The Gargoyle’s Quest Series Ranked
In a way, I like the Ghosts ‘n Goblins spin-off series Gargoyle’s Quest more than its originator. Although the three games have long been dormant (27 years, in fact), with the three games releasing from 1990 to 1994, they remain an interesting artifact of what was once one of Capcom’s flagship video game franchises. The Gargoyle’s Quest games are preferable because they are simply not as frustratingly difficult as most of the Ghosts ‘n Goblins games. But they also play with RPG elements, allowing the player character (and Ghosts ‘n Goblins enemy) Firebrand to visit towns, talk to “ghouls,” and power up his abilities. This structure actually most closely resembles a Legend of Zelda, for example, which has of course been described variably as an RPG-lite or adventure game. I think the latter applies to both Zelda and Gargoyle’s Quest, although Firebrand’s series does feature random encounters. Regardless, Gargoyle’s Quest consistently offers a solid side-scrolling action platformer base, upping the ante with some satisfying upgrades and character progression. The three games are due a new successor, but in the meantime, I’ve ranked the short series below (it’s a pretty straightforward ranking).
Note: All games developed and published by Capcom.
#3 — GARGOYLE’S QUEST (1990)
The Gargoyle’s Quest series started with its namesake on the Game Boy. Its story, which is actually a bit deeper than you could expect from Ghosts ‘n Goblins due to its light RPG/adventure elements, establishes Firebrand, a recurring enemy in the original franchise, as an antihero. He sets out to fight the more evil king of the Ghoul Realm, visiting hellish locations that are actually rendered with cool detail on the handheld system. GARGOYLE’S QUEST introduces the loop that would be replicated to improved degrees in successive entries in the series. Firebrand navigates a top-down world to find levels and acquires various upgrades that improve his projectile attacks, jump, and hover abilities. The upgrades to those mechanics are welcome, as the core feeling of attacking, jumping, and hovering. Part of GARGOYLE’S QUEST enduring appeal is Firebrand’s ability to stick to walls with his claws; it’s just a joy to move the character around, even in his pretty deliberate way.
#2 — GARGOYLE’S QUEST II (1992)
Gargoyle’s Quest was brought to a home console for its second installment, in a late addition to the NES library. But in fact, GARGOYLE’S QUEST II was also ported back down to Game Boy for Japanese audiences only in 1993, with added stages and features. In evaluating GARGOYLE’S QUEST II, I’m addressing only the NES version, which plays like, well, a home console version of the original GARGOYLE’S QUEST. The game is in full color, of course, and its sprites and backgrounds are rendered in slightly more detail. But generally, this is just a solid upgrade to the first game in terms of presentation. The control of Firebrand feels very similar, but he moves around in a larger space (I find that a number of Game Boy games have really chunky character sprites in relation to their environments) that are put together with a slightly stronger level design. GARGOYLE’S QUEST II also acts, as far as I can tell, as a prequel. Firebrand is apparently in training, and even though I’ve said the Gargoyle’s Quest series is more story-focused than its Ghosts ‘n Goblin spawn point, it kind of reorients the lore for each game.
#1 — DEMON’S CREST (1994)
The third and (for now) final game in the Gargoyle’s Quest series ditched the naming convention thus far and brought the franchise to the SNES. As such, that steady presentation upgrade is elevated from GARGOYLE’S QUEST II; DEMON’S CREST takes on a whole new look in 16-bit, while the first two games reside within the same style guide. Firebrand is stretched out, as it were, into a taller and thinner character, and he plays through levels with much more moody backgrounds and thrilling, macabre enemies and bosses. DEMON’S CREST essentially ignores the previous games (although a more charitable way to look at Gargoyle’s Quest’s story is as an episodic tale), but it dives deeper into in-universe lore, centered on “Crests” gathered by Firebrand throughout the game. It also develops an interesting approach to story for the series, resulting in three different endings depending on the player’s choices. This thematically accompanies DEMON’S CREST’s “Metroidvania-ish” approach, as getting new Crests open up new transformations and abilities for Firebrand, making areas in previously played levels now accessible. Other, more extensive upgrades to Firebrand’s core stats (like health) flesh out the optional mechanics that surround the action platforming gameplay. While feeling different in a new, 16-bit world, that gameplay carries the satisfactory core of previous games. DEMON’S CREST improves nearly every concept from its predecessors in the Gargoyle’s Quest series, while its overworld exploration is reimagined into a pseudo-3D map that Firebrand flies over. This makes the conversation elements of GARGOYLE’S QUEST 1 and II feel more unique, but they were always kind of minimal in comparison to the action and upgrades. And man is that action good in DEMON’S CREST, which stands as a relatively overlooked entry into a superb SNES canon and the culmination of a novel spin-off that may overtake even the best of its progenitor series.
