I've been to hell and back, and other Makaimura Miscellanies

[mamboFoxtrot]

Did someboy give this fan-sequel a try ? Looks quite nice.

http://gamejolt.com/games/ghosts-n-demons/105882#close

http://www.retrocollect.com/News/fan-ma ... assic.html

So far, seems legit. At worst, I was expecting either a walk in the park or a IWBTG-esque kaizo bullshit land, given the reputation of the franchise. Thankfully, it seems like the guys who made this know their stuff.

I'm not familiar with this series, but one of the comments on the GameJolt page mentioned that this is based on the WonderSwan game. Looking at a video of each, that seems to be the case (though this game obviously has a lot more going on than what the WS could handle), but I don't know how much of the WonderSwan game was already recycled from earlier titles.

[mikehaggar]

Hope you guys enjoy the video! This one is dedicated to Skykid (I loved reading his rants about how difficult Cho was, he helped make me want to tackle this game!). Keep at it partner!

Ha ha, thanks for the dedication! I actually got the clear I was after in the end, although I did mine on defaults - wouldn't attempt Professional, what insanity.

Goku Makaimura Kai is the only one that's got the better of me. I 1cc'd its first loop a few times but boy oh boy that game is savage. Even if you exploit the winged boots and shield weapon, it's very tough. I have a feeling you'll put that top of the difficulty list once you get around to it.

Oh nice! What type of clear did you get? 1 life? 1 credit?

I have played some Goku...from what I've seen so far,it's really tough! Credit fed my way to the second loop and my god, I do remember it got way harder! Does anybody want to shed light on the power up system? There is just SO MUCH going on in that game, I don't know where to start. Silver bronze gold, also red (fast), red (slow), p item (red or blue or both!), 600 different shield, 600 different magic items, etc. is there a guide of some kind or some sort of online resource that can help?

[mikehaggar]

Dai is by far the easiest game in the series I think. The RNG isn't that harsh either, you sort of get a feeling for it after a while. Cho is still the hardest for me personally.

Seeing as we're posting vids. My 1-life run up until Lucifer and then I misaligned myself with a laser and lost a life, sooo pissed :/

http://youtu.be/nOTVpx1_Whs


@Mikehaggar: Nice! I picked up a cheap SFC from eBay last week (10.50gbp!) so I may start playing this again on professional mode. Is it much harder from your experience?

From what people have told me, I believe it's just the RNG that gets more agressive in Professional mode. Bosses may take more hits, but that's just a guess...

I played professional mode because I just wanted to get it right the first time and not have to go back on some future date. The length of this game is so brutal...twice as long as die! Dying can send you back twice as far as the first two games... *sigh*

[Skykid]

Oh nice! What type of clear did you get? 1 life? 1 credit?

Hah, no, I wish. I 1cc'd the first loop several times in pursuit of clearing the second, but I certainly didn't manage the 1cc there - the tower of death that is the final stage busted my balls. I did it pretty quick though, just a few days hammering at it, I just have no urge (or time) to consolidate a genuine 2-all on credit. It's a fucker of a game though and I love it.

I have played some Goku...from what I've seen so far,it's really tough! Credit fed my way to the second loop and my god, I do remember it got way harder! Does anybody want to shed light on the power up system? There is just SO MUCH going on in that game, I don't know where to start. Silver bronze gold, also red (fast), red (slow), p item (red or blue or both!), 600 different shield, 600 different magic items, etc. is there a guide of some kind or some sort of online resource that can help?

Goku is crazy strict. You only have one shot at the winged boots and shield power up iirc on stage 2. You should aim to hold on to those for the entirety and repeat on loop 2. Certain sections can be exploited with the winged boots, although I played pretty straightforward (didn't consult any YT vids).

Forget about the speed up/slow down armour, they both ruin you in their own way - you should just aim for keeping gold armour and not getting duped by a million things into collecting the wrong weaponry or accidentally downgrading your secondary weapons.

Loop 2 is no joke, and you have to deal with the witches in the interim. I played Kai far more than Cho just to get near the final boss (and I came close) and it actually wore me down to the point where I shelved it with the intention of going back... but it's been a while now. Should probably dig the Vita out and get back on it.

With your skills I reckon it won't be too much of an issue, but I'll be interested to hear what you make of it. It's an amazing game.

[mikehaggar]

Oh nice! What type of clear did you get? 1 life? 1 credit?

Hah, no, I wish. I 1cc'd the first loop several times in pursuit of clearing the second, but I certainly didn't manage the 1cc there - the tower of death that is the final stage busted my balls. I did it pretty quick though, just a few days hammering at it, I just have no urge (or time) to consolidate a genuine 2-all on credit. It's a fucker of a game though and I love it.

I have played some Goku...from what I've seen so far,it's really tough! Credit fed my way to the second loop and my god, I do remember it got way harder! Does anybody want to shed light on the power up system? There is just SO MUCH going on in that game, I don't know where to start. Silver bronze gold, also red (fast), red (slow), p item (red or blue or both!), 600 different shield, 600 different magic items, etc. is there a guide of some kind or some sort of online resource that can help?

Goku is crazy strict. You only have one shot at the winged boots and shield power up iirc on stage 2. You should aim to hold on to those for the entirety and repeat on loop 2. Certain sections can be exploited with the winged boots, although I played pretty straightforward (didn't consult any YT vids).

Forget about the speed up/slow down armour, they both ruin you in their own way - you should just aim for keeping gold armour and not getting duped by a million things into collecting the wrong weaponry or accidentally downgrading your secondary weapons.

Loop 2 is no joke, and you have to deal with the witches in the interim. I played Kai far more than Cho just to get near the final boss (and I came close) and it actually wore me down to the point where I shelved it with the intention of going back... but it's been a while now. Should probably dig the Vita out and get back on it.

With your skills I reckon it won't be too much of an issue, but I'll be interested to hear what you make of it. It's an amazing game.

What's good about the winged boots? The ability to fly or is it something more?
I think there's also a red striped shield (from what I remember) that can also help you fly. Is that worse than the winged boots for some reason?

[Skykid]

Flying is such an amazing advantage I don't know how I'd cope without it. Well actually I do, because I invariably lose it to death somewhere before the end of loop 1 and have to do it hardcore foot soldier style - that includes the insanity that is the volcano stage... could really use the ability on that one.

Also I think it's winged armour rather than boots, dunno why I said that. Not sure about the sheild you mentioned - usually I kept strictly to my powered up selection from stage 2 onwards and never deviated.

Once you start playing it you'll see why flight is damn useful.

[boagman]

Flying is such an amazing advantage I don't know how I'd cope without it. Well actually I do, because I invariably lose it to death somewhere before the end of loop 1 and have to do it hardcore foot soldier style - that includes the insanity that is the volcano stage... could really use the ability on that one.

Also I think it's winged armour rather than boots, dunno why I said that. Not sure about the sheild you mentioned - usually I kept strictly to my powered up selection from stage 2 onwards and never deviated.

Once you start playing it you'll see why flight is damn useful.

The shield being referred to is the shield which provides 7 seconds of flight. Seven seconds only.

This is one of the nits I pick with the game. There's the flight armor you speak of which allows for basically constant flight, and the shield which allows flight for only 7 seconds. This kind of thing drove me out of my mind a good bit on the original, pre-Kai game. What's actually *attainable* within that 7 seconds? There's so much that *appears* to be attainable (rings, ledges, rooms, you-name-it), but honestly just isn't, and I think that that's one of those moments wherein I just kind of sat back and said to no one in particular: "This is what happens when you try to be too fancy for yourself." They were trying to make the game into something that it's either not, or that it should never be.

It's still terrific, but that's an element of the thing that, quite frankly, isn't. It doesn't ruin it, but it absolutely shows why Kai is so important.

[Skykid]

Out of interest, how do you properly spell it? Chohmakaimura (as it is on the box), Chou Makaimura, or Chōmakaimura (or Chomakaimura minus the accent)?

[Skykid]

^ Some Japanese speaker should know this.

[mikehaggar]

超魔界村

is how you properly spell it

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

Romanization like that would just come down to personal taste, wouldn't it? I don't think there's any one true way to spell that name in English.

Have you guys played Midnight Wanderers? I put some time into that a few months ago and I think it deserves a recommendation - it's not as strict as any of the GnG games, but it gets pretty close to their level of excitement. Excellent game.

[Ex_Mosquito]

@Sir Ilpalazzo: it's a decent game. It feels a little more restrictive and stiff control-wise than the Makaimura series, and it isn't quite as punishing. My main gripes were: #1 The jumping. It has one height of jump (like Makaimura) but you don't seem to cover much distance and you also jump a little to high for my liking, it's a bit unnessasary. #2 The firing. You're annoying stuck in firing animation when you fire in the neutral/ducking position for what seems like an age, it ruins the flow of the game a little I find. The fact they have about 99997 popcorn enemies stopping you from progressing at a reasonable pace doesn't help either. I did a 1cc of it a while ago, it's a pretty easy game. http://youtu.be/FaNY3467Nrg

A quick question regarding Makaimura. What revision is Makaimura on the Japanese release of Capcom Generations 2? I'm guessing the latest, revision G?

Cheers.

[Mero]

Thought I'd give this thread a quick bump since I managed to 1CC the first loop of Chomakaimura.



Game over on the 2-2 boss.

There's some RNG that can fuck you up in certain places if it goes against you, but I'd say the first loop isn't too bad if you keep hold of the crossbow (indeed, I don't see how some parts of the game are possible without the crossbow). Bosses aren't too tough.

I didn't make it far but the only difference I noticed in loop 2 was boss behaviour.

[Skykid]

Congrats! I also favour the crossbow above all else. I think the first loop is a fairly simple 1cc once you learn the pitfalls - and most of the 2nd loop too. It's when you have to discard the crossbow that I get ruined (the last stage of the 2nd loop, essentially.)

[Mero]

Thanks. And yeah, I should have gone further, but the 2-2 boss was firing those shell projectiles at me like a machine gun. I had two bites of the cherry as well.

[Skykid]

Thanks. And yeah, I should have gone further

You will. Slow but sure, if you can 1cc I promise you you can 2C(whatever the last stage is, I forget how many). But once you get the Godess' Bracelet all bets are off for a 2cc - at least not without several times more the amount of time you put into getting to that point in the first place.

Basically the Goddess Bracelet is an intended curse, and killing the final Arremers with it is a treacherous game of cat and mouse in confined spaces - plus it slows you down to the point where the time limit actually becomes a genuine threat and you can lose lives to it.

Unfortunately you need to get to the TLB unscathed really, since it powers down way too much with a hit. Like I said, torture of a special kind. I was happy to get to where I did and then actually finish the 2nd loop with however many continues I'd earned tbh.

[MintyTheCat]

Hello all,

I had no idea how good Gargoyle's Quest/Red Arremer was. I am really impressed.
It got me thinking back to choumakaimura/Super GnG on the SFC. I hadn't played it since 1994 when I last completed it (2 loops with that special weapon you get after completing the first loop). What a game, really nice graphics but some slow-down along the way.

I have it on the Megadrive too but I have not played it much. I think I remember being able to fire upwards that is missing in 'chou'. I feel it has stood the test of time very well - it was 1991 when it was released.

I will be looking into the other Red Arremer games too.

[Jonny2x4]

TWO YEAR BUMPAN'

I finally got around to 1CCing Ghosts 'n Goblins after all these years. I don't remember my high-score, but it was over 600,000 points before I died on the fourth stage of the third loop. I never really gave it a serious attempt before though. I credit-fed my way through the version included in Capcom Generation 2 on the Saturn and was satisfied with that back then. For the record, the version I've completed this time was the U.S. PS2 version on Capcom Classics Collection, which is based on the PS1 port. The version on the PS3's Capcom Arcade Cabinet collection feels very different from my experience (from my understanding, M2 supposedly recoded the game to run natively on PS3 and Xbox 360, but I'm not sure how true is that).

Is there any point of using the torch or the axe in the game? Those two offer no tactical advantages over the default lance and I get the feeling they were only throw-as booby power-ups, knowing how cruel the rest of the game is. The holy cr-, err, shield has a crappy range compared to the lance and knife, but at least it can cancel out most enemy projectiles.

Is Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins worth it? Is on sale right now on the PS Store and it's apparently compatible with PSTV.

[BrianC]

TWO YEAR BUMPAN'

I finally got around to 1CCing Ghosts 'n Goblins after all these years. I don't remember my high-score, but it was over 600,000 points before I died on the fourth stage of the third loop. I never really gave it a serious attempt before though. I credit-fed my way through the version included in Capcom Generation 2 on the Saturn and was satisfied with that back then. For the record, the version I've completed this time was the U.S. PS2 version on Capcom Classics Collection, which is based on the PS1 port. The version on the PS3's Capcom Arcade Cabinet collection feels very different from my experience (from my understanding, M2 supposedly recoded the game to run natively on PS3 and Xbox 360, but I'm not sure how true is that).

I remember reading somewhere that the PS1 Generations GnG port was based on one of the JP Makaimura revs? The version on 360 and PS3 is the US GnG, which I heard is more of a quarter muncher, but there is an option to play the JP Makaimura (not sure which rev was used, though).

[Jonny2x4]

On Capcom Arcade Cabinet I mostly stick with Makaimura over Ghosts 'n Goblins. I wasn't aware there were significant differences between the two though. I always assumed the only difference was the change from the holy cross to the shield as the final weapon.

[BrianC]

On Capcom Arcade Cabinet I mostly stick with Makaimura over Ghosts 'n Goblins. I wasn't aware there were significant differences between the two though. I always assumed the only difference was the change from the holy cross to the shield as the final weapon.

here is a list of differences. Some notable differences in the US version are two unicorns in one area and the last boss taking 8 hits instead of 4.

I might be wrong about it being the US version and a few of the games may have used the world revisions.

[Sumez]

There are a ton of differences between every version of the Makaimura/GnG original arcade game, and I think like at least four major different versions of the game? It's mostly related to wildly different enemy placements on the final stage, as well as the AI of the Satans which will range from either completely simple and manageable, to absurdly random and luck based.
The ones you'll usually come across on bootleg arcade boards in the west are the ones where the final stage will force you to take a hit against a unicorn, but is otherwise really easy, meanwhile good luck taking down all the Satans without dying.

Is Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins worth it? Is on sale right now on the PS Store and it's apparently compatible with PSTV.

This'll be one to split the audience. I was unsure of where to put it for a while, but I ultimately settled on hating the game.

Of course, it's worth noting that two versions of the game exist, and if you get Goku Makaimura Kai, you'll get both versions included.
The original version requires you to seek out a bunch of hidden items and upgrade your character along the way, collecting new armors and skills along the way, even encouraging backtracking. I hated this aspect when the game came out, I wanted classic arcade makaimura.

The Kai version is basically that. One weapon at a time, every powerup only lasts until you get hit, every stage in linear order, etc. etc.
Unfortunately the game just doesn't work for this format IMO. The game is looong, and the stages last forever. They also seem to be designed around the upgrades you get in the normal mode, and the game is insanely hard in what I'd consider to be all the wrong ways. You need to basically memorize everything in the game to avoid being killed completely without warning, and with the length of the game, there is a lot to memorize.
And let's not forget all the passages where you need to wait out patterns, or sit on moving platforms etc. The game will really test your patience, which in my case just lead to even more reckless deaths.
After beating the end boss after endless amounts of credit feeding, I never felt like going back to even brush on the thought of a 1CC.
The original release of the game might actually be the better version at the end of the day, but I haven't tried returning to it after picking up Kai.

Of course, if you are into playing some really hard GnG, this game is your bro. It is by far the hardest game of the entire series. And I'm not saying that in the same way some people say SGnG is the hardest game ever made...

[EmperorIng]

Time to revive the thread (bring it back from hell?) with... a new Makaimura game??

Ghosts n' Goblins FUKKATSU

Spoiler

Definitely an homage game. I can feel like they want the art style to be this stylized story book/paper art thing, but it comes off more like a mobile game at the moment. Still apparently developed in-house, so I wonder if Capcom has it in them!

[Marc]

Plus Capcom Arcade Stadium, also for Switch. Happy days, looking forward to both.

[pablumatic]

Can't say I'm big on the Earnest Evans marionette animation style of the new GnG game.

I always hope for something similar to what Monster Boy looked like for modern interpretations of retro games, but it looks like most companies don't have it in them.

Might still have to get it because Capcom bases future game prospects on cheaper products that they shove out. Which is what this looks like.

I am excited for the Capcom Arcade Stadium in any case. Lots of great stuff there including the best GnG game, Ghouls n' Ghosts.

[Bassa-Bassa]

Can't say I'm big on the Earnest Evans marionette animation style of the new GnG game.

Developers should realize once and for all that we've had enough of that already. Even very low frame-count animation made by hand is always preferable to puppets. Not everyone is Vanilla Ware after all.

Still, way better than something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy7CCNnv1h4

[kid aphex]

I guess that I’m not usually a fan of this animation style... but for some reason, I feel that it works here.
Reminds me of Black Knight Sword by Grasshopper... a great game I wish there was more of

[scrilla4rella]

Yeah, I kind of like the weird art and animation style. Seems to capture the feel of the original games more than the PSP version but to be fair I bounced off that one pretty quick

[Austin]

Definitely not a fan of the art (and animation) style, but if the game's fun, I'll play it. Still looking forward to it.

[Sumez]

Gameplay doesn't look bad from what they've shown, but the graphics as everyone everywhere seems to agree on are an atrocity. Or, at least, the animations are.

I don't mind the game looking kinda iffy as long as it plays alright, but it kinda sends the message that the developers don't really know/care about what they are working with here. Or is that just too cynical?
It sends me all the usual vibes of a precision based 2D game constructed in an engine that just isn't built for that. Like platform games based on realistic physics simulation, etc.