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Why The Ending Of Ghosts 'N Goblins Was Surprising To Players

There's something about the NES that Nintendo may want you to forget: It had some brutally difficult games. Anyone who grew up in the late '80s or early '90s understands the meaning of "Nintendo Hard." Not only were there many games without the luxury of saves or even passwords, but some titles were just downright cruel in their design. Naturally, there are plenty of games in the library that few have beaten. One of those games is the mythically hard Ghosts 'n Goblins.

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For fans who are all too familiar with its difficulty, it's time to sharpen those skills once again as a new entry in the series – Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection – will soon arrive on the Switch. Fortunately, the original is available in the NES Online library, so you can get in some demon-slaying practice in preparation for the new game.

However ... if you do revisit Ghosts 'n Goblins, you should prepare yourself, because the ending will throw you a fakeout that might mess with your head. This is why the ending of Ghosts 'n Goblins was surprising to players.

Thank you Arthur! But our ending is in another playthrough

Ghosts 'n Goblins is hard. Like really hard. Like, cruel-and-unusual-punishment hard. Good luck beating this merciless platformer. If, by some miraculous stroke of luck, you manage to make it to the end and defeat Satan (the lord of the Underworld, not the designer of the game), you are rewarded with a fake ending. That's right! Not only do you have to beat two Satans and a "Great Satan," but you are actually forced to play the entire game over again to earn the true ending.

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This final battle marked an insane difficulty spike that pretty much ruined the game. Of course, 12 total levels doesn't sound all that bad at first, but this is one of those no-password/no-save nightmares that must be completed in a single gaming sprint. Most gamers don't know about this secret ending because it's nigh-impossible to make it past the first stage, let alone the final boss. 

Now that you're adequately prepared for what's to come, go forth and rescue Princess Prin Prin ... if you dare!

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