Gargoyle's Quest 2
Gargoyle’s Quest 2 is a prequel of sorts to the Game Boy original with the set up being the first time King Breager tried to take over the Ghoul Realm. This storyline is what spawned the legend of the Red Blaze you heard about in the first game, basically. Despite taking place prior to the events of the first game, and the overworld and levels being different, you’ll encounter many of the same enemy types, NPCs, and items found in Gargoyle’s Quest.
Some positive changes from the first game include the removal of the generally pointless random battles in the overworld, an extra magic weapon called Tornado that allows you to create your own platforms in the air, and an ever so slightly longer (though still tragically short) quest. The level design overall has even more verticality than the first game and is an overall improvement on its already solid foundations.
The difficulty has been evened out somewhat, but there is a spot early on where you have to take many blind jumps to moving platforms. It isn’t so bad once you have a couple of wing upgrades, but without them it is a bit of a pain. Like the first game, once you reach the half-way point of the adventure Firebrand has more than enough equipment and upgrades to make the back half of the game feel somewhat easier by comparison. The biggest complaint I can throw at this game’s difficulty are the ridiculously easy bosses – even the very final boss is a pushover. I found a sweet spot in the air where I had to occasionally dodge a fireball, but it was a clear line from my mouth fire to his eye. Was over in a matter of 2 minutes or so. The difficulty of the game is in the level design and hazards, much like a good Mega Man game, so the bosses feel mostly like a missed opportunity to really test your skills with Firebrand’s unique abilities.
Tragically, like the Game Boy game before it, Gargoyle’s Quest 2’s obscenely short run time is its biggest weakness. Just when you really have Firebrand’s move set down and you’re ready for the game to really open up – it’s over. Again, no New Game+ or harder difficulty to go after. Unless you’re into speed running, you’ve seen all there is to see your first play through. It’s definitely worth revisiting, though, and the platforming is such a joy that it isn’t hard to quickly cozy back up to it. I just wanted more…
Of course, Gargoyle’s Quest 2 is a step up in the visual department with bright primary colors that really bring the universe of the Ghoul Realm alive in a way that the monochrome Game Boy couldn’t muster. Sprite detail is similar to the first game, just larger with much, much more screen space to play around with. The visual design looks like a cross between Castlevania and Mega Man overall. The sound design, like the first game, isn’t going to win any awards, but the music is well composed and fits the environments and theme well.
I can’t fault the developers at Capcom for not taking a bigger risk with this game and basically rehashing the Game Boy game. With Gargoyle’s Quest 2 releasing at the very end of the 8-bit era (four years after the Mega Drive/Genesis launched in Japan), I’m surprised it sold as well as it did to warrant another sequel.
Regardless of sales numbers, Gargoyle’s Quest 2 is an outstanding NES game both in terms of its unique approach to game design, interesting lead character, innovative levels, and gorgeous graphics for the aging hardware that push the NES to its limit. There are a few ways to play this game in the modern era, although some of them are defunct already. It was playable on the WiiU’s Virtual Console, but that’s offline now. Outside of owning an original cartridge, your only other way to experience it is via emulation. If you would like to play on an authentic cartridge, a US edition is out of the question for most people due to it currently being valued around $160 loose. A Famicom edition (Japanese NES) is much, much cheaper but it would be a bit cumbersome (not impossible, though) to play through without a FAQ for some general guidance on your first run due to the text being in Japanese.
Capcom also ported this game to the Game Boy in 1993, but unlike the first game, it only got a release in Japan. Prices for a loose cart of the Game Boy version are fair, but it’s not the best way to experience this game. The field of view is pulled WAY in, and many of the level layouts were not tweaked to fit this cramped view which leads to numerous blind jumps and running into other hazards that kill the pacing and difficulty curve. There are a couple of extra stages, but they are side-quests and not integral to the crucial path. Additionally, like the Famicom version, you’ll still need a FAQ for your first play through as the game is entirely in Japanese.
Bottom Line – Gargoyle’s Quest 2 is a must-play NES platformer that takes the best of the first game in the trilogy and gives the player a bigger, more balanced quest overall. If you liked the first game, this is a no brainer. If you just want to play one game in the series, this is my pick as it’s the most robust and well thought out of the three.
