10 Mistakes Video Game Franchises Made TWICE
2. Having To Play The Game Twice - Ghosts and Goblins and Super Ghouls and Ghosts
Ghosts and Goblins was one of Capcom's premier games for the NES. Already a beloved arcade classic, the NES equivalent was a charming port of the original.
It was also soul-crushingly hard,
This game was one of the poster children for the phrase "NES Hard", with difficult enemies, stiff controls, and one of the most scream-inducing late-game twists in gaming history. See, unless you finish stage 5 (of 6) with the shield weapon, you have to redo the previous mission all over again. Now, the shield weapon isn't great, but it's 100% doable. So you do it, and then are told after defeating the final boss that you have to replay the entire game anyway to get the actual ending.
One can only imagine the reactions of first-time players back in the 80s. One of the most frustrating games ever made, and they ask you to play it all again just to beat it.
And that was Ghosts and Goblins' legacy for years, until the Super Nintendo came along, bringing with it the much superior sequel - Super Ghouls and Ghosts.
While Super Ghouls and Ghosts has the same difficulty its predecessor had without any of the stiff controls or BS enemy encounters, it did carry over one detail from the original. When you've beaten the game, you're told you actually have to go back and do it all over again.
Let's hear it for tradition, everyone! Ugh.