Ghouls'n Ghosts (Japanese: 大魔界村, Hepburn: Daimakaimura, lit. "Great Demon World Village") is a platform game/run and gun developed by Capcom and released as an arcade game in 1988, and subsequently ported to a number of other platforms. It is the sequel to Ghosts'n Goblins and the second game in the Ghosts'n Goblins series.

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 the souls stolen by Lucifer (Loki in the English-language Mega Drive and Sega Master System versions), including the soul of his lover, Princess Prin Prin. 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.

Treasures and weapons

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.

Weapon	Description	Special Attack
Javelin	Arthur's default weapon	A lightning bolt strikes all enemies right, left and above of Arthur
Dagger	Faster than javelin, it is thrown at slightly different heights between throws. It is the fastest-paced weapon in the game, and probably the best before the Psycho Cannon becomes available.	A twin-Arthur, who is invulnerable, appears for a brief time and mimicks Arthur's moves – including attacks, which hence are doubled in intensity
Axe	Very powerful, it goes through all enemy characters. Ascending trajectory of awkward use.	A fire bomb wraps Arthur in two rapid shots, with great destructive effect. Such bomb protects Arthur from enemy projectiles.
Discus	Slightly more powerful than javelin. Once thrown, the discus bends its trajectory keeping at low height from the terrain	A magic wall appears at short distance from Arthur protecting him from projectiles and low-level enemies for a while.
Fire ball	Short and rapid trajectory, falling down in front of Arthur. Once fallen, the ball causes a small fire which damages enemies who get into it.	Two big fire balls wander through the screen spinning rapidly, thus hitting most of the enemies
Sword	The only non-projectile weapon. Sword inflicts double damage with respect to the other conventional weapons.	Two lightning bolts go diagonally through the screen, inflicting damage to the enemies
Psycho Cannon	The most powerful weapon, it can be obtained only if the game has been completed once and only if wearing the magic armor. After losing the armor, the Psycho Cannon is still available – though in a weaker version.	Wearing the magic armor does not allow any special attack, but the power and reach of the Psycho Cannon is greatly enhanced, and it also protects from enemy projectiles.

Levels

There are five levels and Lucifer's chamber at the end, considered a sixth level in itself. To defeat the game, Arthur must complete level 1 to 5 twice. Upon completing level's 1 to 5 the first time, Arthur is taken back to level 1 again but this time a special weapon appears during the game. To enter Lucifer's chamber the player must have this special weapon equipped, and must have defeated the final Fly boss from level 5. After entering the final large door, the player goes directly to Lucifer's chamber.

Level 1 – The Haunted Graveyard (sometimes known as the Executioner's Graveyard) & The Evil Hill.

Level 2 – Village of Decay & The Village on Fire.

Level 3 – Baron Rankle's Tower & The Horrible Faced Mountains.

Level 4 – The Crystal Cave & The Icy Descent.

Level 5 – Lucifer's Castle Part 1 & Lucifer's Castle Part 2.

Level 6 – Lucifer's Chamber.