Gargoyle’s Quest II

Current goal: See if you can get more than 99 vials
Play it on: NES

By now many people know that Capcom’s Demon’s Crest (SNES) is one of the best action-adventures of the 16-bit era, an exquisitely crafted gem. This past week I finally decided to try its less heralded predecessor, late-era NES game Gargoyle’s Quest II, and what do you know? It’s pretty snazzy itself, a typically tight 8-bit Capcom platformer of the sort we used to take for granted.

Gargoyle’s Quest II is the middle chapter of the unusual trilogy, which has you taking on the role of one of the most vexing enemies ever to befoul a platformer: the red devil from 1986’s landmark arcade hit Ghosts ‘n Goblins. His name is Firebrand, and now that you’re the bad guy, you have to venture across the Ghoul Realm to right some wrongs, or maybe wrong some rights. But in any case you no longer feel quite as intimidating as in the arcade game, so you have to build Firebrand’s abilities over time to become the gargoyle antihero that Hell deserves.

Super-tight platforming is the main event. Every level is a precision obstacle course testing your ability to leverage Firebrand’s wall hanging and very limited flight abilities to maneuver around spikes and NES-era monsters employing typically rude respawn routines.

I’m a little past the halfway point, and not yet breaking a sweat. But it’s fun to exercise these muscles again and be reminded of just how technical an 8-bit platformer can get. I have a bit of a bias against late-release NES games (this one’s 1992), but that sure proved silly here. Gargoyle’s Quest II makes for a nice companion piece to its all-time classic sequel. — Alexandra Hall