Ghouls 'n Ghosts

The gameplay for Ghouls 'n Ghosts is similar to that of Ghosts 'n Goblins. The player controls the knight Arthur who must advance through a series of eerie levels and defeat a number of undead and demonic creatures in his quest to restore all the people killed by Lucifer (Loki in the English-language Sega Genesis and Master System versions), including his beloved Princess Prin-Prin, back to life. Along the way, Arthur can pick up a variety of weapons and armor to help him in his quest. While the core gameplay remains the same as its predecessor, the game now allows Arthur to fire directly upward and directly downward while in mid-air.

By jumping in certain spots, players can cause a treasure chest to erupt from the ground. By firing his weapon at the chest, players may uncover new weapons, gold armor or an evil magician that changes Arthur into an elderly man or a helpless duck. The gold armor allows players to charge up the weapon to release a powerful magical attack. Each weapon has its own special attack, with the exception of the special weapon (see below).

Three years after the events of Ghosts 'n Goblins, the kingdom is attacked by ghosts and ghouls, and the souls of its inhabitants are taken. Princess Prin-Prin is among those affected. Sir Arthur sets out to defeat Lucifer and his demons and restore the stolen souls.

In Japan, Game Machine listed Ghouls 'n Ghosts as the second most successful table arcade unit of January 1989, outperforming titles like Image Fight and Truxton. It went on to become the eighth highest-grossing arcade game of 1989 in Japan.

MegaTech magazine reviewed the Sega Mega Drive version, calling it "a truly superb game" and "a stunning conversion" of the "classic coin-op, combining stunning graphics and sound with very challenging gameplay."