger

 * Regular - While slightly weaker than most of the other weapons, the dagger is very quick. Three may be on-screen at once and their flight is a straight horizontal line.


 * Enchanted - As each dagger leaves your hand it transforms into a powerful laserbeam that flies across the screen and through scenery. Very useful in most situations.


 * Magic - A blue dragon forms above your head before circling the screen and destroying enemies. Quite powerful and useful.

Blade

 * Regular - Only found on later levels, this boomerang-style weapon flies a short distance vertically above your head, returns, flies a short distance horizontally in the direction that you are facing and then returns. Two may be on-screen at once. This is a tricky weapon to use reliably though it can prove handy on levels where enemies appear on platforms above you.


 * Enchanted - Resembles a shuriken, though the flight remains the same as the regular blade. More powerful but with the same problems of accurate usage.


 * Magic - An explosion forms above you.

Not done yet

 * Axe :
 * Scythe :
 * Torch :
 * Bracelet :

Dealing with Red Gargoyles
The easiest way to defeat a Red Gargoyle is to just use the Crossbow. Get as close to it as you can to it, jump forward and then hit it while it’s sitting down. When it’s in the air, double jump straight up and use the Crossbow at the highest point in your jump. Without the Crossbow, get close enough that you can double jump toward it and not run into it. Make sure that you are a little higher than the Red Gargoyle and fire your weapon at it. When it flies up it’ll get hit by the blast. The rest is more complicated so I’ll do it in point form.

1: If the Red Gargoyle isn’t too high to reach with a double jump try walking away from it. It will follow you and very likely try to swoop in at you. If it does, turn around and quickly hit it. You will have to kill it with that hit or it will just keep flying toward you. You can try ducking or running away if there’s a slope to avoid getting hit.

2: If the Red Gargoyle is too high to reach with a double jump try walking toward it and then under it to the other side. There’s a chance that it will just drop down on top of you but it will likely try to swoop in at you. Turn around and hit it quickly if it does. You will have to kill it with that hit or it will just keep flying toward you like the first method.

3: The Red Gargoyle is sometimes just ignore you and do it’s crazy dance on the ground it was flying above. You can get in another easy hit here by getting close and following the same method as when it was sitting down.

=Walkthrough=

Stage 1-1
There really isn't much to worry about in this stage. The Zombies and the Fire Spirits are all simple to kill, but watch out for the floating coffins and the unearthed coffins. Double jump to the left and a chest will appear. If it doesn’t show up, stand beside the tree in the background and double jump there. The ground will rise when you get close to the stone pillar on the right. Jump onto it and fall off of the other side and another chest will appear.

Continue right and grab the Money Bag hanging in the tree. Double jump over the next two stone pillars and you’ll come to a hill. You can either head on top of it or continue on the ground. If you go the ground route you’ll end up inside the gated section of the hill with a Fire Spirit to keep you company. Jump and hit it a few times to destroy it and then head to the right to exit. There will be a Wolf on the stone pillar ahead.

Walk forward a little to make the Wolf jump off the hill and then kill it. Double jump on the right side of the hill to get another chest to appear. Get the contents and jump onto the stone pillar. A Fire Spirit will show up in a fairly awkward spot ahead. Make sure there aren’t any Zombies walking around and fall off of the stone pillar and destroy the Fire Spirit. If you have the Flame or the Crossbow weapon you can just attack it from the top of the stone pillar.

Head right and you will see another hill. The lower path has two Fire Spirits and the upper path has two Wolves. It’s actually easier to go through the two Fire Spirits at the bottom, and a chest will appear if you do. After you’re outside again, kill the two Wolves from the bottom if you can, or jump to the top from the right side and kill both of them. Grab the chest and the Money Bag on the left and the other Money Bag on the tree.

Keep going and destroy the two Wolves under the huge statues in the background. Skulls will fall out of the mouths of the statues. Wait for the skulls to disappear and walk past them. Two more Wolves are waiting ahead. Get rid of them and keep walking. The chest that appears probably won’t have anything useful if you have the gold armor. Hit it from the other side of the statue and see instead of going across again.

Stand on the stone pillar and jump to get the Money Bag on the statue if you want it. Obviously don’t jump when skulls are falling out of the mouth though. Otherwise keep going until you see the ocean in the background. Jump onto the stone pillar when the huge wave appears or you’ll get washed away. Kill the Clam when it jumps up and fires at you. After that just keep jumping onto the stone pillars when you see one or the tsunami wave that appears will kill you.

Jump across to the next stone pillar and a chest will appear. The next two jumps are a little tough. The way to do this part is to do a short jump and then another jump while pressing right until you’re over the speck of land below. Do the same thing for the jump to the tiny spot of ground ahead. Continue double jumping to the pieces of ground further on until you reach the downward slope with the broken pillar and the vines.

Stage 1-2
This part of the stage is filled with pulsating spores that explode after awhile. Destroy the ones that get in your way and just avoid the rest. Head right until you reach the upward slope with the Skull Cart on it. I’ll save you any surprise and say that the slope will collapse and the Skull Cart will come rolling down toward you. Jump over it accordingly. This will happen numerous times throughout this part of the stage.

Head across the small dip in elevation and grab the Money Bag. Jump over the Skull Cart and once more when it comes wheeling toward you. I’m not sure how to get that Money Bag hanging in the air without dying but it’s most likely a death sentence if you decide to go for it. Jump and wait until you’re near the water to grab the Money Bag there and then jump back again to unearth another chest. Head back across the water and avoid the Skull Cart that coming rolling forward.

Head over the water and carefully jump over the Skull Cart sitting on the downward slope. As soon as you’re on the other side, it will come rolling down. Avoid it and jump to the ground ahead. Jump over the Skull Cart and then quickly jump again to avoid it when it’s mobile. You have to be quick or it will hit you. Alternately, you can jump across the water along the bottom and avoid the Skull Cart easily. Either way, continue over the high ground to meet the boss.

Cockatrice
The Cockatrice is a simple boss but it has a few tricks that aren’t immediately noticeable. The first attack is an egg that it spits out and rolls a little and then hatches. The Miniwing inside of the egg will rush toward you therefore you should destroy it quickly. The second attack is when the Cockatrice stretches out it’s neck – this one can catch you off guard if you don’t know it’s coming. Stay at least half the length of the Cockatrice’s body to avoid that attack. The basic strategy against this boss is to stay out range of it’s attack and damage it as much as you can. It won’t take long.

Stage 2-1
This stage is tougher but it there shouldn’t be too much trouble if you’re careful. There are Ghosts galore here and Mimics to a lesser extent. The Ghosts appear as wisps of cloud at first and start to swirl around into actual form. One final thing to watch out for is to avoid jumping too high in certain parts of this stage. If you do, the ship will start to sink prematurely and you’ll likely die. Jump off of the rickety dock and onto the mast of the ship.

Jump forward when you see the rope on the mast to reveal a chest. Continue on after you grab it and another chest should appear further ahead. When you reach the end of the ship, jump up at the edge and grab the two Money Bags. Don’t worry about the guillotine above, you can walk under it. The ship will sink up to the platform when you jump onto it. Head back to the left and go up the rope ladder. Keep going left and jump off of the side and jump back to find a chest.

Walk to the right and jump over the guillotine there. Now jump onto the pulley at the far end and let it take you to the next ship. Jump off at the far end to reveal another chest. If it doesn’t appear, jump off of the side and jump back again. Once you got it, head left and wait until the Mimic starts rattling around and the top opens. Hit it a few times to destroy it and continue upwards. Don’t climb right to the top of the rope ladder because of the guillotine there.

Wait until it swings away and then climb up and jump over it. There will be another guillotine at the opposite end with a Mimic at the top of the rope ladder. Get up there and destroy the Mimic. Head right and a chest will appear at the end. Open it and head back to the right and over the gap in the platform. One last guillotine will be swinging back and forth ahead. Grab the Money Bag but just ignore the Mimic on the other side of the guillotine.

It’s a death trap if you try to go that way in my opinion. Instead go down the rope ladder and jump off of the side to make yet another chest pop up. To get that chest you’ll have to kill the Mimic further ahead and then the one where the guillotine is since the rope ladder is too short to reach. Either way continue to the end of the ship and the raft hanging off of the side. Jump onto it and it will drop onto the sea. The next part of the stage begins here.

Stage 2-2
You start out on the open sea but there will be two whirlpools ahead. The first one will catch the raft you’re on and start moving it back and forth. There will be two more rafts ahead though. Jump onto the second raft in the second whirlpool and then the third raft further ahead. After being on the third raft for awhile the sea will get more turbulent, making the water move up and down continually. The Fish will be the first enemy you run into here.

They will fly towards you after rising out of the water so you should stay a reasonable distance from them. Soon after you take out the Fish two chests should appear beside each other. You may have to move around to reveal the second one but you can also use the Crossbow Magic to get it. A Coral Cannon will appear soon after that. These enemies should be destroyed quickly since they will shoot at you and will just switch directions if you jump over them.

Another Coral Cannon will appear soon after the first one on a much higher coral pillar. Kill it and grab the Money Bag on the side. Jump over the coral and destroy the next Coral Cannon. Destroy the reddish blocks in the middle and grab the Money Bag hanging near the top. Two more of those bastard Coral Cannons will be waiting ahead, much closer together than before. Get rid of the first one and hit the second one from the left if you can.

Jump over the coral pillar and destroy the reddish blocks in the center of the next one. Right after that a Fish Man will appear low in the water. Hit the bugger before it shoots a pair of fireballs at you. Another pair of Coral Cannons will be perched high on the screen. Defeat both of them from the left side since there isn’t much room to maneuver if you jump over the first coral pillar. Grab the Money Bag and then pass under the second coral pillar.

A fourth raft will be waiting ahead, ending your run with this one. Jump onto it and kill the Fish Man that will appear on the right side of the raft. A chest will appear as well as another raft just beyond the Fish Man. There will be two more rafts in quick succession ahead as well as a few more Fish Men and Fish in combination. Once you make in onto the last raft, there will be a long stretch of nothing ahead. Oh yeah, and the boss. I forgot about it.

Giant Barnacle
The boss will appear from under the waterfall in the rock face. It only has one attack but because the water is continually going up and down, it can be either hard or simple to avoid. The boss moves left and right at first and then up or down when it fires shells at you – two or three shells on normal and more on higher difficulties. A weapon that travels along a straight trajectory are best against this boss, those being the Lance, the Dagger, and the Axe. After that the Crossbow and the Scythe are decent alternatives. Avoid the shells by jumping/double jumping or ducking. Stay within sight of the boss and move left when it fires shells to gain a little time for the water to lower or rise so that you can avoid them easier. You won’t be able to move to the right side of the boss so don’t bother trying if you get hit.

Stage 3-1
You started in a graveyard, ended up on the ocean, and now you’re in a foundry full of lava and flames. Welcome to the crucible of flame. This stage is about as difficult as the last stage but there are some new enemies that have come to bother you. The Flame Fairies will pop out of the lava, hover for a bit and then dash toward you if you don’t kill them RIGHT AWAY. The Werewolves are easier to defeat but watch out for their flame breath ability.

Head down the slight slope and stand at the edge of the lava pit. Hit the Werewolf on the other side and just duck or run away if it starts breathing fire at you. Once it’s gone jump over the lava and climb down the ladder a bit to reveal a chest. There will be two ladders down there. Go down the ladder on the right to reveal another chest beside the other ladder. Head down the left ladder and jump off of the side of lava pit on the right to find yet another chest.

However two Flame Fairies will appear out of the lava pits on either side of you. There’s also a Werewolf below that might breathe some flame up towards you. Be careful and destroy the Flame Fairies and then jump across the lava pits on the left. Head down the ladder on the other side and kill the Werewolf bothering you earlier. Continue on to the right until you reach the ladder further ahead. Watch out for the holes in the ceiling. Lava will sometimes drop down from them.

Once you touch down on ground again, watch out for the Werewolf below you. Head on the left over the lone lava pit to find another ladder downwards. The aforementioned Werewolf will likely follow you to the ladder but you can hide in the left corner while hitting it. Once it’s gone keep going right to reach a huge lava pit on the other end. Several small pillars of stone will pop up out of the lava that you’ll have to jump onto the get across.

Jump over the lava and then jump back to make the first pillar appear. The rest of the pillars will appear if you wait for a second or so. You won’t be able to make it to the next pillar with a single leap therefore jump up to the ceiling and jump again. The next one is closer and only requires a single jump. Jump onto the blood-spattered platform ahead and then the longer one below. Stay in the middle of this platform and then leap to the left onto the platform below.

This platform will fall into the lava at the bottom so quickly jump onto the smaller platform that you’ll see below. You might not see the second platform at first but it’s there. Jump onto it from the middle of the first platform and stay on it until you’re near the lava. At that point, another pillar should pop out of the lava. Jump onto it and the next two that appear. They are all spaced fairly far apart so double jumping to each of them is more prudent.

The fourth one is much closer to the third one so you can easily get onto it. After that you’ll be on solid ground again. Once you climb uphill for a bit you’ll see the bane of players during Ghosts ‘N Goblins, the Red Gargoyle. If you have the Crossbow you can jump/double jump into the air and hit it. It’s much harder to hit Red Gargoyles with the other weapons. You have to wait until it flies downward or it will just go up and down to avoid your attacks.

Of course trying to make it swoop down toward you is difficult without putting yourself in a precarious position but you can get in some cheap hits while it’s sitting on the ground. Take your time and you will eventually kill it. Or you can just run past it and take your chances. Be careful because if you die here you will have to start at the beginning of the stage again. After it’s gone, run back up the hill and jump onto the tower on the right.

Stage 3-2
This part of the stage is populated by Bats, Gargoyle Statues, and Goblins which appear later on. Run up the tower and destroy the Bats and Gargoyle Statues you see along the way until you reach the end. Jump onto the platform and let it take you to the next tower. If you want the Money Bag that’s in the air you have to stand at the front of the platform and then jump for it. Don’t jump from the middle or the back or you’ll fall off the platform.

Jump onto the next tower when it appears and run across it. Destroy the Gargoyle Statues until you reach the far end. There will be another platform waiting as well as two more Money Bags in the air. The next tower goes upwards again but it’s more of the same thing. Run up the slope until you reach the platform and then jump onto it to get taken across the chasm. The next tower is different, only because the Goblins will make their first and only appearance.

When you’re running across the tower you’ll see them drop down from above at some point. Back up and hit it when it’s on the ground and then continue on. If you do a single jump around here a chest should pop up. Don’t double jump or a Goblin might drop down onto you. Jump onto the platform when you reach it and jump off at the other side. This tower does downhill and has more Goblins than you can shake a stick at. If you proceed carefully and you’ll be alright.

A chest should automatically appear like the one you saw earlier. Further on the Goblins will start dropping from the top of the screen. That’s not really a problem but just before you reach the end of this tower, a Goblin will likely drop down at the edge. Watch out for it because it would suck to lose your armor or even die when you’re this close to the boss. Once it’s gone, jump to the right via the platforms provided and you will see the boss at the far end.

Giant Worm
You have to be careful how you jump onto the platform at the end, if you jump there at all, because the boss will immediately circle around you and you will likely hit you if you double jump there. Do a single jump there or just stand at the edge of the platform. Now that that’s out of the way, the boss is actually very simple to defeat. It will circle around you for awhile, shoot a bunch of brown globules into the air and then disappear. The brown globules will fall back down and the whole thing will start again. Usually the globules are all spaced far enough apart so you can get in between them but you should try to find a safety spot where you can get hit and not fall off the platform. Most of the weapons are good against this boss since it has a very predictable pattern - just stand in place and hit the boss in the head or switch directions as the boss turns and continue hitting it.

Stage 4-1
There are two enemies you will encounter throughout this stage and both of them can be trouble. The Axe Ghost is a real persistent problem here since they appear awkward places. They can move either left to right or up and down and they will get in your way a lot unless you kill them quickly. The other enemy is the Fire Spirit which are simple to kill but more than one will appear at once. Double jump at the start to find a chest and then run to the right.

An Axe Ghost will likely appear on the elevated ledges and below the platform in the open area ahead. Once you jump off the ledges on the ground below, the ground will start pulsating and spikes will appear out of it. Jump onto the platform before the spikes appear and it will close and turn clockwise. Destroy the Fire Spirit on the ceiling but watch out for Axe Ghosts coming from below. Run to the right and jump onto the platform at the edge before the spikes come.

After the platform rotates again, jump to the right and kill the Fire Spirit. A chest should automatically appear close to the ledges ahead along with another Fire Spirit. Jump upwards and then jump across the hole, where there’s a Fire Spirits waiting on the ceiling. Destroy it and continue left. There will be another Fire Spirit ahead along with Axe Ghost which will respawn quickly each time you kill it. After that one there will be a bunch of Fire Spirits ahead.

Get rid of them all and then jump onto the platform before the spikes appear. The Fire Spirit in the corner will pop up. Destroy it and double jump over the three spike beds protruding out of the ground. The first and third spike beds are longer than the rest and you should jump as close to the side of them as possible. Jump over the rest of them and grab the chest that will appear further on. Jump onto the platform on the far left and it will rotate clockwise again.

Head left over the hole and drop off the other side to the ground below. An Axe Ghost will likely appear in the wall on the right therefore you should be careful when you fall. When you touch down on the ground, walk to the left and you’ll be finished with this part of the stage. The next part of the stage is somewhat tougher so you might have your work cut out for you. I’m still here though and I’ll guide you through. =)

Stage 4-2
You start on a long platform that takes you through the stage automatically. You just have to avoid getting hit or falling off which is harder than it seems actually. There are the same pulsating spores you saw on stage 1-2 and jets of gas that come out of the ceiling and ground here. Watch for the little puffs of smoke that will appear when the gas is about to come out. The first part is pretty straightforward - just hit the spores when they appear and avoid the gas.

It should be simple to stay alive as long as you’re not reckless. When you reach the open area several platforms should appear. Jump onto them and destroy the Fairies that appear from the walls if they get close. Once you reach the top platform it will start moving again – this time to the right. Two gas streams will shoot out not far after the platform starts moving along with several spores. Destroy the spores and walk past the second gas stream quickly.

Another gas stream will show up further ahead where the ceiling gets low. Stand at the end of the platform and wait for it to stop. Once you pass that gas stream some more platforms will materialize in the open area ahead. Jump onto them and kill any Fairies that show up again. The platform at the top will start moving to the left. A gas stream will pop out of the ground right away. Either stand at the end of the platform or quickly run forward before it shoots out.

Fairies will be hover around you quite frequently here. Destroy them quickly – they will usually appear high in the air but if they appear low you might be in trouble. Stand away from them and wait for them to fly upwards and then blast them. Two more gas streams will come out ahead and then you will see a hole in the wall at the end. The platform will stop there and start disintegrating soon after. Quickly run into the hole to meet the boss.

Hydra
The Hydra has multiple heads like the mythological beast of old but this one doesn’t require a Herculean effort to defeat. It’s actually quite a simple boss. The three heads of the Hydra will each shoot fireballs at you that form at the base of their mouths and then fly off in your direction. After awhile the heads will transform into small dragons that will jump a little and then jump high over you to the other side of the screen. If you stand somewhat close to the small dragons you won’t get hit after they jump again. Once they jump the Hydra will start the attack pattern over again and you will have more free time to damage each of the heads.

Stage 5-1
Although this is one of my favorite stages in the game it’s far from a winter wonderland – it does have a fair bit of tricky spots. Double jump near the left corner to get a chest and then head right. Jump over the spikes and start hitting the Werewolf on the right. It will likely try to move closer to you and use it’s icy breathe. If you see it doing that, jump back over the spikes and continue hitting the Wolf from there.

Run to the edge of the cliff after it’s gone and hit the Plant on the platform above you if you got the Crossbow. You will have to jump onto the platform and hit the Plant from there if you don’t have one on hand. Continue to the left and double jump to the next platform. Watch out for the spikes above you when you do jump though. Quickly defeat the Werewolf on the right and continue on until you see the spikes ahead. Jump over them and blast the Plant on the other side.

There will be two more Plants occupying the higher ledges ahead. Defoliate them and jump up there and head to the left. You will see another Werewolf on the higher platform as well as a narrow space where you have to jump onto. Double jump up there and destroy the Werewolf before it can use it’s icy breathe. Jump over the spikes and you’ll enter a cave with those annoying flying enemies with the shields from Ghosts ‘N Goblins.

They aren’t the only obstacle here - long branches of ice will come out of the ground and twist around. The ground will rumble in the immediate spot where they come out so keep your eyes open. Dodge the flying enemies and jump when you reach the first platform here to get a chest. Keep going until you get past the second platform where there will be another Red Gargoyle waiting for you. Ugh. Use the platform to hit it when it’s in the air.

It should make it easier to hit the Red Gargoyle with most of the weapons but don’t get carried away since it will sometimes hide in the ice at the top. The only real disadvantage to being on that platform is the Red Gargoyle will be able to hit you easier and if you run around carelessly it will take advantage of that. You should always keep an eye on it and not run past it. Whew. After it’s gone run across the ice bridge to start the second part of the stage.

Stage 5-2
You won’t have to deal with any more Red Gargoyles here but there’s a new challenge here – the avalanches which will sweep you back if you’re not above it or hanging onto something. Destroy the two Wolves here as well as the one on top of the ledge further ahead. They will jump and then run toward you if you don’t kill them right away. A chest should appear when you start walking past the ledge. Do some short jumps on the right side of the ledge to force it to appear.

Kill the Wolf sitting inside the narrow portion of the cave and then jump to the ledge on the right. Stay on the edge and kill the Wolf there and the Werewolf on the higher ledge above you. You will have to jump onto the small ledge that’s almost level with the Werewolf but it can hit you with it’s icy breathe if it’s right at the edge. After it’s gone, jump to the ledge where the Werewolf was and then jump again to the ledge above you.

Double jump over the spikes and climb the ladder to avoid the avalanche which is preceded by the rumbling. Fall off the side and kill the Werewolf that was deposited by the avalanche and continue on. Kill the Wolf sitting by itself and climb down the ladder a little. Another avalanche will sweep across the screen when you do. I don’t know how a ladder will help you from getting thrown off the mountain but that’s Nintendo logic for you.

Anyway, don’t jump over the spikes right away. Stand at the edge and kill the Wolf in the corner and the Werewolf behind it. Jump back over the spikes if it moves toward you and uses it’s icy breathe. Defeat it on the other side and then jump back over the spikes. Double jump over the two sets of spikes ahead and climb down the ladder to avoid another avalanche. You will be in the clear from this point on. Just run to the right and you’ll meet the boss.

Freon
Freon moves like a typical boss – left to right and up and down, but its attacks can be harder to avoid. The first attack is an orb that breaks into eight pieces that will freeze you temporarily on contact. That one is easy to avoid, just keep your distance and stand between the pieces of the orb. If you get frozen, mash the jump and fire buttons until you unthaw. The second attack involves the arms of the boss, which will fly out toward you. You can avoid that one by staying away and jumping over or ducking under them if they get too close which can happen if the boss traps you in the corner. You have to time your jump right though because one arm will be slightly behind the other one but you won’t have enough time to jump over each arm.

Stage 6
The next two stages are quite short yet they make up for that by being two of the most difficult stages in the game. I hope you have the Crossbow since there are three Red Gargoyles that you have to deal with here. Jump forward to make a chest appear and then walk to the right to meet the first Red Gargoyle – it’s sitting on the ledge ahead. There aren’t any platforms that you can jump onto where you find the Red Gargoyle so you have to wait until it swoops at you.

Another strategy that’s more risky that the first one is to climb the ladder in the corner and fight it on the platforms above. However, you might activate the second Red Gargoyle in the left corner. Stay on the platforms and wait for an open shot. Take your time and you will kill both of them eventually. Once they are both dead, climb the two ladders at the top and defeat the Cockatrice Head. Just stay away from it and hit it until it’s destroyed.

Head down the ladders on the other side to meet the third Red Gargoyle. You have to fight it in another open area but there are platforms on the right if you can avoid the Red Gargoyle for a bit. Axe Ghosts will also come out of the wall and floor here so watch out for them. Jump around the area where you first saw the Red Gargoyle to find a chest and then continue up the platforms. Jump to the top and then head right to meet Asteroth (cough, Satan, cough) from the first game.

Asteroth
Asteroth isn’t quite as simple to defeat he was in Ghosts ‘N Ghouls but he’s still simple enough. He will continue the basic left to right movement of most of the bosses and has two attacks – a stream of fire that comes out of the mouth in his stomach and a laser that comes out of his eyes. He will fire the laser in two directions, either straight across or downwards. The stream of flame doesn’t have much distance since it’s pointed at the ground but you can’t get too close to him. Just keep your distance and just use your weapon on him but remember that you have to hit him in the head like the old game.

Stage 7
This stage is somewhat longer and more difficult than the last one but you should take heart since you are very close to finishing the game. Jump around at the beginning to reveal a chest and then climb the ladder. A Fairy will likely appear out of the wall therefore you should quickly climb up or down and kill it before it hits you. Whenever they appear you should stand as far away as you can without going up or down a screen and hit it when it starts flying around.

When you climb the ladder kill the Cockatrice Head on the left and jump onto the ledge. Climb the ladder there and defeat the Cockatrice Head on the right. Double jump to the other side and kill the Fairy that will appear out of the wall. You will probably have to jump back to the platform below to kill it without getting hit. Continue upwards once it’s gone and defeat the next Cockatrice Head on the right. You can either kill it from the top or the bottom.

Walk to the right and open the chest that should automatically appear. A Red Gargoyle will be waiting for you on the ledge ahead but there are no platforms where you can hit it easily. If you have the Crossbow you will be simple to kill it, otherwise you will have to wait for it to dive at you and then hit it. Jump and grab the Money Bag and another chest should appear beside the other one you got awhile ago and then climb the ladder on the right.

There will be two Cockatrice Heads at the top and they will shoot out slow- moving fireballs at you. Destroy them one at a time and avoid the fireballs by ducking and not jumping if you can help it. There will be quite a few fireballs flying at you and you might have trouble dodging them if you jump around. Head left and the walls will disappear as you climb the ledges to the ladder at the top. The smoky swirls means that Ghosts will flood the next area.

Jump up the ledges on the right and then jump onto the slanted platform at the end. You can also drop off the side of this platform to get a chest. Kill the Ghosts and the Mimics on each of the platforms. The Ghosts will appear frequently but if you kill them when they appear you’ll be alright. Walk to the right when you reach the top and jump off the side to the ladder. Climb the ladder and you’ll be in the clear, at least until you reach the boss at the end.

Asteroth/Nebiroth : Asteroth will make another comeback here but it attacks exactly the same way as before. Follow the same strategy as before and he will die soon enough. After you defeat him he will transform into Nebiroth, a much powered-up version of Asteroth. The laser attack is transformed into a wide laser that will take up a good deal of the screen. You have to hide in the lower portion of the floor or duck under the laser to avoid it. The flame attack will also have a much longer range. That means you really have to keep away from him this time. Still, it’s basically the same as the fight with Asteroth. Stay away and hit him as much as you can – it will take awhile to defeat him but you can do with without much difficulty if you’re careful.

The Goddess Bracelet
When you defeat Nebiroth the first time, you will get a message from the princess saying that you won’t be able to defeat Sardius without her bracelet. Therefore, you will have to start the game from the beginning again and make your way back to Nebiroth with the bracelet. Darn it. The game will also be harder the second time around because the bracelet isn’t that good of a weapon and the difficulty level will be raised. If you defeat Nebiroth the second time without the bracelet you will get sent back to the beginning of stage 7 again.

Stage 8
The last stage of the game isn’t really a stage but there is still the matter of defeating Sardius. You will see him right away.

Sardius
Sardius isn’t that hard to defeat but it will take quite a bit of time to do it. His only attack is a ring of lasers will shoot out of his mouth – you can find a place to stand easily enough but you still have to get up to his head to damage him. That problem is solved by the mouth in Sardius’ stomach which will create two platforms which loop down toward you and then up toward his head. Stand at the base of one of his feet and wait until the platform loops down and starts going up over your head. Double jump straight up after the lasers reach his torso and you should land on the platform safely. You should be able to hit him in the head twice or more while you’re up there. If you notice that the platforms are out of sync with the lasers don’t bother jumping onto the platform since you will likely get hit by the lasers.