Capcom’s Gargoyle Trilogy, as I’ll call it, eschews the Japanese tradition of creating parody games on a mainline series and instead delivers a wholly different take on the universe portrayed in their Makaimura (Ghosts & Goblins) franchise. Rather than staring mainline series hero Sir Arthur, The Gargoyle Trilogy stars the Red Arremer – the titular pain-in-the-ass recurring enemy in the mainline series that has felled many a gamer thousands of times over. Red Arremer’s infamy in the Makaimura games was great enough toward the end of the 1980’s that the powers-that-be at Capcom thought it best to try and monetize his fame and create a game centered around his (I assume this is the correct pronoun…) journey.

Each of the three games in the trilogy presents Firebrand (Red Arremer’s Westernized name, which I’ll use from here on out) as you guide him on his epic quest to overcome some nefarious force trying to take over the Ghoul Realm. Firebrand’s quest in the first two games is not unlike popular console RPGs of the day as you travel around the world doing good things for local lords and being praised for your heroic deeds. There is already a legend about the “Red Bolt” in the towns and villages Firebrand visits in the Ghoul Realm, and as you progress events unfold that build Firebrand into the very legend you keep hearing about. The third game, Demon’s Crest, is significantly different in set up, tone, and structure to the first two. Overall, it’s all very odd compared to the mainline games in the Makaimura series.

Let's get some additional context by diving into a brief history of the Makaimura series before we get into The Gargoyle Trilogy.

Falling in line with many other arcade games of the early and mid-1980’s, the Makaimura series requires the player to clear two loops before seeing the true ending. Basically, the player is required to beat the game twice in a row in a single sitting. And because these arcade games were designed to eat your money, the second loop is set at a higher difficulty. Not insurmountable, mind you, but noticeably more difficult.

To this day Capcom still commissions new games in the Makaimura series created by either their internal development teams or external developers. The newest game in the series was released as recently as 2021 and carries forward all the tropes and balls-to-the-wall difficulty fans expect from this storied franchise. Makaimura's intense difficulty has become infamous in gaming circles over the years, so in a bid to increase sales of the series, Capcom introduced several additional modes and difficulty options across the last few releases to help ease new players into the series and create new fans.

Personally, I’ve always been a casual fan of the Makaimura series, but I’ve never actually taken the time to beat any game in the series completely. The closest I’ve come is about halfway through the second loop in Daimakamura, or Ghouls & Ghosts in the west. This is my personal favorite of the original series, releasing first on the Capcom CPS1 hardware and then on just about every console imaginable since its original 1988 release. Daimakaimura was the final arcade release before the series became a console exclusive franchise with the release of Chomakaimura, or Super Ghouls & Ghosts, in 1991. Created from the ground-up for the Super Nintendo, Chomakaimura is the popular favorite among series die-hards, and the final game in the mainline series until 2006’s Ultimate Ghosts & Goblins on the Sony Playstation Portable.

The Gargoyle Trilogy deviates far from the Makaimura Series’ roots by including many lite role-playing game (RPG) elements like an overworld map, towns to explore, non-playable characters to interact with, and items and upgrades to collect. This includes the ability to upgrade your armor, health stats and more to help you along your journey. While still very difficult, The Gargoyle Trilogy is easier than the mainline Makaimura series overall.

Outside of The Gargoyle Trilogy, Firebrand is still a somewhat popular character in Capcom’s line-up, and we often see him as a cameo or guest character in other Capcom games. A big boost to his popularity in the last 20 years is his inclusion as a playable character in three high-profile fighting games: SNK Vs Capcom Chaos in 2003, Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 in 2011, and Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite in 2017. Firebrand (specifically, Red Arremer) can also be found as a cameo enemy in the classic arcade games Black Tiger and Higemaru. Of course, Firebrand is still causing worlds of frustration for new players in the most recent entries in the Makaimura series as well. 

Now that we’ve covered the who and what of Firebrand and the Makaimura series, let’s dive into the individual game reviews of The Gargoyle Trilogy.