Speaking of Ghosts n' Goblins - there was a discussion on HN not too long ago about platformer controls in old video games (air control vs. non–air control), and how being able to control your character in the air mostly won out. As someone who grew up playing the excruciatingly difficult NES version of Ghouls ’n Ghosts , can't say I'm sorry to see that mechanic go the way of the Atari Jaguar.
> excruciatingly difficult As the author of the article notes, the NES was not popular in the UK or Europe as a whole, and indeed, I've still never seen one in the flesh, so to speak. But we did have arcades in the town I grew up in, and when Ghosts n' Goblins was current, I can remember discussing it with another kid in our schoolyard. He told me that someone he knew had made it all the way to the end of the game. T…
Weeell...here's the thing. Erm. You didn't push through to the end. You just got the "bad" ending.
The game does very much have a proper ending, and reaching it is surprisingly straightforward.
You just have to beat it twice.