You play as Firebrand and you are tasked with going through the Ghoul Realm to stop something called the black light. A simple plot for a simple game but we aren't really here for a detailed narrative experience now are we? We're here for that sweet platforming gameplay.
The game is split into two sections, top down overworld exploration and side scrolling platforming. In the overworld sections you walk around a big map, find towns, talk to demons, get items etc. and then when you reach a place of importance the game switches into the side scrolling mode. When you're platforming you have a standard shot attack to kill enemies and you have a wing meter that lets you hover for a limited time after a jump. The hover mechanic takes a little bit of getting used to at first but when you get good at it it becomes really satisfying. As you play through the game you get upgrades that allow you to jump higher, shoot stronger, make platforms and float longer and as you aquire the game throws obstacles at you in just the right intensity to allow you to get used to your new abilities before tasking you with some pretty challenging stuff near the end.
Now you might recognise Firebrand from a different game, Ghosts and Goblins, also on the NES and as most people know it's a LEGENDARILY difficult game that requires not only precise platforming and some really annoying enemies, but also two consecutive clears to get the proper ending. This may lead you to believe that Gargoyle's Quest 2 is equally hard but have no fear because you'd be quite wrong. With the exception of maybe the final two stages, most of the levels in this game are an absolute breeze and even then the last two levels are nothing compared to what the rest of the main series has to offer. The hover makes a lot of the platfoming extremely lenient and even if you do find yourself struggling, you can farm "vials" in levels and on the world map to buy extra lives very quickly. The bosses in each stage are also an absolute joke most of them dying in a small number of hits and with patterns that are extremely easy to figure out. Even the last guy, with his one hit death orbs is an absolute joke when you realize that, by that point, you have infinite hover and anything dangerous he throws at you can be countered by just shooting it. That said it's not a complete walk in the park but you probably will never end up in a position where you have to repeat a stage ad nausium because some bullshit enemy keeps killing you like in GnG.
It seems that this game is pretty well known and pretty well regarded and I can't believe it took me so long to dicover it for myself. If you've not played it and you're looking to kill an afternoon with an NES game, then this is a pretty good one to fire up. Also if you really like it and wan't more, Gargole Quest 1 is avaliable on Game Boy and a sequel to this game called Demon's Crest on the SNES is also waiting for you. I've not played either of those but I enjoyed this one so much I'm about to go give them a try
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