Ghosts 'n Goblins is one of the most celebrated and most difficult platformers of all time and recently received a remaster of the first two games in the series in Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection. The game was recently was ported from the Nintendo Switch to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, and long-time fans are finding the game different compared to other games in the series.
The game has four difficulty levels, from Page mode which allows players to revive wherever they fall, to the Legend mode, which plays almost exactly like the original two games with the same grueling punishments. Legend mode is not meant for beginners to the series, and it's certainly not meant for impatient gamers who can't stand to take a few deaths in the pursuit of Legendhood.
7 What Makes Legend Difficulty So Tough?
Legend mode is so hard because it only gives the players two hits until death – one hit removes Arthur's Armor, and the next will kill him. Additionally, enemies are faster and the game provides additional content for diehard Legend players to discover.
The Legend mode is the way to play Ghosts 'n Goblins if it's important for players to experience the series as it was originally meant to be experienced. The addition of other difficulty levels serves to give new players an introduction to the game's mechanics and precise movements, but the series is known for its punishing gameplay, and it's a shame to not at least give it a try once.
6 Collect Every Umbral Bee Possible
Umbral Bees in Ghosts 'n Goblins are Arthur's source of upgradability. By collecting Umbral Bees, he can get new abilities from the Umbral Tree, some of which are absolutely necessary to a successful Legend mode run of the game.
Umbral bees look different in every zone, and if players miss one, they're extremely hard to go back for. Take out as many enemies as possible around the bee first so there's time to try again without fear of being hit mid-jump – in Legend mode every movement counts, after all.
5 Choose Your Abilities Carefully...
At the Umbral Tree in Ghosts 'n Goblins, the player can choose to take on new Magic abilities. There are a number of abilities, some with upgraded versions offering special attributes or powers, but a lot of them are not exactly first-picks.
The Treasure Eye, for example, just highlights treasure on the screen, but Transmogrigrog turns enemies into frogs at a moments' notice. Think carefully before choosing abilities, as a Legend run is only as good as the tools the player has at their disposal.
4 ...And Make Sure To Pick Up The Medusa Spell Early
Though no ability in Ghosts 'n Goblins is truly awful, one ability stands above the rest as a must-have for any player looking to get through Legend mode a little bit easier. The Medusa skill will turn small enemies to stone if they are visible on-screen and it only requires 3 Umbral Bees to unlock.
The upgraded version of the ability, Medusa II, will also work on mid-size enemies. The ability won't kill bosses, so although it's a great spell throughout the game for dealing with packs of small enemies, it's not very helpful against larger foes.
3 Go With The Knife Every Time
The knife is undoubtedly the most iconic weapon of the Ghosts 'n Goblins series, and undoubtedly the most useful weapon to use throughout the entire game. It's more precise than any other weapon, does respectable damage, and can be used extremely fast.
Its precision is really its main highlight, though, as it lets players aim and actually hit weak points on bosses with ease compared to other weapons in the game.
2 Get Dual-Equippable Weapons As Fast As Possible
While a player going through Legend mode can always rely on the Knife to deal with most of the game's enemies, it's still useful to have a backup. The Kitted Out spell can be learned at an Umbral Tree with Umbral Bees and has two upgrades: one lets Arthur carry two weapons, and the other lets him carry three.
The other weapons in the game are the Lance, the Holy Water, the Hammer, the Spiked Ball, the Crossbow, the Discus, and the Shield. Each of these has its own strengths and weaknesses, and although the Knife is a great go-to, other weapons can situationally be more useful (like the Crossbow against a ranged boss).
1 Embrace Your Guaranteed Failures
The most important thing for players to do in Legend mode is to accept that they will probably not be able to win on their first attempt, or their second, or even in the first dozen tries they make. The only way to get through an experience as grueling and unforgiving as Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection's Legend mode is to have the will to keep going and the understanding that defeat is inevitable.
Mastering the game's precise movements, specific upgrades, and memorizing enemy patterns and weapon aiming can all certainly help a player get to the end more efficiently. That end will never come into sight, though, if players don't have the patience to learn from their mistakes and try again.