Ghosts'N Goblins: Gold Knights 2

The first Ghosts’N Goblins: Gold Knights was like that friend everyone has. You know, the one who means well and has a few really good attributes, but whose abrasive nature and lack of self-control means you don’t ever want to spend too much time with them.

It was a moderately fun platformer with serious control and performance issues. Ghosts'N Goblins: Gold Knights 2 is remarkably similar – overly so, in fact – but it does show signs of reform.

It’s a direct continuation from Ghosts'N Goblins: Gold Knights, with exactly the same brand of action-platforming. You can even purchase power-ups to improve your chances, just like the first game.

Playing as either Arthur or his companion (more on him later) you must battle through each twisted fantasy stage, taking out mythical beasts with your unending supply of lances or one of many power-up weapons.

As well as the same gameplay, Ghosts'N Goblins: Gold Knights 2 features the same ugly 3D graphics that look like they came from an early PlayStation game. Some of the towering bosses are faintly impressive with their sheer scale, but overall the game is blocky, fuzzy and lacking in charm.

Fortunately, the game at least moves at a smoother rate compared to the last game. Arthur leaps and climbs with far more grace and fluidity, which improves the experience markedly.

Even more importantly, the controls have been revamped. Gone is the woeful virtual directional pad to be replaced by a virtual analogue stick. This results in far fewer control-related deaths, although it’s still light-years away from the precision afforded by physical controls.

One other criticism of the first game was its replayability or lack thereof. While this sequel is of a similar length and difficulty, Capcom has improved matters slightly through a simple change of personnel.

The story sees the replacement of Lancelot as a playable character with Perceval. Whereas Lancelot was rather similar to Arthur, Perceval is markedly different, with his attacks being all about close range scuffles. It presents a completely different challenge in comparison to Arthur.

Whether you'll want to play through the game again depends on your enjoyment of the game’s brand of old-school platforming. If you persisted with and enjoyed the first game, you can appreciate the improvements made here.

Almost a year on from the first game, I don’t think Ghosts'N Goblins: Gold Knights 2 has pushed on enough to warrant significantly higher praise. Just as standing still means moving backwards on the ever-improving App Store, so slight improvement means staying right where you are.