Gargoyle’s Quest

Gargoyle's Quest: Ghosts 'n Goblins is an action-adventure game for the original Game Boy. Developed by Capcom, it was released on May 2, 1990, in Japan, then North America in July, and lastly Europe in 1991. The playable character Red Arremer (Firebrand in the U.S.) made his debut in the video game series Ghosts 'n Goblins as an antagonist character. Gargoyle's Quest was followed by the NES prequel Gargoyle's Quest II in 1992, and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System sequel Demon's Crest in 1994.

According to the fictional content of the game, Firebrand is a gargoyle predestined to carry on the namesake and identity of the Red Blaze – the powerful force that fought back the Destroyers long before this game takes place. As his destiny foretold, Firebrand saves the Ghoul Realm from evil wrath by traversing the Ghoul Realm, building his powers, and preparing to fight against the Destroyers' King Breager so as to ensure the protection of the Ghoul Real once more.

“A long time ago, the Ghoul Realm barely escaped great peril. A large army of Destroyers came from a neighboring universe. The creatures of the Ghoul Realm were no match for the powerful Destroyers. Just when everyone had given up hope, a great fire swept over the Realm, wiping out the Destroyers' army.
Several hundred years have passed and the Realm is threatened once again...”

The game consists of two variations of gameplay. One part has the player traverse an overhead view, either on the world map or in towns. This is broken up by the other type of content: individual, action platforming levels that sometimes feature a boss at the end. While traversing in the sections with an overhead view, the player is able to talk with residential, harmless ghouls and is susceptible to random battle encounters. The player then must defeat the enemies in order to return to the overhead-view map. While returned, the player occasionally comes across ghouls who want to fight so as to test Firebrand.

Firebrand can walk, jump (progressively higher with time), cling to walls using his claws, hover for a period of time (progressively longer with time), and fire offensive projectiles. The player starts with a weak projectile that does not travel far, but progressively gains new ones. Firebrand starts with two hit points, but gains more throughout the game based on items or blessings obtained; various enemies and objects drain different amounts of his health, represented by the hit points.

Throughout the game, the player gains various items including passive ones that increase Firebrand's abilities outright. Eventually, Firebrand acquires an item that allows the player to hover without ever needing to rest on the ground. A healing vial can be reused to restore health. Additionally, several types of offensive projectiles are learned over time, all with unique traits or specialized uses. The Blockbuster, for example, is more powerful than its predecessor, travels further, and can destroy special walls blocking the player's path. Another projectile temporarily covers sharp vertical surfaces allowing Firebrand to reach higher locations. These abilities leaves a use for such projectiles, even after more powerful projectiles are obtained. Projectiles are selected one-at-a-time from a drop-down menu, same as the healing vial.