Capcom Arcade Cabinet, Ghosts and Goblins question

[AppliCotton]

Hey,

Just picked up the 1985 pack with Ghosts and Goblins, Gunsmoke and Section Z, it's awesome! I really like Gunsmoke, it's so nicely done, it's a shame it came out before shooting technology really took off, grrrrrrrr, hate having to pick up speed ups, hate that my gun, even when powered up, barely covers half the screen... still a great lesser known shmup though!

My question is about Ghosts and Goblins... how exactly does the arcade version differ from the well known NES version? I played the NES one a bit, but more importantly I've seen the GCCX and AVGN videos multiple times, and so I kinda have this NES-version strategy in my head... James: "three rules: 1. get the knife, 2. get the knife, 3. get the knife".

Is the arcade different? Are the weapons different (ala TMNT the Arcade game PCB/NES)? Are the difficulty spikes and boss patterns different? It's a fun game, and I'd like to know so I can set about finishing it (by continue feeding, of course).

[Retronomy]

Ghosts'n Goblins is one of those rare games in that era where all the ports retain most of what you'd find in the arcade.

Besides slightly different platforming physics and of course a squashed resolution (which may or may not mean certain things would be shifted a tile or two over like ladders) it should be just about the same, by my memory.

Also, your stategy should be get knife < get knife < get cross unless you want to get sent back to level 5 before you have to play the game a second time.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Old games like this all have about a trillion ports. The NES version is very similar to the arcade original. Which is why the Irate Gamer was able to cheat and sneak arcade footage into his review of the NES game.

Now something like the C64 port is a completely different beast.