Gargoyle's Quest
Nintendo Gameboy
Developer: Capcom Co., Ltd.
Publisher: Capcom USA
Released: 1990
Completed: 15 June 2014
I have so many fond memories of Gargoyle’s Quest from my childhood. It was one of the few Gameboy games I’d ever beaten, a feat I cannot believe I accomplished after completing it again. I’m not sure whether my reflexes have slowed, or if I just had more patience back then, but the game is tough as nails. Fortunately, I also discovered my fond memories aren’t just influenced by nostalgia. Gargoyle’s Quest remains my favorite Gameboy game to this day.
Set in the Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins universe, you play the part of Firebrand, also known as the Red Devil or Red Arremer. Why, if he’s supposed to be red, he is colored green on the game’s packaging is a mystery that may never be solved. Actually, come to think of it, maybe his coloring was intended to represent the pea-soup green hue of the Gameboy screen. Regardless, he’s that obnoxious bastard enemy that swoops down, is difficult to avoid, and seemingly takes forever to kill.
As Firebrand, it’s your job to save the Ghoul Realm from the tyranny of King Breager. Unfortunately for you, you are nowhere near as resilient as the hero of the game than he was as Arthur’s enemy.
Gargoyle’s Quest is an action-RPG hybrid, with stellar platforming sequences that make use of Firebrand’s unique gargoyle powers. Clinging to walls, using your wings to fly short distances or hover, and different breath weapons to kill enemies or pass obstacles is essential, and a blast to boot. Between action sequences, there is an overworld map, similar to Final Fantasy and the like, where you can visit towns, buy extra lives, and earn passwords to continue your game. Along the way, your power will increase, though it lacks the complex statistics of a traditional RPG.
The game is challenging. Scratch that – it’s flat out hard. The early stages are a breeze, but halfway through you’ll likely be ready to throw your handheld against a wall. I played it on a Super Gameboy, and I damn near picked up my SNES and threw that instead. Having said that, I don’t think I would ever call it unfair. If you persevere, you’ll make it through and there’s a real sense of accomplishment when you beat a sequence that had previously stymied you.
Boss battles are pretty simplistic, but generally enjoyable. Oddly enough, the final boss is exceedingly easy to exploit, which can be a letdown if you’ve steeled yourself for an epic challenge.
Graphically, the game pushes the Gameboy pretty hard, and there’s lots of slow down as a result. It’s a shame, because it looks fantastic when it’s not running a single digit frames per second. In some ways, the framerate can actually be helpful for tough platforming sequences, but it is also extremely annoying when half the game runs so poorly. It’s obvious this was a very ambitious game for the hardware, with large, well-detailed sprites and backgrounds, but gameplay suffers a bit as a result. The music, composed by an uncredited Yoko Shinomura, is also quite excellent, although the sound effects are kind of bland.
The biggest problem with the game is the nonsensical story, thanks in large part to the relatively low memory of a Gameboy cart. NPCs in towns rarely say anything of use because Capcom basically used American shorthand when translating. This leads to utterly cryptic dialogue, but the game is fairly straightforward so it’s not as big an issue as the notoriously cryptic gibberish in Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest.
All in all, Gargoyle’s Quest was and remains a fantastic game. Though it was popular enough to spawn two sequels, and Firebrand mostly recently appeared in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as a playable character, Capcom hasn’t done anything with either the spin-off or the original Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins property in many years. You may find yourself with patches of missing hair by the end of the adventure, but it’s so good you’ll likely keep playing.
Gargoyle's Quest was completed on a real Super Nintendo via a Super Gameboy cart with no cheats. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the end credits screen.