BRUTALLY HARD RETRO GAMES
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (SNES): You Have to Beat It Twice Too
Capcom's SNES sequel to Ghosts 'n Goblins kept the franchise's most notorious design decision fully intact.
The Same Double-Playthrough Twist
Just like its NES-era predecessor, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts requires players to beat the entire game a second time, with harder enemy patterns and new hazards, in order to earn the true ending — a design decision the series clearly considered core to its identity rather than a one-off gimmick. Arthur again loses his armor after a single hit and dies outright on the second, keeping the franchise's signature fragility intact on more capable hardware.
What the SNES Sequel Added
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts introduced a double-jump mechanic and a wider variety of weapon and armor upgrades compared to the original, giving players more tools to work with — though the game's overall difficulty curve remained just as demanding, with the added options largely offsetting rather than reducing the core challenge.
Playing It Today
Capcom has included Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts in various Capcom compilation releases on modern platforms, generally preserving the original's full difficulty including the double-playthrough structure. Original SNES cartridges remain a moderately priced, widely available pickup for genre fans and collectors chasing the full Ghosts 'n Goblins series.
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