written in june of last year, relocated from the original page now that this is on a separate one:

Really fun. Easier than both the original and Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (which is not in fact a SNES port but rather a different game altogether, I seem to see that mixup pretty often), but the latter is about on par quality wise. I'd have to think harder on which I prefer, but I would easily recommend both. The double jump has not yet been implemented, so some platforming can be a little more tight than in Super G&G, but the general reason this one is easier is because you can aim up and down, making dealing with both enemies and bosses tremendously easier.

As you can probably guess, there are two loops to this game. In Ghosts ‘n Goblins, there isn't really any extra boss or level waiting for you at the end (and no good reason to do the loop anyway), but this is the first installment that walls the final boss behind the second loop. I've never been terribly fond of this at all in concept, but it does allow more time for my thoughts on the game to settle in, plus it isn't much of a big deal in actually fun games like this one and Super G&G.

This not only serves as likely the best entry point into the series, but was also probably one of the best games you could own in the early days of the Genesis, arriving only a month or two after the console's launch in North America. I wonder why this wasn't included in future Genesis compilations? Maybe it's some third party nonsense that they're all specific about for those, who knows. Would definitely be cooler to see than say, Sword of Vermilion or some shit. I heard that one is on Switch Online too and this isn't. Fucked up if true